Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- An international conference on food security will be held in Samarkand on 7-8 September. 

On the agenda is the world’s achievement of the Zero Hunger goal, the opening of express corridors for the supply of products between the participating countries. The International Conference on Food Security is organized by the Government of Uzbekistan and will be held with the technical support of FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations).

The event will be attended by ministers and diplomats from more than 30 countries, as well as representatives of international organizations, financial institutions, scientific organizations - the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Economic Cooperation Organization, the World Bank, the Islamic Organization for Food Security, the Asian Development Bank, etc.

Within the framework of the conference, Uzbekistan will present its own achievements in reforming the agricultural sector, and will also turn to the experience of the world community in order to establish a transfer of knowledge and innovative solutions.

Today the whole world is facing the problems of land degradation and water scarcity, a pandemic and an unstable geopolitical situation. Against the backdrop of these challenges, the issue of food security is becoming more and more acute.

We all feel how climate change affects agriculture and, as a result, the provision of food for the population. Water resources are depleted, high temperatures negatively affect crop yields and livestock. Climate fluctuations make food production less predictable, which reduces the accuracy of forecasting and planning. Meanwhile, planning is the key to avoiding a shortage of certain products on the market.

Also on the agenda is the opening of “green” and express corridors between the participating countries for the direct supply of high-quality and affordable food,” commented Aziz Voitov, Minister of Agriculture of Uzbekistan.

FAO estimates that some 2.3 billion people in the world are moderately or severely food insecure, of which 566 million (25%) live in Asia.

The upcoming conference will contribute to the further development of cooperation between FAO and Uzbekistan. The event will serve as a good platform to discuss the challenges and solutions for the development of agri-food systems in the world.

In addition, this international event will provide an opportunity to analyze the status of the implementation of measures to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal No. 2 “Zero Hunger”, which includes specific tasks to improve food security and nutrition, as well as measures to develop sustainable agriculture by 2030, — said FAO Sub-regional Coordinator for Central Asia Viorel Gutu.

Also, within the framework of the Conference on Food Security, the exhibition "Agro-Food Potential of Uzbekistan" and the 1st Agro-Food Investment Forum of Uzbekistan will be held.

More than 50 companies from Germany, Italy, Israel, Hungary, Republic of Korea, Poland, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan will take part in the forum.