On 7 September 2023, a delegation of the SCO Secretariat led by Deputy Secretary- General Shri Janesh Kain attended the opening ceremony of the International Conference on Food Security in Samarkand. The event was organised by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan jointly with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Shri Janesh Kain used his opening remarks to inform the audience about the main spheres of the SCO’s activities in food security agriculture. He spoke about the importance of the ongoing efforts to strengthen the SCO’s transport and logistic connectivity and regional cooperation to protect water resources and introduce water-efficient technologies in agriculture.

The Deputy Secretary General mentioned new cooperation areas that appeared following Iran’s accession to the SCO as a member state. He also highlighted additional opportunities created thanks to more active cooperation with the SCO observer countries and dialogue partners that have a substantial financial and economic potential.

On the first day of the conference, delegates from the relevant agencies of the SCO member states will attend a technical session on “Food security. Challenges and solutions in the Shanghai CooperationOrganisation.”