CAREC Institute Calls for Stronger Partnerships to Advance Food Security at FAO Roundtable

On 30 June 2025, CAREC Institute Director Mr. Charymuhammet Shallyyev participated online as a distinguished panelist at the high-level roundtable titled “Four Betters for Small Island Developing States, Least Developed Countries, and Landlocked Developing Countries” during the 44th Session of FAO Conference in Rome. Organized by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the event brought together ministers, development partners, farmers’ organizations, Indigenous Peoples, and private sector leaders to discuss systemic challenges faced by vulnerable economies.

FAO Director-General Mr. Qu Dongyu opened the session by emphasizing that “strong agrifood systems are essential for a secure, prosperous future” through sustainable production and resilient value chains. The discussions centered on FAO’s Four Betters framework—better production, nutrition, environment, and life—as a global strategy for inclusive agrifood transformation.

During the meeting, Mr. Shallyyev highlighted CAREC’s leadership in translating this framework into regional initiatives. He outlined CAREC’s priorities to operationalize the Four Betters, including policy integration to optimize the agricultural-energy-water nexus, scaling cross-border trade and climate-smart infrastructure investments, and enhancing data-sharing platforms to improve food security. He reaffirmed CAREC Institute’s commitment to strengthening South-South Cooperation, regional value chain development, transport connectivity, and cross-border knowledge exchange to build climate resilience.

Given that eight of CAREC’s eleven member countries are landlocked, the Four Betters framework aligns closely with the CAREC Cooperation Framework for Agricultural Development and Food Security, endorsed at the 21st CAREC Ministerial Conference. Mr. Shallyyev emphasized the importance of stakeholder collaboration, stating, “Food security cannot be achieved through natural resources or technological advancements alone; it fundamentally depends on the cooperation of all stakeholders.”

Through this engagement, the CAREC Institute continues to advance its mandate of fostering inclusive and coordinated agrifood development across CAREC region, leveraging its expertise in policy solutions and multi-stakeholder partnerships.