A final meeting was held as part of the FAO project on Technical Support to the Food Safety Agency (AFSA) institutional reform and management

The online seminar discussed the achievements and progress of the AFSA institutional reform and management technical support project for 2019-2020. The opening ceremony was addressed by the head of the Food and Agriculture Organization of Azerbaijan - Partnership and Liaison Office Melek Cakmak and the adviser to the chairman of the AFSA Elkhan Mikayilov. "Food security is not only important for human health, but also plays an important role in ensuring their livelihood. I would like to emphasize that FAO's cooperation with AFSA is and will be the basis of the work done in this direction, "Melek Cakmak said in his speech. Elkhan Mikayilov spoke about the Agency's activities and goals, reforms in the field of food security and the stages of ensuring food security in the Republic of Azerbaijan. He said that the FAO has come a long way to establish a new food security system and the Agency is benefiting from the FAO's experience in institutional matters. It was noted that the principle of risk-based approach is taken to ensure future achievements in this area, which gives impetus to further improve the food security system in our country, the development of a new food security mechanism. 

This was followed by presentations by international experts on the project from the Food Safety Agency and the FAO. The participants were informed about institutional reforms in food control systems, development of national capacity on Codex Alimentarius, progress and priorities in food security and food control systems, and necessary measures taken in this area. 

The meeting focused on future projects aimed at further expanding cooperation. In this regard, Mary Kenny, FAO Food Safety and Consumer Protection Officer, made a presentation on the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture (FTPP) project: Improving national food safety systems and regional cooperation. At the end, Fuad Mardiyev, Head of the International Relations and Protocol Department of the Food Safety Agency, presented the project "Creation of a Sustainable National Code System" planned for the coming period.

During the seminar, the sides exchanged views on the projects to be implemented to further strengthen the staff capacity of the Agency and improve laboratory facilities.