Photo (c) MSUFP
On December 10, a design and analytical session of the “Global Food Forum 2021” was held online. The drafter of the forum program, Deputy Secretary General of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly, Chairman of the Commission on Education and Youth Policy of the RAS Council for Eurasian Integration, Professor Mikhail Fedorov greeted the participants on behalf of the organizers, including the Council for Science and Continuing Education of the Eurasian Peoples 'Assembly. He announced the “Global Food Forum 2021” that will take place on March 23-26 next year. The main topic of the forum is “Enhancing the quality of life and ensuring food security - the road to peace”.
Svetlana Smirnova, First Deputy Secretary General - Head of the General Secretariat of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly, Doctor of Political Sciences, noted that future March forum, the formation of a strategy and the use of the main mechanisms of civil society declared by the UN FAO and the Committee on World Food Security will contribute to solving the global hunger and malnutrition problem. In addition, the forum will discuss the issues of maintaining physical and economic accessibility of each person to safe food products necessary for an active and healthy lifestyle, ensuring social and demographic stability, and others.
Oleg Kobyakov, Director of the Bureau of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization for Liaison Office with the Russian Federation recalled the sustainable development goals adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015. The second of the SDGs aims to “end hunger, ensure food security and improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agricultural development”. With an integrated approach, this is not only agricultural production and processing of agricultural raw materials, but also veterinary medicine, biotechnology, nutrition for children in the context of global problems of humanity, social and demographic stability, health-promoting qualities of the urban environment, physical education and sports. Oleg Kobyakov recalled the Food Systems Summit, which is scheduled by the UN in 2021. Its goal is to raise awareness and agree on broad commitments and concrete actions to transform food systems to end hunger, reduce nutrition-related diseases and heal the planet. In conclusion, the Director of the UN FAO Bureau for Liaison Office with the Russian Federation stressed that the “Global Food Forum 2021” initiated by the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly will help unite efforts and radically change approaches to ensuring food security. “The international structures of the UN FAO, WHO, UNESCO, the World Bank, the Committee to Combat Devastation and others will not only support, but also help in organizing and holding a large-scale and diverse global food forum,” - said Oleg Kobyakov.
The moderator of the session, Professor Mikhail Shchetinin, Vice-Rector for Research of the Moscow State University of Food Production (MSUFP), Doctor of Technical Sciences, noted the importance of holding such a forum in close cooperation with the UN FAO. Mikhail Shchetinin also introduced the heads of higher educational institutions and research institutes, who expressed their readiness to participate in the organization and holding of special sessions next March:
- Oksana Kuznetsova - Director of V.M. Gorbatov Federal Research Centre for Food Systems RAS, Doctor of Technical Sciences;
- Vagif Bayramov - Rector of the Moscow State University of the Humanities and Economics, Doctor of Social Sciences, Professor;
- Olga Kovtun - Rector of the Ural State Medical University, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences;
- Muazzam Ansori - rector of the Tajik Pedagogical Institute of Penjikent (Tajikistan), Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor;
- Tamara Mikhailova - Rector of the Russian State University of Physical Culture, Sports, Youth and Tourism, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor, Honoured Trainer of Russia;
- Sergei Bredikhin - Dean of the Technological Faculty of the K.A. Timiryazev Russian State Agrarian University, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor;
- Sergey Belopukhov - Head of the Centre for Collective Use “Service Laboratory for Complex Analysis of Chemical Compounds” of the K.A. Timiryazev Russian Agrarian University, Honoured Scientist of the Russian Federation, Professor, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Candidate of Chemical Sciences;
- Nadezhda Tsyganova - Vice-Rector for Scientific, Innovative and International Work, St. Petersburg State Agrarian University;
- Olga Shultz - Head of the International Relations Department of K.I. Scriabin Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology, PhD in Law;
- Mikhail Emelyanov - Deputy Head of the Scientific Policy Department of the National Research Moscow State University of Civil Engineering, Research Fellow at the Research Laboratory for Engineering Research and Monitoring of Building Structures.
A number of experts spoke on the issues discussed.
Eduard Lozansky, American-Russian public figure, academician of the Russian Academy of Social Sciences, founder and president of the American University in Moscow, professor at Moscow State University (USA), spoke about the relevance of the “Save the Planet” project in the context of crises and on-going wars in different parts of the planet, environmental disasters, pandemics, etc. To save the planet from hunger and poverty is an urgent task of our time, noted Eduard Lozansky.
Aniset Kotchofa, ex-Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Benin to the Russian Federation and the CIS countries, High Commissioner for International Cooperation - Deputy Secretary General of the (EECO), Director General of the International Coordination Council of Graduates of Educational Institutions Alumni (INCORVUZ-XXI) (Benin), reminded participants of the poor living conditions of the people of Africa, thousands of children die from hunger. Aniset Kotchofa noted that such an approach is timely and has special significance for the African continent.
Zhanturin Arystan, head of the QAZANNAN National project, entrepreneur, public figure of Kazakhstan, shared his experience of creating a business in the food sector and noted that food security should start from villages.
The session on scientific and educational activities was opened by its moderator Irina Tyutkova, member of the Council for Science and Continuing Education of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly, advisor to the rector of MSUFP, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor. The conference participants congratulated her on the high award in the pedagogical community of L.S. Vygotsky.
The following participants of the event spoke at the session on scientific and educational activities.
Aleksandr Kovriga, ex-head of the science and education department of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, vice-president of the Association of Education and Science Managers, Ph.D. (Kharkiv, Ukraine), noted that daily nutrition is at the centre of human life. He said that transnational corporations capturing the food market, saturating it with low-quality food products, impede the development of the ensuring food security problem. This problem should be addressed in an integrated manner throughout the entire system of human life taking into account territorial sovereignty. Aleksandr Kovriga proposed to gather specialists and, in the new paradigm of considering this topic, prepare an analytical report that would be of interest to international organizations such as FAO, WHO, etc.
Alexander Knyazev, Director of the Institute of Global Education, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor, spoke about the human factor in the problem of ensuring food security. He supported the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly project, related to the formation of the Eurasian Centre for Professional Diagnostics and Development of Personal Competencies, and noted that such Centre is very important for training.
Galina Sorokina, Director of the Institute of Economics and Finance of the State University of Management, Doctor of Economics, Professor, announced that the institute she heads is ready to take on the preparation of a session on management of industries involved in ensuring food security as part of the Global Food Forum.
The following speakers commented on various aspects of the preparation of the forum:
- Alexey Voronov, development director of the exhibition and advertising company “Expo-RT”;
- Alfiya Abbyazova, Director of “Univer-Online” LLC;
- Julia Laamarti, General Director of the Research and Publishing Centre “Status”;
- Viktor Stulov, Advisor to the State Civil Service of the Russian Federation, Grade 1, Honorary Worker of General Education of the Russian Federation, member of the Working Council of the RAS Commission for the Study of the Scientific Heritage of Outstanding Scientists.
In conclusion, it was decided to create an international organizing committee and a working group on the preparation and conduct of the “Global Food Forum 2021”.