Incidentally, the first FAO Science and Innovation Strategy was approved in 2022, the aim of which is for the Organization to make greater use of science and innovation in its technical interventions and normative guidelines, and through this to promote and support the achievement of sustainable development. Development goals.
The inaugural event itself was innovative:
We are the first and perhaps the only ones to organize Science and Innovation Week at the regional level.”
This event comes within the framework of the 2023 Science and Innovation Forum of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which is linked to the theme of the World Food Forum “Transforming agro-food industrial systems accelerates action against climate change.” During this event, the organization aims to provide a platform for governments, research institutes, civil society organizations and the private sector to discuss and exchange their experiences on the needs, gaps and opportunities for integrating science, research, innovation and policy linkage mechanisms.
The event organizers prepared for the opening with an interactive program in an innovative way. First, after scanning a QR code with the help of their phones, participants were taken to a platform where they could answer two simple questions: Do you think science and innovation are important for systems transformation? How does science and innovation help your business aim for change? As one of the most innovative technologies in use today, ChatGPT was also asked questions on the topic, and finally, the participants were divided into four teams and invited to a 7-stop project trip, where the teams had to solve tasks related to different topics in some office stations.
On the first professional day of the four-day event Ozkar Okros The Deputy Minister of State also participated and confirmed this in his presentation Technological research and development is essential to building sustainable and crisis-resilient food systems. It is clear that we have reached the limits of our current systems, and the environmental, demographic and social challenges are becoming stronger and more complex, so the only option is to try to meet the food needs of the future in a sustainable way on new foundations with new solutions. He added that dialogue between science, innovation and policy is a key issue in this process.
