FAO hosts Regional Conference for Europe every two years, giving participants a great opportunity to discuss problems related to the main food security challenges in the region. In 2020, for the first time the FAO Regional Conference for Europe was chaired by Uzbekistan. The delegates elected the Minister of Agriculture of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khodjaev as the Chairman of the thirty-second session of the ERC.
In his opening address, the Director-General QU Dongyu thanked Uzbekistan for their flexibility in hosting the Conference virtually, and welcomed the representatives from civil society, private sector and other partners, stressing that their presence and contribution enriches the discussion.
«This first virtual FAO Regional Conference in this region has been a great success also due to the engagement with non-state actors, partner organizations, civil society, and – for the first time – the private sector,» said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu, who noted that the new virtual modality has also helped to «move away from formalities and focus on the substance.»
In light of the global COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health concerns, the Thirty-second Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe (ERC) was convened virtually from 2 to 4 November 2020.
During the three days of the virtual Conference hosted by Uzbekistan, 31 ministers and vice-ministers from 51 countries actively participated in the discussions, in addition to other 270 delegates and 50 observers from governments, International Organizations, other UN agencies and various partners. More than 1500 people were daily watching the webcast of the Conference.
‘’It is an honour for me to welcome you all to 32nd session of FAO regional conference for Europe and Central Asia. We highly value your ownership of FAO work in the region. We have record number of governments participating in this conference, but we are trying to make it continuant, brainstorming and also attracting all parts of the societies in order to learn from them. My deepest gratitude to you, member-states. You are our leaders, we want to serve you well, we want to learn from you and we want to make this organization strong with your help”, – Mr. Vladimir Rakhmanin, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia stressed in his speech.
«Thirty-second Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe, where Uzbekistan hosts the first, is an important milestone to assess the progress, to analyse new challenges and opportunities and to identify priorities and prospects of cooperation» – said Mr. Sherzod Umarov, Officer in Charge of the FAO Representation in Uzbekistan.
In the run-up to the UN Food Systems Summit 2021, the ERC focused on sustainable food systems and healthy diets in Europe and Central Asia. The roundtable debate reviewed the status of nutrition and sustainable food systems, identifying the interlinkages and the related challenges and opportunities in the region. During the discussions, Members committed to a positive outcome at the United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021, while stressing that the world is not on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Another key topic for discussion on the Conference was the youth, youth employment and the development of rural areas in the context of the United Nations Decade of Family Farming. The discussion presented a situation analysis of smallholders, family farms, and rural youth in agriculture, including a review of strategies that can revitalize rural areas in the Europe and Central Asia region. The Conference recognized the need to pay special attention to the empowerment of rural youth and women, and the strengthening of rural services and infrastructure to ensure inclusive sustainable development, the empowerment of smallholder farmers, and green growth.
Smallholders and family farmers remain key pillars of the region’s rural areas and food production throughout the pandemic. To this end, the FAO COVID-19 Response and Recovery Programme offers countries a framework to provide tailor-made solutions, and mobilize investments for small family farms’ and youth entrepreneurship, as well as public infrastructure, digital technologies, climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as social protection.
Members welcomed and supported FAO’s new approach to agricultural development laid out in the Hand-in-Hand Initiative. They recognized the role it can play in strengthening the countries’ ownership to accelerate progress to end poverty and hunger, as well as promote rural development and economic growth. In this regard, they also emphasized the benefit for innovation of improved data use for informed decision-making, and highlighted the importance of data protection and privacy.
Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture of Uzbekistan Mr. Alisher Shukurov highlighted the specific tools of the Hand in Hand initiative, including the GIS data platform and Data Laboratory, which Uzbekistan considers essential for digital transformation of the agri-food sector.
At the closing session of the Regional Conference, the Director-General and the delegates thanked the Republic of Uzbekistan for hosting the virtual event. The Director-General Qu Dongyu gave special thanks to Jamshid Khodjaev, Agriculture Minister of Uzbekistan, who chaired the Conference.
FAO Press service
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