FAO celebrated today the 40th anniversary of the Organization’s field presence in Europe and Central Asia with a side event exhibit “Global Goals, Localized Action - Celebrating 40 Years of FAO Field Presence in Europe and Central Asia”, staged as part of the 31st session of FAO Regional Conference for Europe (Voronezh, Russian Federation).

Delegates gathered around the exhibit space for the opening, immediately following the Regional Conference’s ceremonial inauguration. Protagonists of the event were the Director-General, and Armenian Deputy Minister of Agriculture H.E. Armen Harutyunyan, who both delivered a statement.

The exhibit also incorporated a video with an extensive cycle of historic photos illustrating FAO’s field work in Europe and Central Asia during the last decades. While the permanent presence of FAO through country representations in Europe and Central Asia is more recent than for the other regions, the Organization’s first projects in Europe and Central Asia were implemented 40 years ago, as from 1977.