FAO Brussels Director exchanges views with the European Council of Young farmers (CEJA)

FAO Brussels Director Raschad Al-Khafaji participated in an exchange of views with CEJA’s young farmers on the state of play of global agrifood systems and ways to transform them.  

Al-Khafaji started the lecture with a presentation of FAO’s mandate and the Strategic Framework 2022–2031. He then summarized the most recent information on the global situation of food security as released in the State of Food Security and Nutrition (SOFI) 2023 report, while stressing the importance of leveraging agrifood systems transformation across the rural-urban continuum.  

Alluding to the recently launched Report on the Impact of Disasters on Agriculture and Food Security he then presented an overview of the impact of climate change, pandemics, and conflicts on agriculture and food security around the world.  

Referring to the main findings of another important FAO Report launched this year, namely the one on Women in Agrifood Systems, he then emphasized the central role of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the transition towards a sustainable and resilient agrifood system.  

The Director also highlighted FAO’s support to youth and young agripreneurs through the promotion of rural services, capacity development, and the provision of safe space for youth engagement in policy dialogues. In that respect, he shared with the audience some background on FAO’s Youth Committee established by the Organization’s Director-General QU Dongyu – a first within the UN system.  

The presenter then presented the World Food Forum (WFF), a unique platform to engage youth and foster innovative solutions for a better food future. The highlights from this year's WFF edition were presented and sparked the interest of many participants.   

A lively discussion and Q&A Session concluded the event.