October 2023: FAO Experts in Brussels - engaging with partners and sharing knowledge

The month of October saw a series of FAO experts participate in events in Brussels, covering a wide range of topics. These included:

Benjamin Davis, FAO Director of the Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division, participated virtually at the European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries (PECH). Several parliamentary committees and delegations were holding sessions addressing gender equality issues in their policy areas to mark the fourth European Gender Equality Week (23-29 October). Davis gave a presentation in this context about the "The Status of Women in Agrifood Systems with a special focus on gender equality in fisheries and aquaculture". To read more on this topic, please consult FAO’s The Status of Women in Agrifood Systems report.  

Lauren Phillips, Deputy Director of Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality, presented the same FAO report at the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development AGRI. 

Zitouni Ould-Dada, FAO’s Deputy Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Environment, participated in the European Climate Stocktake Conference. Ould-Dada stressed that agrifood systems, biodiversity, and climate change are interconnected and underscored the need to address them in synergy to maximize benefits and minimize trade-offs. 

FAO Senior Social Protection Policy Officer Marco Knowles visited Brussels in October to deliver a presentation at DG INTPA’s session on “Climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies in health and social protection”. 

Sergio René Araujo Enciso, Economist in FAO’s Markets and Trade Division, spoke at the EU Outlook meltdown meeting organized by DG AGRI and JRC which took place in Brussels.

Sarah Cahill, Senior Food Standards Officer with the Codex Secretariat, participated in an EU-organized training session on Codex under the Better Training for Safer Food initiative. 

Cortney Price, Behavioural Science Expert at FAO, participated in the Future of Food conference organized by EIT Food, as a keynote speaker.