35th Session of the Regional Conference for Europe and Central Asia (ERC) Opening Statement

Your Excellency the Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan

Your Excellency the Chairperson of the Regional Conference,

Your Excellency the Independent Chairperson of the Council,

Excellencies, 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am so pleased to open the 35the Session of the FAO regional ministerial conference for Europe and Central Asia here in Dushanbe, the beautiful capital and the marvellous city of Tajikistan.

Let me begin by expressing my deepest gratitude to His Excellency Prime Minister Kohir Rasulzoda, to the Government and to the people of Tajikistan for their generous hospitality and partnership - and for the strong leadership of His Excellency President Emomali Rahmon, my friend since many years.

It is particularly fitting that we hold this regional ministerial conference in a country that is a cradle of water, mountains, and ancient agricultural traditions - as we are reminded that sustainability begins with respect for nature.

This year, we gather under a theme: “Uniting for Sustainability: Integrating climate action, biodiversity conservation and land restoration for sustainable agrifood systems in Europe and Central Asia.”

The challenges we face – the climate crisis, economic pressures, and supply chain disruptions, among others - do not respect borders. Our agrifood systems are interconnected, and so must be our solutions.

During our discussions, we should focus on three urgent priorities:

First: strengthening the resilience of agrifood systems across the region, and beyond;

Second: securing adequate financing to make that resilience possible; and

Third: using all the tools in the toolbox, especially the application of programmatic and advanced technology on the ground and at scale.

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Resilience must be built. It requires diversifying supply chains, restoring degraded lands, investing in early warning systems, empowering smallholders, and innovating with digital and climate-resilient agriculture.

The recent extreme weather events across this region - from floods to droughts - are a sharp reminder that business as usual is no longer an option.

Our roadmap remains the FAO Strategic Framework 2022–31, anchored in the Four Betters: Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment, and a Better Life - leaving no one behind.

We cannot build resilience on empty pockets. Current financing for agrifood systems transformation remains far below what is needed.

Public budgets are constrained, and private capital is not flowing at scale, especially to small and medium-sized enterprises. This must change.

We need to work with governments, development banks, international financial institutions, and private sector partners to:

First: increase national budget allocations, in which the public part should play its role as a sign of strong political commitment to agriculture and rural development, with a focus on climate adaptation and social inclusion.

Second: de-risk lending for smallholders and cooperatives, including through blended finance, insurance and re-insurance.

Third: redirect agricultural subsidies toward incentives for competitiveness by best practices.

And Fourth: leverage international climate finance for climate-resilient agriculture, and integrated and sustainable soil and water management.

The complex and overlapping challenges we face threaten livelihoods, food security and rural development. More than 90 million hectares of land in Europe and Central Asia are estimated to be degraded.

At the same time, this region remains a cornerstone of global agrifood systems – a major producer, exporter and innovation hub.

It holds immense assets — diversified landscapes, strong science and research capacity, dynamic rural communities, and innovative private and public actors — all of which can drive the transformation of agrifood systems to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable.

However, what we have been losing are holistic designs with concrete actions, with continuity, with dynamic and with deliverables.

My message today is clear: we must act decisively, together, and with urgency. The pathway is clear and it is actionable. We must:

First: understand the new and higher demands for food security, food quality and food diversity from the younger generation, because people born after 2000 have a completely different demand for food quality and food diversity compared to the older generations from this region. After World War II, it was a problem of starvation and quantity, but now it is about quality, diversity and flavour – it is a new type of demand.

Second: integrate policies and investments as they are mutually reinforcing components of sustainable agrifood systems.

Policies, investment plans and programmes must be designed to deliver multiple benefits — climate resilience, healthy soils and waters, thriving biodiversity, ensure food diversity, and livelihoods for consumers, smallholders and rural communities.

Integrated approaches increase efficiency, reduce trade-offs and attract broader financing.

Third: resilience must be built not only at the farm level, but across entire agrifood systems from the fields to the forks.

This is critical at a time when climate, economic and biological risks increasingly occur and amplify each other.

In the Europe and Central Asia Region, economic risk is high in 24% of the countries, while river flood risks is high in 36 countries, and drought risks affect at least 10 countries.

That means it is critical that we protect and diversify livelihoods, invest in resilient infrastructure and services, strengthen early warning and risk financing, and promote sustainable production practices that allow farmers and fishers to produce more with less — less land, less water, less agricultural inputs, and less negative impact on the environment - while producing more and increasing protection of natural capital.

Fourth: we must mobilize resources and increase smarter and more inclusive financing. Public resources will not be enough.

Since 2015, development finance flows to agrifood systems in Europe and Central Asia have amounted to about USD 21.4 billon, yet they remain far below what is required.

At the same time, domestic public spending on agriculture in many countries is less than half of the agriculture contribution to the GDP, and bank credit to agriculture remains well below parity. 

We must unlock blended finance and leverage private capital, and ensure that financing reaches smallholder and family farmers, pastoralists, fishers, women farmers and youth.

Fifth: the One Health approach is critical - animal, plant and human health are interlinked.

Transboundary animal diseases alone cause an estimated USD 50 to 330 billion in global losses each year.  Strengthening integrated prevention, preparedness and response to transboundary animal diseases, zoonoses and plant pests is essential for resilient agrifood systems and public health.

I strongly encourage all Members and countries in this region to participate in the coming launch of the Global Partnership Programme for Transboundary Animal Diseases - the GPP-TAD - an innovative business model for transboundary animal diseases.

Sixth: Strategic foresight, robust evidence and high-quality data must guide policy choices and facilitate the 2030 SDG Agenda.

You need to invest in research, digital tools and regional knowledge exchange to effectively anticipate risks, design adaptation policies and scale up proven innovations.

Young scientists and researchers in this region are a critical resource — we must support and partner with them as driving force to lead the transformation.

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Peace and stability are prerequisites for food security and the right to food is a basic human right.

We must work together to mitigate the impacts of conflict on vulnerable populations and ensure food, fertilizer and seeds reach those who need them most.

FAO stands ready to support inclusive responses that keep markets functioning and protect the most exposed.

Equity and inclusion are the foundations for sustainable transformation.

FAO estimates that transforming agrifood systems will require around USD 650 billion in additional investment each year, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

We must expand opportunities, build capacities and remove barriers so that youth and women can become changemakers on the ground.

FAO is your partner in this journey.

Let’s be ambitious but pragmatic; shared and scaled; concrete and competitive.

Let the Dushanbe regional ministerial conference be the place where Europe and Central Asia commit to think together, learn together and act together to build up a people-centred agrifood system for a better future.

For people, planet and prosperity.

Thank you.