ERC34 Opening Statement

Chairperson of the Regional Ministerial Conference,

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Colleagues,

Good morning.

First, let me warmly welcome you all to FAO Headquarters.

I know that a lot of you did not come in person, even if you are located in Europe and Central Asia.

I wish to thank the Government of the Republic of Moldova for hosting this regional ministerial conference, even though it had planned to meet in Chisinau, capital of the Republic of Moldova, on this occasion.

I am from China, so I always look at crisis also as an opportunity. It is a small crisis, but it is also a big opportunity. Crisis in English is one word, but translated into Chinese it is two words: damage and opportunity.

I have seen some former Representatives who did not come to see the changes at the Headquarters during the past four years since they left. Since 2022, we also have a new Plenary Hall, renovated by our host country Italy, together with my colleagues, just before the last global FAO Ministerial Conference in June 2023.

While the Europe and Central Asia Region is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, it continues to see devastation and loss of lives and livelihoods from, among others, natural disasters and man-made disasters.

The ongoing war in Ukraine continues to hamper regional efforts and beyond to achieve the SDGs.

As I always say, peace is a prerequisite for food security, and the right to food is a basic human right.

Globally, we are facing critical times marked by food insecurity and fading prosperity, especially in this continent.

During the past four years, since I came in 2019, the gap, even among the most developed economies is getting bigger and bigger. That is a reality; that is real data.

While countries within the Region continue to play a pivotal role in mitigating the effects of the pandemic, war and conflicts, and other global and overlapping challenges due to the climate crises and man-made crisis, are impacting the economy and agrifood systems,

With far-reaching effects on global financial systems, fragmental trade systems, ecosystems and biodiversity. This Regional Conference for Europe is taking place in the context of these compounding shocks.

This is, therefore, a critical moment to engage in discussions to identify the most professional responses, and how to effectively implement them. We need to exchange knowledge and best practices on the most effective solutions in support of agrifood systems transformation.

FAO continues to closely monitor the implications of the war in Ukraine, and other conflicts globally, on world food security and agriculture, and provides Members with regular, comprehensive information and analysis on the effects of the war and all other crises on agrifood systems, in line with our mandate and technical expertise.

FAO is also engaged in emergency response, recovery assistance, and resilience building across agrifood systems. 

This regional ministerial conference brings us together to address the challenges, explore prospects, and I hope to build up solidarity.

You are here today because we are the ones – in different roles and at different levels - that have been tasked to focus on agrifood systems and rural development. The responsibility lies with you!

FAO is committed to providing all the technical support needed, but FAO is your organization, and you need to take the lead, both nationally and regionally, and beyond.

As the Secretary of this Regional Conference said at the start, this conference is now 50 years old. The Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean started even before in 1947! Each regional conference has over the years established its unique method of work, but the important thing is to work in accordance with FAO Rules and Regulations because you are all parts of FAO.

FAO continues to emphasize the importance of collaborative, coordinated efforts and policy actions. 

To achieve our collective objectives, FAO calls on all countries to: 

One: increase the resilience of agrifood systems;

Two: provide humanitarian and social protection responses to vulnerable groups;

Three: invest in infrastructure and logistics on agrifood systems and rural development;

Four: enhance agrifood system productivity and inclusiveness;

Five: strengthen data- based food security information, assessment and analysis systems; and

Six: develop science and innovative solutions to common challenges.

Dear Colleagues, 

We gather today with a vision to transform agrifood systems to enhance their efficiency, inclusiveness, resilience, and sustainability.

This is also central to the FAO Strategic Framework 2022–31 endorsed by the global FAO ministerial conference, and its aspiration of the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life - leaving no one behind. 

To do this we need to prioritize improving production methods – for better production. First of all, and mostly, we need to produce more with less.

Improved production can solidify the region's contribution to scientific, innovative, and sustainable agricultural practices, alongside digital agriculture, to promote climate-resilient and low-emission pathways in agrifood systems.

Healthy and affordable diets should be available, accessible, and affordable to all – this is real better nutrition.

To enhance access to nutritious, healthy food options we need effective legislation and awareness raising to promote locally produced perishable products and establish healthy lifestyles.

It is therefore also critical that environmental factors be taken into consideration – for a better environment, which requires more efforts to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, improve the soil health and environmental footprint of our production and trade on the environment, strengthen agri-forestry, and develop aquatic food availability.

I just came back last Friday from New York where I attended the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) and when I came back to Rome, I found in front of my building, in Villa Sciarra, they started planting so many trees. This reflects the global recognition of the importance of developing agroforestry.

It is a shared and common vision to make the environment friendlier and more beautiful, which also requires increased efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase green areas and improve soil health.

Next month we will have the Global Soil Partnership meeting, and Europe is always active in this forum, which is important to keep the soil healthy and reduce CO2 emissions.

As I said at the COP28, agrifood systems provide the solutions to the climate crisis and agrifood systems transformation accelerates climate action to the benefit of people, prosperity, and the planet.

Innovations in technology, policy, financial and social aspects are crucial for steering agrifood systems toward climate resilience.

More responsible investments are needed to support transition of countries towards more climate-resilient and environmentally friendly agrifood systems, while also protecting biodiversity and enjoying food diversity.

I have been to so many countries, especially in Central Asia and Eastern Europe, where you have lots of foods and biodiversity. So, from the biodiversity to the food diversity you should share this experience with other regions and with other food cultures.

Ultimately, our aim is to ensure a better life for all – leaving no one behind. We need to reduce all types of inequalities: between urban and rural areas, between men and women, between rich and poor. Building one shared future of the whole Europe with peace and prosperity.

We must create greater economic opportunities in rural areas, supporting smallholder farmers, leveraging diverse income streams, including non-farm activities.

FAO is starting to look at the true cost of food, especially hidden costs in this region, which are just over USD 3 trillion at Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), with health hidden costs constituting 80 percent of the total.

I hope farmers will be highly appreciative of this because in this region, in general, you have low food insecurity. The point is you should start to appreciate the farmers’ work and the farmers’ efforts because when you enjoy the food you forget about how much hard work is done in the field by European farmers. That is why it is not only an agricultural issue, but also a social issue.

So, all the top leaders in your region understand that agrifood systems and rural development is not only a matter of food security, but of social justice.

Tackling food loss and waste is also pivotal for strengthening agrifood systems. Food loss and waste presents major hurdles in the region, affecting income, livelihoods, food security, nutrition, climate, and resources.

In particular, reduction of food waste in the region should take a leading role in changing and include various dimensions to address knowledge gaps, strengthen frameworks, and encourage action across the food supply chain – from the field to the fork.

Dear Colleagues,

The Four Betters are overall guidelines and key contributions to accelerate the path to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the agreed upon SDG targets.

While working with partners at the regional and international levels, FAO is a country-owned, country-driven organization. Therefore, the objective of the Regional Conference for Europe is to localize priorities and establish regional consensus, emphasizing your ownership, partnership, and leadership to facilitate implementation at the national level.

I said leadership by Members is a game-changer and the Ministers for Agriculture, along with the other sister-Ministries, are real implementers.

The countries in this region are well-positioned and have already taken steps towards achieving the Four Betters. 

FAO has a wealth of networks, resources, knowledge and technical expertise to support you.

As the host of the UN Food System Summit Coordination Hub on behalf of the UN System, we support Members in implementing your national pathways, by providing our technical expertise and mobilizing resources for the three regional priorities you have identified – and some of you are also national convenors for the UN Food Systems Summit:

First: empowering smallholder farmers, family farmers and youth;

Second: transforming agrifood systems and facilitating market access and integration; and

Third: managing natural resources sustainably and preserving biodiversity. 

Further to the regional priorities identified by the previous Regional Ministerial Conference in 2022, FAO has among others:

Launched its AgriTech Observatory, a virtual platform designed for the navigation of digital agriculture developments in Europe and Central Asia;

Supported the development of national strategic documents to mainstream digitalization in the agrifood sector in many countries of the region; 

Promoted the One Health approach, within a quadrilateral partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) through several initiatives with the Central Asia Animal Health Network and a One Health pilot initiative in Kazakhstan;

Established the regional chapter of the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock in Central Asia and Eastern Europe;

Accelerated climate action and climate finance in nine countries of the region;

Prepared a regional action plan to mainstream biodiversity in the region, and published guidelines on forest biodiversity monitoring methodologies; and

Conducted an overview of land degradation neutrality in Europe and Central Asia, as well as country profiles on the status of land degradation neutrality.

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to see the number of countries in the Region participating and actively contributing to the FAO One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) Initiative implementation projects that aim to develop sustainable production and value chains for Special Agricultural Products. Promoting national brandings for agricultural products is critical.

I said many times: One Country One Priority is the simplified slogan: it means one plus N. It depends on the size, it depends on your commitment, it depends on your comparative advantage.

OCOP initiatives were successfully launched in four countries within the region; and I hope you will see – and taste for yourselves – some of these products over the next few days.

FAO is a platform and a network for you. Through the Digital FAO you can promote your special products at zero cost. So that is the most cost-effective approach to promote your national branding – that is a real public good.

I was also pleased to see that over 60 villages in nine countries of the Region are part of FAO’s 1000 Digital Villages Initiative, which seeks to transform villages worldwide into digital hubs.

Let us be honest, this region has been left behind compared to Asia and Africa – you need to speed up your digitalization. Whether you like it or do not like it. We are already in the digital world. In Europe, you have all the infrastructure so you can speed up if you develop an effective action plan.

The maturity level of these villages is currently being analysed to allow expansion of this initiative to revitalise rural areas across the Europe and Central Asia Region.

Since its launch in 2022, the Regional Technical Platform on Green Agriculture, offers a digital, user-friendly, and open gateway for information sharing, and has published a total of 30 blogs and 70 thematic publications.

Additionally, the Platform has developed a repository of green practices allowing other regions to access and to benefit from this information.

Green agriculture plays a crucial role in the transformation of local agrifood systems, as it can alleviate pressure on natural resources, while simultaneously addressing poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.

The diverse geographic and economic extent of the Europe and Central Asia Region presents an important opportunity for the FAO Hand-in-Hand Initiative, which can mobilize investment in support of agricultural and rural development.

The FAO Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) has been catalytic to leverage new investment and financing to support the region’s priorities.

Dear Friends,

The Regional Conference for Europe serves as a platform to gather the best ideas, policies, innovations, technologies, and knowledge from the region.

It serves as a bridge to connect other regions with FAO's latest knowledge, scientific advancements, and expertise, thereby benefiting both the regional and the global community.

That’s why each region has its own priorities and approach. That is the nature of agrifood systems, not like other industrial products, like computers or electronic vehicles that you can produce in the same way in any part of the world. But for agriculture you have to base it on the nature and climatic conditions.

Let us continue to work together efficiently, effectively, and coherently supporting farmers and consumers in Europe and Central Asia, and beyond.

United by our collective and ambitious vision of a world free from hunger and malnutrition, for a better future for all.

I wish you a good meeting and thank you to all.

Have a good stay in Rome!