GENERATION YSInvest

In Europe and Central Asia, FAO is advancing youth engagement, science and innovation, and investment as mutually reinforcing drivers of agrifood systems transformation, embedded into the Organization’s regional priorities. 

To this end, GENERATION YSInvest – an event on youth, science and innovation, and investment – will be organized in May 2026 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on the sidelines of the Thirty-fifth Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe. It will serve as an engagement platform for the conference, further enriching its agenda and scope.

Built around the three pillars of youth engagement, science and innovation, and investment, GENERATION YSInvest will demonstrate how inclusive participation, evidence-based solutions and high-level investment dialogue can jointly accelerate agrifood systems transformation across Europe and Central Asia in line with FAO’s Regional Priority Programmes.

This high-level policy dialogue offers critical momentum to elevate cross-cutting priorities, mobilize political commitment and align partnerships around youth, science, innovation and scaled-up investment for agrifood systems transformation across Europe and Central Asia.

The event unfolds through a series of interconnected moments designed to translate ideas into action:

Youth dialogue (11 May)

Hosted at the Tajik Agrarian University, this session creates a structured and results-oriented platform for youth to engage meaningfully in regional policy processes and contribute actionable perspectives to ministerial discussions and the outcomes of the Regional Conference. Speakers and panellists will discuss ways to integrate the voice of youth into policies, the role of youth in driving agrifood systems transformation, and efforts to bridge knowledge and resources. Supporting the next generation of farmers is central to the future of family farming, and the initiative builds on the United Nations Decade of Family Farming, recognizing not only the importance of employment but also of ensuring continuity, resilience and innovation in agrifood systems.

As 2026 marks the International Year of the Woman Farmer, the event will spotlight the essential roles of women across agrifood systems, signalling their central role in ensuring food security, nutrition and economic resilience.

Ministerial investment dialogue: Central Asia (11 May)

This dialogue aims to go beyond production expansion, seeking to position Central Asia as a stable, climate-resilient grain hub contributing to regional and global food security. The initiative addresses shared vulnerabilities – climate change, water scarcity, glacier melt and land degradation – while leveraging the region’s strong wheat production base. It promotes coordinated investment across the wheat value chain, modernized infrastructure and logistics, sustainable water management and strengthened regional cooperation.

On 11 May, this Central Asian investment dialogue will convene country ministers to enhance policy coordination, data transparency and investment alignment, fostering a more integrated, resilient and competitive regional wheat system.

Science–Policy Interface and GENERATION YSInvest Exhibition (11–15 May)

The Science–Policy Interface will be incorporated into the youth discussion, exploring ways to ensure the effective translation of scientific evidence into policies, programmes and investments that deliver real impact on the ground.
Complementing the dialogue, the exhibition element of GENERATION YSInvest will serve as an immersive journey, combining visual storytelling, interactive installations and participatory spaces in a living platform for dialogue and exchange.

Open 11–15 May  for Regional Conference participants, the exhibition will unite key actors in food and agriculture from Europe and Central Asia with representatives of the private sector, academia and research institutions to present best practices and proven solutions.

By connecting women, youth, farmers, innovators, policymakers and investors and showcasing innovative national and international approaches, the exhibition aims to strengthen pathways from ideas to implementation and from innovation to scalable, investment-ready solutions, integrating traditional knowledge with scientific and technological innovation.