A new generation of ideas and partnerships took centre stage recently in Dushanbe at the GENERATION YSInvest event organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Held alongside the Thirty-fifth Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe, the multi-day event was structured around three interconnected pillars – youth engagement, science and innovation, and investment – highlighting how inclusive dialogue and coordinated action can drive sustainable change in the region.

The Government of Uzbekistan and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) are scaling up efforts to strengthen the sweet cherry value chain through a new FAO-China South-South Cooperation (SSC) project under the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative.   

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), together with the European Dairy Association, held a private-sector dialogue today in Brussels, gathering European Union-based companies, industry associations, financial institutions and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to shape private-sector inputs for FAO’s upcoming Thirty-fifth Session of the Regional Conference for Europe.

Academia and research institutions play a vital role in generating knowledge, innovation, and evidence-based solutions for agrifood systems. On 15 April 2026, 38 representatives from across Europe and Central Asia gathered virtually for the first-ever consultation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with academia and research institutions in the region. The event provided a space to exchange perspectives and develop recommendations ahead of the 35th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe (ERC35).

The Fourth Multistakeholder Regional Meeting of the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock (GASL) came to a close today in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, bringing together livestock sector leaders and experts from across Central Asia, as well as participants from Azerbaijan and Türkiye. The event was jointly organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the GASL.

Serbia took an important step towards strengthening its health security and fostering collaboration across human, animal, plant and environmental sectors during the two-day workshop “From theory to practice: Implementing the One Health approach holistically”, held in Belgrade on 1–2 December 2025. Organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as the current chair of the Quadripartite (FAO, WHO, WOAH and UNEP), with the support of the other partner agencies, the event brought together over 40 representatives from government institutions, academia and international organizations to support Serbia in making the One Health approach operational.

Parliament members from across the globe gathered 10–11 November at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome to exchange views and ideas on the use of legislative tools to boost progress in food security and nutrition. The Europe and Central Asia region was represented by Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Greece, with each country reaffirming its commitment to transforming the region’s food and agricultural sectors to be more efficient, inclusive and grounded in shared values.

he Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Ukraine, with the financial support of the European Union (EU) and in partnership with the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, the Global Crop Diversity Trust (Crop Trust), and Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen) has officially opened the Duplicate Centre for Plant Genetic Resources of Ukraine and handed it over to the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences (NAAS).

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a project to strengthen competitiveness and climate resilience among smallholder farmers in the Republic of Moldova. This is the second phase of the Programme on Resilient and Inclusive Markets, implemented jointly by FAO and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with key support from Switzerland.

Forest biodiversity experts and policymakers from five Central Asian countries, along with Azerbaijan, Montenegro and Türkiye are gathering in Trabzon for a regional training workshop on “Mainstreaming forest biodiversity into national strategies and action plans” to chart a course towards healthier, more resilient forests. 

A fruitful collaboration between Azerbaijan and Türkiye in advancing agricultural services received an award from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) at the FAO Global Technical Recognition Ceremony on 15 October 2025 for its outstanding contribution to South–South and triangular cooperation (SSTC). The project, titled Support for Structural Reform and Strategic Development of the Agrarian Services Agency (ASA), received this accolade under the category of Projects Championing SSTC, celebrating its role in promoting institutional capacity development, knowledge exchange and sustainable agricultural innovation between the two countries.

Zoonotic diseases – infections transmitted from animals to humans – remain a serious threat to global health, livelihoods and food systems. In an era of climate change, antimicrobial resistance and increasing interaction between humans, livestock and wildlife, the risk of zoonoses is greater than ever. To strengthen regional preparedness and promote early detection, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a Russian-language version of its online course Zoonoses for Field Veterinarians. 

World Food Day became part of the United Nations calendar in 1980 on the initiative of Hungary. Every year on 16 October, it reminds us that access to food is a fundamental human right and that only through joint efforts can a balanced and more sustainable diet be ensured for everyone. Approximately 8 percent of the world's population, or 673 million people, go hungry still, while in the Europe and Central Asia region, it is about 2 percent of the total population, or 24 million people.

Across the rugged highlands and sunlit lowlands of Albania, a quiet but powerful transformation is underway. Farmers, especially women and young people, are beginning to adopt digital tools and approaches, gradually reshaping traditional roles and practices. From precision agriculture in Korça to peer learning in Manëz, rural communities are opening up to innovation and exchanging knowledge in ways that previously were out of reach. Driving this transformation is the Digital Agriculture for Rural Transformation (DART) project, a joint initiative of the Government of Albania and the United Nations through contributions from the European Union, Spain and Sweden.

On 8 May 2025, the Parliament of Montenegro hosted the 18th session of the “Women’s Parliament,” under the theme “Voices of Women from Rural Montenegro.” The session aimed to amplify the voices of rural women, recognize their contributions and advocate for their stronger representation in public life. It culminated in the adoption of the Declaration of the First Rural Women’s Parliament, a significant step toward inclusive policymaking and the recognition of rural women as key contributors to sustainable development.

A group of municipality representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia visited Mafra, a Portuguese municipality, last week to learn more from its example on localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Mafra has shown a strong commitment in overall SDG implementation at the municipal level and in the development of a Voluntary Local Review (VLR), the internationally accepted process to review the implementation of SDGs at sub-national level.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is collaborating with the Scuola Politecnica di Design, the first school for design disciplines in Italy, founded in Milan in 1954. Following an established dialogue, this cooperation aims to offer both online and offline classes focused on FAO's critical role in global food security and the enhancement of quality of life through innovative agrifood systems.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) held an interactive lecture series at the Agricultural University of Tirana, engaging students in discussions on climate-smart agriculture and international plant protection standards. This event, part of the Business4SDGs Phase II project, aimed to bridge scientific research with practical implementation, equipping Albania’s future agricultural professionals with knowledge to address pressing global challenges.

The second ministerial meeting was held on 18 January in Berlin, Germany on the sidelines of the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture 2025. Speakers included Cem Özdemir, German Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, Ludmila Catlabuga, Moldovan Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, as well as Raimund Jehle, FAO Regional Programme Leader and Representative in the Republic of Moldova.

The Investment Centre of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), has launched Digital Technologies for Agriculture in Türkiye showcasing how AgTech solutions – from smart irrigation to traceability and e-commerce – are poised to enhance productivity and sustainability in Türkiye. The publication identifies the most promising AgTech solutions and assesses their current and potential uptake, along with barriers to adoption, and the supporting ecosystem.