34th session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe (ERC34)

Rome (Italy), 14/05/2024 - 17/05/2024

About the 34th Regional Conference for Europe
Written Correspondence Process

Change of venue:

The Thirty-fourth Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe (ERC) will be hosted
by the Republic of Moldova from 14 to 17 May 2024 at the FAO headquarters (Rome).

The Republic of Moldova will host the Thirty-fourth Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe (ERC) from 14 to 17 May 2024. The ERC will gather FAO Members in the Europe and Central Asia region, as well as representatives of United Nations Funds, Programmes and Specialized Agencies. The meeting will include observers from intergovernmental and non-governmental sectors, research and academia, the private sector and civil society.

Throughout the meeting, FAO will demonstrate how the FAO Strategic Framework for 2022–2031 facilitates actions supporting the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life.

Building on the 2023 United Nations Food Systems Stocktaking Moment, the 2023 Sustainable Development Goal Summit, the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), the Samarkand Declaration and the recent Global Forum for Food and Agriculture 2024, a ministerial round table will explore the role of innovation and digitalization in strengthening resilient and low-emission agrifood systems in Europe and Central Asia. The ministers will share ideas for preserving agricultural biodiversity and improving efficient water governance in times of climate change and multiple challenges.

An important item on the agenda will be a review of the results of FAO’s work in the region during 2022 and 2023 as well as a discussion of future priorities through 2031, reflecting on the implications of global and regional challenges and the FAO Strategic Framework.

During the conference, participants will discuss issues in more detail during special events covering wide range of topics, such as challenges for landlocked developing countries in the region, the importance of the One Country One Priority Product initiative, the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), and integrated water resource management. In addition, a side event will be devoted to true cost accounting in agrifood systems to enable a better understanding and estimation of the hidden costs and benefits of these systems and to provide decision-makers with the evidence necessary for the transition towards sustainability.

Additionally, Members will be encouraged to discuss a wide range of issues through a dynamic online written consultation process ahead of the ERC Session, including the global and regional food security outlook, various means of building resilience through agrifood systems transformation, key questions and experiences addressing food loss and waste, and ways to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of FAO’s decentralized offices in the region.

MEDIA ACCREDITATION

Journalists wishing to attend an event in person need to send their accreditation request to [email protected].

They need to specify the name of the event they intend to follow and the days in which they plan to come and should include a valid press card, or letter of assignment on company stationery, and a copy of a valid photo ID (passport/identity card).

Side events

Tuesday, 14 May 9.00 to 10.00	Towards sustainable locust management in Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA)	Webcast
Thursday, 16 May 9.00 to 10.30	Foresight drivers and triggers relevant to the Europe and Central Asia region	Webcast
Thursday, 16 May 10.30 to 12.00	Climate action in agrifood systems in Europe and Central Asia: Bridging and aligning national and regional priorities and global commitments in the context of UNFCCC COP29	Webcast
Thursday, 16 May 14.00 to 15.30	Water resource management for climate change mitigation and adaptation: A multidimensional approach	Webcast
Thursday, 16 May 15.30 to 17.00	Unleashing the power of true cost accounting to transform agrifood systems: True cost accounting in Europe and Central Asia at a glance	Webcast
Friday, 17 May 9.00 to 10.00	Challenges for agrifood systems transformation in Landlocked Developing Countries in Europe and Central Asia	Webcast

In order to streamline the proceedings of the 34th Session of the Regional Conference, a written correspondence procedure will be implemented as the main method to address selected items, as indicated in the Provisional Timetable of the Session.

Members and Observers are requested to submit any inputs and statements on the selected items by email to [email protected] between 2-30 April 2024. The subject line of the email has to clearly indicate to which agenda item the submitted input relates to. These items to be addressed through written consultation shall not be discussed live at the session of the ERC.

The received statements will be web posted on the web page dedicated to the written consultation in its original language without delay. Following the conclusion of the written consultation on 30 April 2024, where applicable, the Secretariat will provide written responses to the inputs received. All inputs received and the FAO Secretariat responses will be translated in all languages of the Regional Conference and posted by the ERC Secretariat on the dedicated page within the Regional Conference website.

Items considered through the written correspondence procedure will be taken into account by the Rapporteurs of the Regional Conference and will therefore form an integral part of the deliberations, and of the Report of the 34th Session of the ERC.

Items for discussion

Item 10 ERC/24/3	Building resilience through agrifood systems transformation
Item 14 ERC/24/6 Rev.1	How to fight against food loss and waste
Item 15 ERC/24/7	Global and Regional Food Security Outlook
Item 17 ERC/24/10 Rev.1	Learning from evaluations of FAO’s work in Europe and Central Asia (2020-2023)
Item 18 ERC/24/11	Country Office Network – Current status and way forward: A policy paper
Item 19 ERC/24/12 Rev.1	Report on the outcomes of the debate of the 43rd Session of the European Commission on Agriculture (ECA)
Item 20 ERC/24/13 Rev.1	Report on the outcomes of the debate of the Joint Session of the 42nd European Forestry Commission (EFC) and the 81st UNECE Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry (COFFI)
Item 21 ERC/24/14 Rev.1	Report on the work of the European Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Advisory Commission (EIFAAC)
Item 22 ERC/24/15 Rev.1	Report on the work of the Central Asian and Caucasus Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Commission (CACFish)

Information items

ERC/24/INF/10 Rev.1	Report on the outcomes of the debate of the 46th Session of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM)
ERC/24/INF/11 Rev.1	Report on the work of the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (EuFMD)
ERC/24/INF/12	Regional Strategic Foresight for the Europe and Central Asia region