37th session of the FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean
Quito (Ecuador), Hybrid Event, 28/03/2022 - 01/04/2022
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Speech of FAO Director-General QU Dongyu
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FAO News
Latin America and the Caribbean map pathway to transform agrifood systems
Ministers of world’s largest agrifood net exporting region meet in Ecuador for FAO Regional Conference focused on healthy diets, inclusive rural societies and sustainable agriculture.
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FAO News
Ecuador’s ministers of Agriculture and Foreign Relations, FAO Regional Representative and FAO Chief Economist will analyze the complex scenario that affects agrifood systems
Pedro Álava, Juan Carlos Holguín, Julio Berdegué and Máximo Torero participate in the FAO Regional Conference, which is taking place in Quito, Ecuador through April 1.
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FAO News
The FAO Regional Conference begins with the participation of all the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean
They will seek solutions to face the most complex agri-food scenario in recent decades.
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Day 1 - Senior Officers Meeting
Opening, election of the leadership, presentation of results, priorities and regional FAO scientific strategy. Civil society.
Day 2 - Senior Officers Meeting
Plenary and update on the development of the new FAO regional strategy on climate change.
Day 3 - Opening ceremony and thematic sessions: Better production and Better nutrition
Senior Officials Meeting: Plenary and update on the development of the new FAO regional strategy on climate change.
Day 4 - Thematic sessions: Better environment and Better life
Thematic Ministerial Sessions: Better Environment and Better Life. Discussion and review of the draft Conference Report.
Day 5 - Senior Officers Meeting
Closure of the 37th FAO Regional Conference. Statement from the CEO. Announcement of the next host country for the Regional Conference.
large-scale results in Latin America and Caribbean during 2020-2021
During the 2020-2021 biennium, the Member countries of FAO in Latin America and the Caribbean achieved large-scale results and moved towards more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems.
Featured photo gallery

FAO Director-General visits Hand in Hand Territory, Andean landscapes project
QU Dongyu, Director-General of FAO (R), visits San Miguel de Perucho, in the north-central area of Pichincha province, in the framework of the 37th FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean
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Latin America and the Caribbean is committed to confronting and overcoming the most complex
humanitarian, economic and social crisis in recent decades, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. No other
region has been hit so hard.
The agri-food sector is key to move beyond the crisis. From farms all the way to consumers' tables, the
people, organizations and businesses that make up the region's agri-food systems employ tens of millions
of people.
These systems are responsible for between 9 and 35 percent of the Gross Domestic Product of the countries
of the region, and contribute 25 percent of their exports.
Without optimizing the contribution of agri-food systems, it will be much more difficult to get out of
the crisis. However, there is broad agreement that the region's agrifood systems must be transformed,
according to the priorities and capacities
of each country.
This transformation is also essential to move towards more sustainable, resilient agriculture and
agri-food systems, adapted to climate change.
Without it, we will not be able to ensure safe, nutritious and healthy food for the entire regional
population, especially for the 267 million people who suffer from food insecurity.
Nor will we be able to create conditions for rural inhabitants to overcome of poverty, which affects 45%
of the said population.
FAO Member countries unanimously approved the new FAO Strategic Framework 2022-2031, which calls for
supporting the 2030 Agenda through transformation towards more efficient, inclusive, resilient and
sustainable agri-food systems, to achieve
better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one
behind.
The
Regional Conference is held every two years and brings together the governments of the 33 Member
States of FAO in Latin America and the Caribbean to establish the regional priorities of the
Organization for the next biennium.
The 37th Conference will take place in Quito, Ecuador, from March 28 to April 1, 2022.
The Regional Conference will be a moment in which the member countries will define the regional
priorities to adapt and localize the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-2031 to the conditions of Latin
America and the Caribbean.
During the Regional Conference, the countries will analyze the work done by FAO in the previous two years
in the region, and agree on recommendations for initiatives and priorities that will guide the
Organization's work during the 2022-2023
period.
In addition, delegates will present and discuss outstanding innovations that countries are implementing.
Documents
List of Documents Provisional Agenda
Host country
Interactive map
Map of FAO Projects in Latin America and the Caribbean
Videos
Zulfikar Mustapha, Guyana's Minister of Agriculture talks about hosting FAO Regional Conference in 2024. Playlist of all Regional Conference videos
Photo Gallery
Contact
Secretariat Contacts
Jorge Meza
Conference Secretary
Paula Valdivieso
Conference Protocol Officer
Communications contact
Benjamín Labatut
Press and contents