FAO at the 2025 UNECE Regional Forum on Sustainable Development

	SDG 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
	SDG 5 - Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
	SDG 8  - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
	SDG 14 - Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
	SDG 17 - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.

FAO Participation in the  2025 UNECE Regional Forum on Sustainable Development

2 April 2025

13:15-14:15

Launch of Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in Europe and Central Asia 2024 report

Room III, Palais des Nations | Livestream 

FAO and  co-publishing partners will reveal the latest food security and nutrition trends for Europe and Central Asia and present the specific subtheme of the report ‘Managing water resources sustainable for improved food security and nutrition.’ The hybrid event will feature a panel discussion with high-level representatives of the seven partners to highlight the main findings of the report followed by a Q&A session.

Under the central theme – water security – the report highlights the water sector’s connections to agriculture, food security, and nutrition. The publication focuses on more than just water scarcity, it unpacks and quantifies water security, including aspects such as drinking water, sanitation, hygiene, water availability, water use efficiency, quality, and governance.

3 April

Side event: Re-imagining the future of women in food systems: harnessing science and technology, and partnership to advance the SDGs 

Room III, Palais des Nations | Concept Note

Promoting women’s economic empowerment in rural areas is particularly critical in agrifood systems, which serve as a vital source of employment and livelihoods in Europe and Central Asia. Women play crucial roles in both the production, post-production and consumption aspects of agrifood systems, and play a key role in household food security, health, and nutrition. Yet their contribution is often unrecognized and they face barriers such as restricted access to opportunities that could lead to formal decision-making roles and exclusion  from land ownership, and access to technology, financial resources, training, and other essential services.

This side events will highlight these persisting and emerging challenges women face in agrifood systems that hinder their equal participation and leadership. It will showcase regional solutions that leverage science, traditional knowledge, technology, and gender-disaggregated data, and explore how women's empowerment in agrifood systems can drive economic growth and sustainable food systems.

3 - 4 April 2025

UNFSS+4 Regional Preparatory Meeting: Europe and Central Asia