Regional Representative: Viorel Gutu
Viorel Gutu has gained over 30 years of experience in agricultural development, enterprise restructuring, structural reforms, and private business development through his involvement in the public and private sector, and implementation of international projects.
A national of the Republic of Moldova, Viorel Gutu was appointed to the post of FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia in February 2024. Prior to that he served as FAO Subregional Coordinator for Central Asia and Representative for Türkiye and Uzbekistan.
He joined FAO in 2014 as the head of the FAO Tajikistan office, leading the Country Office in establishing productive relations with the national government and key donors.
Before joining FAO, Gutu was Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry in the Republic of Moldova. In this position, he was responsible for the coordination, monitoring and evaluation of strategic policy implementation in agriculture and rural development. He also served as an economic affairs officer with the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor, where he dealt with peacekeeping operations, poverty alleviation and the prevention of emergency situations. He holds a doctoral degree in economics.
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FAO brings regions together to advance women’s land tenure rights
14/10/2026
Women farmers often cultivate land for years without having the power to own it, decide how it is used or benefit from the resources and income it generates. That gap between working the land and controlling it was at the centre of a interregional exchange convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on 29 September. The event brought together nearly 90 participants from sub-Saharan Africa, the Near East and North Africa, and Europe and Central Asia to exchange experiences and examine what it takes to close the gap between rights recognized in law and rights women can exercise in practice.
Generational renewal requires making rural areas a viable choice for young people, FAO says
15/09/2026
Creating a new generation of farmers requires more than encouraging young people to enter agriculture. It means ensuring that they can build viable livelihoods, access land, finance and markets, and see rural areas as places where they can build their future. FAO Director-General QU Dongyu opened the High-Level Ministerial Conference on Generational Renewal in Rural Areas alongside David Vlajčić, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Croatia.
