Informal Consultation for Europe and Central Asia

The main purpose of the 2021 consultation will be to:

• facilitate an exchange of views among all Members of the Europe and Central Asia region; and
• review the region’s priorities for 2022–2025 in preparation for the 2022 Regional Conference.

Responding to the region’s challenges due to the COVID-19 crisis and the need to transform food systems, the 2020 European Regional Conference (ERC) endorsed the regional priorities for 2020–2021 reinforced the support to smallholders, food systems transformation, natural resource management under climate change, and improving food security and nutrition.

A consultation on future priorities is required to align the challenges and opportunities with the newly developed FAO Strategic Framework 2022–2031, UN reform (implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks), fostering digitalization, and greening agriculture. The outcome of the Informal Consultation will inform about the revised 2022–2025 regional priorities ahead of the 2022 Regional Conference and guide workplanning in the region for the biennium 2022–2023.

The Informal Consultation further offers opportunities to discuss the linkages of priority areas and initiatives for the region, such as the United Nations Decade for Family Farming (2019–2028) and the Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016–2025), and progress made in achieving the relevant Sustainable Development Goals.

Using a virtual format, the 2021 Informal Consultation will take place for four half days, starting on 12 July 2021. The week will be framed by two sessions requiring senior officials’ presence on Monday for the opening and setting the scene, and Thursday (15 July) to discuss the results, revised regional priorities, and the Regional Conference.

 Following the kick-off meeting on Monday, the consultation will consist of the following sessions:

• country case studies under the region’s key priorities; and
• technical topics focusing on digitalization, One health, and nature-based solutions.

During the discussions, Members are invited to provide their thoughts and views on the directions of the sutured support to be provided by FAO in order to address the regional priorities.

AGENDA
Time	MONDAY 12 JULY	TUESDAY 13 JULY	WEDNESDAY 14 JULY	THURSDAY 15 JULY
09.00- 10.00	Session 1 Senior officials meeting – Kick-off 1.1.  Welcome, objectives 1.2. FAO Strategic Framework and Regional Priority Areas  Documents: IC/21/1a;  IC/21/1b	Session 4 Selection of value chains – Regional Priority 2 Country case study  Document: IC/21/4	Session 6 One Health in Europe and Central Asia – Regional Priority 2 Technical discussion Document: IC/21/6	Session 9 Senior officials meeting – Closure 9.1. Presentation of discussions on priorities Document: IC/21/9a
10.00–10.15	BREAK	BREAK	BREAK	BREAK
10.15– 11.15	Session 2 Smallholders and Family Farms – Regional Priority 1 Country case study Document: IC/21/2	Session 5 Environmental sustainability  in agricultural production systems – Regional Priority 3 Country case study Document: IC/21/5	Session 7 Nature-based solutions in Europe and Central Asia – Regional Priority 3 Technical discussion Document: IC/21/7	9.2. ECA42 and ERC33 Agenda draft 9.3. Closure Documents: IC/21/9b; IC/21/9c
11.15–11.30	BREAK		BREAK
11.30–12.30	Session 3 Closing the digital gap in Europe and Central Asia – Regional Priority 1 Technical discussion Document: IC/21/3		Session 8 Connecting school meals programmes with local food systems – Regional Priority 4 Country case study Document: IC/21/8

 

Background documents:

• IC/21/Agenda - Annotated Agenda
• IC/21/1a - FAO’s new Strategic Framework and Regional Priority Areas
• IC/21/1b - Update on the Implementation of the PWB 2020–21
• IC/21/2 - Case study presentation: Challenges and Solutions for Smallholders and Family Farms in Armenia
• IC/21/3 - Closing the digital gap in Europe and Central Asia – Regional Priority 1
• IC/21/4 - Country Case Study for Priority 2: Value Chain Selection (VCS) in Ukraine
• IC/21/5 - Environmental sustainability in agricultural production systems – Regional Priority 3
• IC/21/6 - One Health in Europe and Central Asia – Regional priority 2
• IC/21/7 - Nature-based solutions in Europe and Central Asia – Regional Priority 3
• IC/21/8 - Case study for Regional Priority 4: Connecting school food and nutrition programmes with local food systems
• IC/21/9a - Regional Technical Commissions’ Contribution to the Regional Priorities
• IC/21/9b - Agenda of the Thirty-third Session of the Regional Conference for Europe
• IC/21/9c - Agenda for the Forty-second Session of the European Commission on Agriculture