Enhancing resilience and competitiveness of agrifood systems in Europe and Central Asia

As a joint event of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), a conference will be organized take place on 20 November 2024 at the Permanent Representation of Hungary to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium. The event will explore ways to enhance resilience and competitiveness of the agrifood systems in Europe and Central Asia. 

Welcoming remarks on behalf of the Hungarian Presidency 

• Ambassador Katalin Molnar, Deputy Permanent Representative 
  

Opening remarks 

• Raschad Al-Khafaji, Director of the FAO Liaison Office to the European Union and Belgium
• Martin Selmayr, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the European Union to the UN Organizations in Rome

Specifically, the conference will include presentations on FAO’s work in the region, with special emphasis on activities in the Western Balkans and on the cooperation between Hungary and FAO. A second major section session will focus on agrifood systems transformation in the Europe and Central Asia region, including FAO’s role in supporting the agrifood system transition with an emphasis on green agriculture, FAO initiatives on food loss and waste and the recent joint FAO–Hungary Food Waste Conference in Budapest, as well as making agrifood systems sustainable and resilient to disasters, climate change impact, and crisis risks, and utilizing technology for digital agriculture.

The conference will also mark the opening of a photo exhibition, hosted by the Permanent Representation of Hungary to the European Union, showcasing some recent highlights of how countries of Europe and Central Asia are transforming their food and agriculture sectors with help from FAO.