Consultation with the private sector (non-EU) to the Regional Conference for Europe 2026

13:00 - 16:00 CEST

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with, and hosted by the Izmir Commodity Exchange, is organizing a private sector consultation in Izmir, Türkiye, on 29 April 2026, in preparation for the 35th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe (ERC35), to be held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, from 11 to 15 May 2026.

Engaging the private sector in policy dialogue and standard-setting is key to transforming agrifood systems. For FAO, strengthening structured collaboration with private sector actors is essential to advancing more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems.

The consultation, organized in a hybrid format, will bring together private sector representatives based outside of the European Union from across Europe and Central Asia, alongside FAO, government institutions and partners, to exchange views and contribute to regional discussions. It will also introduce the FAO Strategy for Private Sector Engagement 2026–2030, aimed at strengthening structured and impactful collaboration with private sector actors in support of agrifood systems transformation.

The main objectives of the Consultation are:

• facilitate exchange on key agrifood challenges and opportunities in Europe and Central Asia;
• identify priority messages and recommendations to inform ERC35 discussions;
• strengthen coordination among private sector actors; and to
• select spokespersons to represent the private sector at the Regional Conference.

A summary report with key messages and selected spokespersons will be shared after the event.

The event will take place in English, with Turkish and Russian interpretation provided.