Dushanbe, Tajikistan - Ministers and high-level representatives from across Europe and Central Asia gathered here on Monday to discuss ways to strengthen the efficiency, inclusiveness, resilience and sustainability of agrifood systems in the face of growing climate, economic and geopolitical pressures.
The 35th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe (ERC35) is being held in Tajikistan's capital under the overarching theme "Uniting for Sustainability: Integrating climate action, biodiversity conservation and land restoration for sustainable agrifood systems in Europe and Central Asia."
Held every two years, the ERC is FAO's highest governing body for the Europe and Central Asia region, offering countries and related partners the opportunity to discuss the most pressing issues in food and agriculture and to define FAO's priority areas of work for the following biennium.
In his address to the regional ministerial conference, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu reminded delegates that the challenges faced by the region, among them the climate crisis, economic pressures, and supply chain disruptions, do not respect borders and therefore demand collective action and solutions.
He called for discussions to focus on two urgent priorities: strengthening the resilience of agrifood systems across the region; and securing adequate financing to make that resilience possible.
The regional ministerial conference is taking place at a time when countries across Europe and Central Asia are simultaneously facing climate shocks, market volatility and geopolitical disruptions, alongside biodiversity loss, water stress and rising pressure on household food affordability.
Although global food commodity markets have partially stabilized following major price spikes in 2022 due to the war in Ukraine, many countries across Europe and Central Asia continue to face elevated food prices and high agricultural input costs, not least due to the current conflict in the Middle East.
Qu highlighted that the recently held 180th Special Session of the FAO Council had reaffirmed that "Peace and stability are pre-requisites for food security and the right to food is a basic human right" and emphasized the critical need to "work together to mitigate the impacts of conflict on vulnerable populations and ensure food, fertilizer and seeds reach those who need them most."
From an environmental perspective, Europe and Central Asia is projected to continue warming at roughly twice the global average, intensifying droughts, floods, wildfires and agricultural stress.
Recent extreme weather events across the region serve as a stark reminder that business as usual is no longer an option, Qu said. More than 90 million hectares of land in Europe and Central Asia are estimated to be degraded, underscoring the urgency of decisive action.
The Director-General noted that FAO has a clear roadmap in the form of its Strategic Framework 2022-31, anchored in the Four Betters: Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment, and a Better Life - leaving no one behind.
Since 2015, development finance flows to agrifood systems in Europe and Central Asia have amounted to about $ 21.4 billon. "Yet they remain far below what is required," Qu said.
At a time of constrained public budgets and limited private capital flows, especially to small and medium-sized enterprises, we need to work with governments, development banks, international financial institutions, and private sector partners, the Director-General said.
Regional Conference side events
The two-day regional ministerial conference in Dushanbe also includes a number of FAO-organized side events, starting with GENERATION YSInvest, an event on youth, science and innovation, and investment. The event aimed to demonstrate how inclusive participation, evidence-based solutions and high-level investment dialogue can jointly accelerate agrifood systems transformation.
In his opening remarks, the Director-General noted that the region has an extraordinary strong potential to lead the transformation of agrifood systems and unlock Central Asia's potential as a breadbasket of the world.
The key is to bring together three powerful forces of change - youth, science and innovation, and investment - not as sperate themes, but interconnected drivers of transformation, Qu said.
On Monday, the Director-General also addressed the Opening of the Ministerial Investment Dialogue: Central Asia-Unlocking the Potential as a Breadbasket. The dialogue aimed to position Central Asia as a stable, climate-resilient grain hub contributing to regional and global food security.
Wheat is a key pillar of the Central Asia agrifood system and the region has a clear advantage: a strong wheat production base, complementarity in wheat supply and demand, and proximity to major regional markets.
Realizing this potential requires targeted investments and closer cooperation, Qu said, as he invited Ministers to focus on two closely connected priorities: unlocking wheat value chain potential and managing natural resources sustainably.
Running in parallel to the ERC35 is the GENERATION YSInvest Exhibition, an immersive experience combining visual storytelling, interactive installations and participatory spaces in a living platform for dialogue and exchange.
By connecting women, youth, farmers, innovators, policymakers and investors and showcasing innovative national and international approaches, the exhibition aims to strengthen pathways from ideas to implementation and from innovation to scalable, investment-ready solutions, integrating traditional knowledge with scientific and technological innovation.
