Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 2-4 November 2020, the thirty-second session of the Regional Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for Europe was held in Tashkent.

At the 32nd session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe and Central Asia, the Minister of Agriculture of Uzbekistan, Jamshid Khodjaev, was elected as the Chairman of the Regional Conference, which is the highest governing body of FAO. Khodjaev will chair the Conference for 2 years until the next Conference is convened.

It should be noted that representatives of our country will manage, coordinate and implement key projects within the framework of the activity. The Chairperson of the conference will assist in the implementation of the work plan of the Regional Conference for 2020-2023 and coordinate all activities. Until the next conference, any informal consultations, initiatives and programs related to FAO’s work in the region will be conducted in collaboration with the President of the Conference.

The meeting, held in Uzbekistan in an online format, was attended by about 400 representatives of 53 FAO member states from Europe and Central Asia, the European Commission, as well as representatives of international organizations.

Welcoming the participants, Jamshid Khodjayev noted that the regional conference will play an important role in ensuring the effectiveness of FAO’s regional work with member countries, as well as in setting priorities for the next two years.

“We have established an effective dialogue with the world community on the global epidemiological situation, as well as with neighboring countries to resolve food security issues as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has led to serious socio-economic consequences in all corners of the planet, including the relatively prosperous European continent and the Central Asian region. The COVID-19 pandemic has become a real incentive for many countries to ensure food security, especially for the most vulnerable segments of the population. I am sure that during this conference we will be able to exchange views and develop practical recommendations that will change the life of millions of people in Europe and Central Asia for a better life. Currently, the main goal of our reforms is to constantly improve the living standards of the population in rural areas and make agriculture more productive and resource-intensive. The conference serves as a good platform for discussing the most pressing issues related to key food security problems in the region.

The main topics of the conference were sustainable food systems and healthy diets in Europe and Central Asia, youth improvement, employment and rural development, food production and agriculture in the context of the UN Decade of Family Farming, measures to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic for food and agriculture.

The event was attended by FAO Director General Qu Dongyu, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for the Summit on Food Systems 2021 A. Kalibata, Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union Ch. Huolin, European Union Commissioner for Agriculture J. Wojciechowski, Ministers and Deputy Ministers of Agriculture more than 30 countries, including Turkey, Albania, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan.