Rome - The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, and His Excellency Vladimir Bolea, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Food Industry of the Republic of Moldova, met at FAO headquarters in Rome ahead of the Regional Conference for Europe and Central Asia (ERC) to discuss areas for further cooperation between FAO and Moldova.

The Director-General thanked the Government of Moldova for hosting the 34th session of the ERC and conveyed his appreciation for the Deputy Prime Minister’s personal involvement in the preparation process. The Director-General wished successful debates during the ERC and expressed his hope that the discussions would contribute to accelerate the transformation to more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable agrifood systems in the Region, and beyond, for the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.

The Republic of Moldova is hosting the Thirty-fourth Session of the ERC from 14 to 17 May 2024 at FAO headquarters and will Chair the Conference for the coming biennium. The ERC will gather FAO Members from the Europe and Central Asia Region to identify regional priorities for the Organization’s programme of work in the region.