Twenty-fifth regional conference for europe

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ERC/06/2

April 2006

TWENTY-FIFTH REGIONAL CONFERENCE FOR EUROPE

RIGA, LATVIA, 8 – 9 JUNE 2006

Agenda Item 9

REPORT ON FAO ACTIVITIES IN THE EUROPEAN REGION 2004-05

Table of Contents

Paragraphs

I. INTRODUCTION 1 - 2

II. CHAPTER 2: TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC PROGRAMMES 3 - 42

A. MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.1 - AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS 4 - 18

B. MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.2: FOOD AND AGRICULTURE POLICY

AND DEVELOPMENT 19 - 25

C. MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.3: FISHERIES 26 - 30

D. MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.4: FORESTRY 31 - 34

E. MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.5: CONTRIBUTIONS TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND SPECIAL PROGRAMME THRUSTS 35 - 42

III. CHAPTER 3: DEVELOPMENT SERVICES TO MEMBER
NATIONS 43 - 51

A. MAJOR PROGRAMME 3.1: POLICY ASSISTANCE 44 - 46

B. MAJOR PROGRAMME 3.2: SUPPORT TO INVESTMENT 47 - 49

C. MAJOR PROGRAMME 3.3: FIELD OPERATIONS 50 - 51

IV. CONCLUSION 52 - 54

I.INTRODUCTION

1. With the recent FAO membership of Belarus, Ukraine and the Russian Federation, the population of the countries covered by the FAO Regional Office for Europe (REU) has increased by 200 million. The Region comprises some of the richest countries in the world but also several Low-Income Food-Deficit countries and includes 28 million people undernourished. The agricultural sector dominates the economies of the majority of the countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and between 36 to 61 percent of the population live in rural areas.

2. The present document provides a brief report on major activities undertaken by FAO in the European Region during the biennium 2004-2005 while the contribution of rural development in meeting the WFS goal and the Millennium Development Goals is covered in document ERC/06/3. It will be recalled that the long-term regional priorities identified within the Strategic Framework 2000-2015 were endorsed by the 22nd FAO Regional Conference in 2000 and were reiterated by the subsequent conferences held in 2002 and 2004. Following the enlargement of the European Union to 25 Member States in May 2004, activities in the Region have focused on the special requirements of the countries in the Balkans and Commonwealth of Independent States as they move towards market economies and attempt to revitalize their rural sectors.

II.CHAPTER 2: TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC PROGRAMMES

3. For each major programme under Chapter 2 of the PWB 2004-05, only the more significant areas in which FAO activities were carried out in the European Region are highlighted.

A.MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.1 - AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS

Programme 2.1.1 - Natural Resources

4. The Regional Office for Europe continued its support to member countries related to the assessment of land resources and management of land for sustainable agriculture. In Bosnia and Herzegovina a methodology for participatory land use development (PLUD) has been developed and implemented and has led to the publication of a guideline in both English and local language, which provides a comprehensive overview of the PLUD methodology as well as a detailed step by-step description of the required activities for successful implementation. The document contains extensive reference and support material and is also available on the Internet.

5. FAO has also made further efforts to secure consensus amongst the riparian countries of the Tisza river (Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia and Ukraine) in order to embark on activities within the assistance requested for a programme on the integration of rural water management in river basin management in the Tisza basin (IRWAT). A workshop with the participation of heads of relevant technical departments within the Ministries of Agriculture and/or Environment endorsed the draft project document and also put the project into the context of other related programmes in the sub-region, such as the UNDP/Global Environment Facility (GEF) project on reversal of land and water degradation in the Tisza river basin.

6. Technical assistance was provided to the Republic of Moldova on modern small scale on farm irrigation technologies; and to Uzbekistan on integrated management for the sustainable use of salt affected and gypsiferous soils and in promoting sustainable agriculture practices in the drought-affected region of Karakalpakstan, as well as to enhance productivity of cotton-wheat systems through the adoption of conservation agriculture practices.

Programme 2.1.2 - Crops

7. Under this programme a sub-regional International Phytosanitary Portal (IPP) training workshop for participants from 13 Central European countries was held in Prague, Czech Republic from 21 to 25 February 2005. This workshop was jointly organized by the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) of the Czech Republic (State Phytosanitary Administration), the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO). The local organizers were the “Comenius - Czech Committee for Co-operation” (Pan-European Society for Culture, Education and Scientific & Technical Co-operation). This workshop on Phytosanitary Information Exchange was for nominated participants responsible for information exchange in their respective NPPOs and more specifically for those who had the task of entering relevant information into the IPP.

8. The Sub-regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe (SEUR) in Budapest hosted the first coordinating meeting of the FAO regional working group for greenhouse crop development in the South Eastern European (SEE) countries from 20 to 22 October 2004, organized by the FAO Horticultural Crops Group and the Regional Office for Europe (REU) in Rome. The 12 participating countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia, TFYR Macedonia and Turkey) reviewed and endorsed country baseline documents on greenhouse crop production, discussed arrangements for the set up of a regional working group on greenhouse crop production in the SEE countries, identified and agreed on possible areas and subjects for inter-country and regional cooperation, and formulated proposals for joint activities to be undertaken within a biennial timeframe. FAO technical cooperation projects to improve greenhouse crop production were implemented in Bulgaria and Poland.

9. The FAO Horticultural Crops Group extended the training on the HORTIVAR database, on performances of horticulture cultivars, to the Eastern European Region and organized workshops with relevant host institutions in Serbia and Montenegro (July 2005) and in TFYR Macedonia (December 2005). Over 20 persons from five countries have been trained in the correct use of the database and will continue to provide data entry for important horticultural crops in the Western Balkans.

10. FAO continued its technical assistance to member countries of the Region and launched a project to improve seed production of cereal, leguminous, oil and forage crops in Uzbekistan. Other activities were aimed at improving crop production and reducing losses due to pests and diseases, including locust and rodent control in Armenia. The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programme continued its assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro and Slovakia in the field of integrated pest management for the control of the Western Corn Rootworm.

11. The Programme also includes technical support to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which entered into force on 29 June 2004.

Programme 2.1.3 – Livestock

12. FAO has launched emergency assistance for the early detection and prevention of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in the Eastern European and Caucasus regions (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Hungary, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, TFYR Macedonia, Turkey and Ukraine). The primary objective of these projects is to strengthen the capacity for generating and sharing HPAI disease intelligence and using this to mount emergency preparedness planning against the introduction of HPAI, specifically in relation to migration of and trade in wild birds.

13. Technical assistance provided to the livestock sector included: (i) capacity building to support in-situ conservation and use of animal genetic resource (Albania); (ii) integrated epidemiological-based control of echinococcis to improve animal production and reduce human transmission (Lithuania). In addition, FAO’s support to the control of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in the three Caucasian countries and assistance to livestock farmers in the Sandzak region (Serbia and Montenegro) continued.

14. FAO/OIE/WHO meetings were held regularly during the biennium in order to continue negotiations and review progress achieved on the “Global Framework for the Progressive Control of FMD and Other Transboundary Animal Diseases” (GF-TADs). Major partners included the EC, the European Association for Animal Production (EAAP), the International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR), the European Commission for the Control of Foot and Mouth Disease (EUFMD) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). Activities have broadened to include support for the updating of National Animal Genetic Resources Databanks in all European countries and for upgrading of laboratory diagnosis and veterinary standards for full compatibility with EU and OIE requirements. Activities have also covered programmes for cooperation on animal genetic resources management, capacity building of advisory services on animal production and of disease contingency planning and preparedness, including modern veterinary epidemiology.

Programme 2.1.4 - Agricultural Support Systems

15. The Sub-regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe (SEUR) organized a series of workshops on trends and issues in commercial farming, agribusiness and rural enterprise development in selected CIS countries. These workshops took place in October 2004 and November 2005 in Prague, Czech Republic, and were attended by over 50 participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The workshops provided a forum for appraisal of specific approaches to farm commercialization, focusing on driving factors, adaptive capacity and support requirements for successful and sustainable farm and rural enterprise development in a changing economic and institutional environment. They also contributed to capacity building for design and implementation of support programmes and policies that would assist in the enhancement of management and entrepreneurial skills, improved competitiveness and responsiveness to market demand.

16. FAO continued its technical assistance in the fields of agro-processing and marketing as well as market information systems development. This included agricultural production support in Albania, following the product chain approach; capacity-building for sustainable delivery of agribusiness advice to market-oriented farmers (Bulgaria); introduction of improved agriculture, mechanization, irrigation and marketing skills to assist economic recovery of conflict- and drought-affected areas (TFYR Macedonia). Additionally, the regional project on the establishment of a CEI^¹(Central European Initiative) wholesale market foundation continued in collaboration with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

17. FAO also supported refugee integration through agricultural activity in Serbia and Montenegro and launched a pilot project on resettlement of minorities and confidence building between minorities and Albanian communities in Kosovo.

Programme 2.1.5 - Agricultural Applications of Isotopes and Biotechnology

18. During the period under review, the Programme continued to contribute to FAO’s normative and operational disciplinary work on Natural Resources, Crops, Livestock and Agricultural Support Systems to support technologies and practices that sustain the Organization’s strategic objectives, including water efficiency through fertilization, industrial crops improvement, marker assisted selection methods; improvement of AI (artificial insemination) services and diagnostic methods for the Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases (EMPRES). This Programme has also contributed to the objectives of Major Programme 2.2 and 2.2.1 through its work on irradiation as a sanitary and phytosanitary treatment for food and agricultural commodities and sampling and analysis of contaminants and residues covered by the Codex Alimentarius. In recent years, the Programme has contributed increasingly to the development of international standards and guidelines through the IPPC and OIE and has increased its commitment to inter-disciplinary work within the Priority Areas for Inter-disciplinary Action (PAIAs), particularly that on Biotechnology, Biosecurity and Integrated Production Systems.

B.MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.2: FOOD AND AGRICULTURE POLICY AND DEVELOPMENT

Programme 2.2.1: Nutrition and Food Quality Control and Consumer Protection

19. Following the recommendations of the Pan European Conference on Food Safety and Quality, the 23rd FAO Regional Conference for Europe and the 52nd Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, FAO and WHO began to implement a number of initiatives and activities. In all initiatives, FAO sought the collaboration of, or worked together with, other international agencies, especially WHO. Some of the activities implemented were: (i) the FAO/WHO Sub-regional workshop for the development of national food safety strategies in South Eastern Europe (SEE) (Brijuni, Croatia, July 2004) which was attended by 22 participants from 8 SEE countries and the objective of which was to formulate guidelines to support national authorities in their respective food safety strategies; (ii) a pre-Codex Seminar on Strengthening Codes and Food Safety within the European region (Bratislava, Slovakia, September 2004) attended by 65 participants from 25 countries and followed by the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Europe (CCEURO); (iii) the First International Agro forum (Yerevan, Armenia, October 2004) attended by approximately 170 delegates (representing Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Moldova, Netherlands, Russian Federation and Tajikistan) where an official FAO presentation was made on “Strengthening Food Safety Capacity in Armenia – FAO technical assistance”; (iv) an FAO/WHO/International Cooperation Division (ICD) Basic Awareness Course on Microbiological Risk Assessment (Slovenia, September 2005) attended by participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Republic of Moldova and Romania. The objective was to acquaint governments with the general concept of Risk Analysis and how microbiological Risk Assessment fitted into the framework of Microbiological Risk Management; (v) an FAO/WHO EURO Regional Training Course on Codex Alimentarius (Lithuania, October 2005) attended by participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, the objectives of which were to enhance the capacity of the countries to participate actively in Codex Alimentarius activities and improve coordination of the positions of the European Region on the various issues of relevance to the Region and to address problems arising from food controls, food safety concerns and approaches for strengthening food regulatory systems.

20. Technical assistance and backstopping was provided to (i) strengthening food safety in South East European transition countries – A regional approach to food legislation and control (TCP/REP/3002); (ii) food safety and capacity building in Armenia and Georgia (TCP/RER/3003); (iii) strengthening the Ukrainian Laboratory for Quality and Safety of food and agricultural projects (TCP/UKR/3003). A trust fund project “Strengthening food control institutions in Albania” (GCP/ALB/006/ALB) was finalized and will start implementation in May/June 2006.

Programme 2.2.2: Food and Agricultural Information

21. Focus has been placed on improving the quality of agricultural information, including collection, analysis and dissemination in Central and Eastern European countries. The following workshops were organized (i) Ukraine (February 2004) to improve the capacity within the AGRIS Network in CEE attended by 19 participants from 13 countries in the Region; (ii) Contribution of the enhancement of e-communication and cooperation between the Member countries and FAO (Czech Republic, May 2004) attended by 24 participants from 12 countries; (iii) CEE Experts Consultation on Information Management (Budapest, November 2004) to assess ongoing Information Management (IM)-related processes in the CEE region, attended by 17 participants from 9 countries; (iv) Web-based Data Management in the Balkan region (Budapest, June 2005) to enhance e communication among the agricultural education institutions within the SEE region and attended by 15 participants from 9 countries; (v) e-Farmer workshop – EU V4 initiative (Budapest, May 2005) to support the implementation of technical assistance for V4 countries in the field of Agricultural Information; (vi) Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA) Capacity Building Activities (Kyrgyz Republic, August 2005) in collaboration with the FAO Livestock, Environment and Development Issues Initiative, the Russian Language platform of Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) and the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency; (vii) Knowledge circulation and generation: Innovative Advisory Approaches for Small farmers in EU countries (Budapest, December 2005) in order to make an inventory of experiences on innovative approaches related to decentralized, participatory and multi-stakeholder knowledge generation and sharing in EU Member States.

22. Technical assistance and backstopping was provided to Ukraine in the context of the project “strategy formulation and capacity building in support of an agricultural information system” (TCP/UKR/3005).

Programme 2.2.4: Agriculture, Food Security and Trade Policy

23. Technical backstopping continued to be provided by REU for an information and capacity-building regional project on food insecurity in four countries of the former Soviet Union, the objective of which was to provide sufficient training to enable participating governments to monitor and respond to food security crises. This three-year project comprised training for participants in agricultural survey methodology, food security analysis; household budget survey methodology and analysis; food balance and production projection analysis; and capacity-building on how to assemble food security bulletins for each participating country. A second phase of the project is currently in the planning stage. The three-year programme to be implemented in Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Moldova and Tajikistan will focus on information and policy issues in order to address food insecurity.

24. A staff member from the Regional Office for Europe was seconded to the World Bank (WB) (under the FAO/World Bank cooperative programme) for the WB study on “A stocktaking of land reform and farm restructuring in Bulgaria, Moldova, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan”. The study will be published in 2006 as a World Bank Technical Paper. FAO participated in, and contributed to, two workshops on “The role of agriculture in Central and Eastern European Development: Engine of Change or Social Buffer?” (Germany, November 2004) and “Promoting agricultural growth through policy in transition economies”(Budapest, December 2005).

25. The Regional Office for Europe organized accompanying events at the 12th and 13th East West Agricultural Forum during the International Green Week in Berlin, in January 2005 and 2006, in cooperation with the German Agency for Technical Cooperation, GTZ, the Institute for Agricultural Development in Central and Eastern Europe (IAMO) and the consulting firm GFA Terra Systems. In 2005, the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Serbia participated in the round table discussion on “Rural Development and Innovation – Preconditions for EU Accession in South Eastern Europe” which was attended by about 70 participants. Furthermore, high level representatives from the EC, Germany and Turkey contributed to the podium discussion in 2006 entitled “Turkey: A Partner in the Agriculture and Food Sector – Prospects and Challenges for Turkey and the European Union”.

C.MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.3: FISHERIES

26. During the 23rd Session of the European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission (EIFAC) (Poland, May-June 2004) activities in the fields of fishery biology and management, aquaculture, protection of aquatic resources and social and economic issues were reviewed. The session was preceded by a symposium on aquaculture development – partnership between science and producer associations.

27. 29th Session of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) (Rome, February 2005): The GFCM implemented a range of projects in the past biennium, including (i) Scientific Cooperation to Support Responsible Fisheries in the Adriatic Sea (Adriamed); (ii) Assessment and Monitoring of Fishery Resources and Ecosystems in the Straits of Sicily (Medsudmed – Module 2); (iii) Enabling Participation in the Fishery Information System in the Mediterranean (Medfisis) and Sustainable Fisheries Policies and Strategies in the Eastern Mediterranean (EastMed).

28. Based on the recommendation of the 2nd Session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) Sub-Committee on Aquaculture (Norway, 2003), the Fisheries Department (FI) supported the preparation of country studies known as National Aquaculture Sector Overviews (NASOs) and Prospective Analysis of Future Aquaculture Development (PAFADs) that include Central and Eastern European countries. The NASO-PAFAD studies have been synthesized into Regional Reviews of Aquaculture Development Trends for presentation and discussion at regional review meetings in 2005. For the NASO-PAFAD studies, the Fisheries Department has been collaborating with the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Central and Eastern Europe (NACEE) and an expert meeting on the Regional Aquaculture Review for Central and Eastern Europe was held in September 2005 in the Russian Federation.

29. The Fisheries Department and the Sub-Regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe (SEUR) have actively supported the establishment of NACEE in line with recommendations by COFI and the COFI Sub-Committee on Aquaculture. NACEE was established in 2004 and presently has 31 member institutions from 13 Eastern European countries.

30. Direct technical assistance under the Technical Cooperation programme was provided to (i) Latvia, including the formulation of a strategy for sustainable management and development of aquaculture in the country, an aquatic animal health strategy, and training on aquatic animal health monitoring and surveillance; (ii) Georgia, including the formulation of a new law on fisheries and aquaculture, a master plan for fisheries sector development (2005-2020) and the establishment of a fishery statistical system in the country; (iii) Estonia, the reopening of migration routes for salmon and other migratory fish in the country’s rivers; (iv) Hungary, upgrading of fishing technology in Lake Balaton; and (iv) Poland, in the reopening of migration routes for migratory fish in Polish rivers. In addition, Norwegian financial assistance was provided through FAO to generate income for war invalids and conserve native species of salmonids through the development of recreational fisheries in Bosnia and Herzegovina; a draft technical cooperation programme project on aquaculture product quality and health certification has also been developed for the same country.

D.MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.4: FORESTRY

31. Activities addressed a broad range of issues in support of sustainable forest management in the Region. Eleven workshops have been organized by the Sub-Regional Office for Europe (SEUR) in which most of the countries in Central and Eastern Europe and CIS participated and which covered a broad range of issues e.g. policy options for storm damage management, assistance to the private forestry sector, coordination on forest land use related policies, sharing forest and market information, best practice in reforming policies and institutions, etc. These workshops were also organized in collaboration with relevant partners in the region (the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the World Conservation Union (IUCN), and the Confederation of European Forest Owners (CEPF)).

32. The European Forestry Sector Outlook studies were completed in 2005 while the Forestry Outlook Study for West and Central Asia will be released in 2006. Within the Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in Mountain Regions Project (SARD-M), the activities conducted in Europe include an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of mountain policies inspired by Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (SARD) principles carried out by the Interim Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention (UNEP) in three Carpathian countries (Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine); a Regional/Carpathian Workshop on strengthening SARD-M Policies for the protection and sustainable development of the Carpathians organized jointly by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), EUROMONTANA and SARD-M (Slovak Republic, October 2005); and support to EUROMONTANA’s Seminar on mountain positive externalities “Reaping the benefits of Europe’s precious places – Policies releasing the potential of mountain and remoter rural areas”(Aviemore, Scotland, November 2005).

33. Technical assistance and backstopping was provided to (i) Serbia and Montenegro for the development of the forest sector (GCP/FRY/003/FIN); (ii) Kosovo for implementing a forest sector development programme (GCP/KOS/004/SWE); (iii) Croatia for capacity building for forest fire prevention (TCP/CRO/3001); (iv) Hungary for supporting the design and development of innovative forest management schemes (TCP/HUN/3003(A)); (v) TFYR Macedonia for institutional development and capacity building in forestry and forest industry subsectors (TCP/MCD/3002); and (vi) Poland for sustainable mountain development (TCP/POL/3004).

34. As the 33rd session of the European Forestry Commission (EFC) is meeting from 23 to 26 May 2006 in Slovakia, the results cannot be reported as this document went to print in April.

E.MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.5: CONTRIBUTIONS TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND SPECIAL PROGRAMME THRUSTS

Programme 2.5.1: Research, Natural Resources Management and Technology Transfer

35. Direct technical assistance and backstopping was provided to Lithuania for improving information and communication and knowledge systems for sustainable and organic agriculture (TCP/LIT/3002) and to Turkey for strengthening the crop yield and production forecasting capability (TCP/TUR/3002). Formulation of projects for Information, Communication and Knowledge Systems (AKIS) was undertaken for Romania and Ukraine; and for a regional project in the field of biosafety covering Armenia, Georgia and Republic of Moldova.

36. FAO contributed and participated in the 9th UN Round Table Communication for Development (Rome, September 2004); the FAO/GTZ Workshop on effective communication between agricultural research, extension and farmers (Ora – Italy, October 2004); the 18th European Agricultural Research Initiative (EURAGRI) Member Conference (Germany, May 2004); the 19th EURAGRI Member Conference (UK, September 2005); and the Conference of the European Forum for Agricultural Research for Development (EFARD) on “European responses to changing global needs”(Switzerland, April 2005).

37. Cooperation continued with CIHEAM (International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies) and two Technical Series within the ESCORENA system were published (No. 67: Inventory of walnut research, germplasm and references and No. 68: Buffalo production and research).

38. The FAO-BiotechNews in the Russian language was launched in 2005 and more than 240 subscribers adhere to the newsletter.

Programme 2.5.2: Gender and Population

39. Within the support provided by project GCP/INT/790/CEH, an international workshop on Gender-Disaggregated Data for Central and Eastern European Countries was organized in Prague in June 2005. This will be followed by another workshop which will be held in June 2006. Activities carried out within the framework of the Working Party on Women and the Family in Rural Development are enumerated in the Annex of document ECA: 34/06/4.

Programme 2.5.3: Rural Development

40. Land consolidation/land management issues and the relevance of land management for sustainable rural development in the Region are of crucial importance and of direct concern to FAO, the World Bank, the EC and UNECE. Several workshops were organized: (i) Land Banking/Land Funds as an Instrument for Improved Land Management in Central and Eastern European countries (CEE) (Denmark, March 2004); (ii) Land Tenure Databases in CEE (Budapest, September/October 2004); (iii) Land Consolidation and Territorial Organization (organized under project GCP/INT/790/CEH) (Prague, March 2005) the objective of which was to exchange experience on land consolidation from Western European countries and to strengthen the network of land administrators in CEE; (iv) Development of land markets and related institutions (Slovak Republic, May 2005); the International Land Consolidation Conference organized by the EC InterReg IIIC “FARLAND” project with support from FAO (Budapest, November/December 2005) which focused on the instruments/institutions needed for successful land consolidation and on sharing best practices.

41. Direct technical assistance and backstopping was provided to: (i) Armenia to support the preparation and implementation of land consolidation and improved land management schemes (TCP/ARM/3004); (ii) Hungary to support the development of a strategy for territorial organization and sustainable land management in areas with high natural disaster risk (TCP/HUN/3002); and (iii) Serbia and Montenegro to support the preparation of a national land consolidation strategy and a land consolidation pilot project (TCP/YUG/3001).

Programme 2.5.6: Food Production in Support of Food Security in Low-Income Food Deficit Countries (LIFDCs)

42. The activities in the Region are geared to assist the countries concerned in their move towards market economies and to revitalize their rural sectors. The ultimate objectives of these activities are to create an enabling environment for agriculture leading to an improvement of rural livelihoods, ensure employment and generate income, prevent migration from rural to urban areas and ensure a future for the rural youth. The most significant projects in the Region which attempt to achieve these objectives are: (i) agriculture production support in Albania (funded by Italy); (ii) support to income generation through the establishment of a fish hatchery in Bosnia and Herzegovina (financed by Norway) where war invalids are employed; (iii) development assistance to livestock farmers in the mountainous areas of the Sandzak Region in Serbia and Montenegro (financed by the Netherlands); (iv) support to refugee integration through agriculture activity in Serbia and Montenegro (financed by Norway); (v) introduction of improved agriculture, mechanization, irrigation and marketing skills to assist economic recovery of conflict- and drought-affected areas in TFYR Macedonia (financed by Norway). Following the success of the project in the Sandzak Region, extra-budgetary funding from Luxembourg has been ensured to replicate the project in Kosovo and Montenegro and will start implementation in June 2006. Two workshops were organized by SEUR on “Creating better opportunities for rural livelihoods in Roma-dominated communities” (August and December 2004) to clarify the CEE requirements for improving rural livelihoods in Roma-dominated micro regions through poverty alleviation, minority integration and diversification of economic activities and to formulate a regional project to submit to donors.

III.CHAPTER 3: DEVELOPMENT SERVICES TO MEMBER NATIONS

43. This Chapter covers a range of services in direct support to Member Nations’ development efforts, including policy advice and support to programme and project formulation, with special emphasis on those with investment potential, as well as operational services for the execution of country programmes.

A.MAJOR PROGRAMME 3.1: POLICY ASSISTANCE

44. This major programme primarily covers the work of the Policy Assistance Division’s decentralized units, headed by the Chief, Policy Assistance Branch in each Regional Office. As far as Europe is concerned, the following diagnostic/thematic studies were carried out: (i) Land and farm reform in Tajikistan; (ii) The challenge of Conforming to Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures for WTO Accession and EU Exports: The Case of Ukraine; (iii) Capacity building and establishment of national institutions in the area of Farm Data Systems in the process of integration with the European economy; (iv) Building capacity and institutions for harmonization of national policies with EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)-modelled agriculture and rural development policies at regional and local level; (v) A stocktaking of land reform and farm restructuring in Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan and Republic of Moldova; (vi) Dairy Sector Review, Turkey. The Branch also finalized country policy profiles for Armenia, Belarus, Croatia, Republic of Moldova, Serbia and Montenegro, TFYR Macedonia and Turkey. The FAO Technical Assistance Framework for the Western Balkans: Coherent Approach for Trust Fund Activities 2006-2008 was finalized.

45. Policy assistance to countries and Regional Economic Integration Organizations including policy advice/programming and field programme development missions, as well as capacity building activities were carried out:

Field programme development/assessment and formulation missions (Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro, TFYR Macedonia, Turkey and Ukraine);
Stakeholder consultation meetings/workshops : two workshops for international and national project experts in the Western Balkans (Serbia and Montenegro and TFYR Macedonia); in addition, two national stakeholder (government and donors) meetings in Kosovo and TFYR Macedonia;
Regional initiatives/policy forums: Participated in and contributed to the newly created standing working group for rural development in the Balkan region and in the meeting of the Dinaric Arc Initiative;
Four seminars on “Integration with the European Economy and Market Reforms: Challenges for Agriculture and Rural Development” were organized in Armenia, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.

46. Direct technical assistance and backstopping was provided to (i) Kosovo through project “Support Unit for Rural Sector Rehabilitation in Kosovo” (GCP/KOS/002/NOR); (ii) Ukraine for the formulation of a medium-term agricultural and rural policy framework (TCP/UKR/3004).

B.MAJOR PROGRAMME 3.2: SUPPORT TO INVESTMENT

47. The programme primarily covers the work carried out by the Investment Centre Division in cooperation with the technical divisions and units. In the Region, the Centre has played a key role in providing technical support for development of rural investments in partnership with the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), EBRD and the OPEC Fund for International Development.

48. During 2004-05, twenty-two investment projects in Europe, prepared with major Investment Centre input, were approved for financing by collaborating financing institutions. Total investments mobilized for these projects amounted to approximately US$804 760 000.

49. Cooperation between FAO and EBRD was further strengthened during the biennium. A meeting of the EastAgri Network, aimed at coordinating the interventions of international financing institutions and bilateral development agencies investing in agriculture/agribusiness in CEE and CIS countries was organized by FAO (Rome, February 2005) and a 2nd meeting of the EastAgri Network will take place in Berlin on 4 and 5 May 2006 hosted by the German GTZ. Under the umbrella of EastAgri, FAO also organized an agribusiness forum upon the occasion of EBRD's Annual Meeting (Belgrade, May 2005) and a series of thematic and country-specific workshops aiming at international financing institution coordination in the area of agricultural and agribusiness investment, including a seminar on retail investment in Southern and Eastern Europe. In June 2005, FAO and the Central European Initiative (CEI) Wholesale Markets Foundation organized a study tour on wholesale markets and the food retail industry in Italy.

C.MAJOR PROGRAMME 3.3: FIELD OPERATIONS

Programme 3.3.1: Field Operations

50. The period under review was characterized by a further decentralization of operational responsibilities for projects to the FAO Representatives and to the Regional Offices. In Europe new FAO Representations (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Republic of Moldova) were opened covered by the double accreditation scheme. Due to this the main operational responsibility (except for Turkey) remained with the operations unit in the Regional Office for Europe (REUD). In 2004 REUD operated an average of 65 regional and country projects. Project delivery ranged from US$8.2 million in 2004 to US$8.4 million in 2005. Assistance is provided to 28 countries with a further reduction of delivery in the new EU member countries. A project on organic farming has been completed in Croatia which addressed one of the emerging issues identified at the Regional Conference for Europe in 2004. Field Programme Delivery for 2006 is estimated at US$8.5 million. Field programme development activities in 2006 will concentrate inter alia on rural development activities at grassroots level in the Balkan countries but also on Caucasus countries with additional TCPs regarding capacity and institution building. In this context, implementation activities of donor-funded projects from Luxembourg and Italy are expected to start in Albania and in Kosovo/Serbia and Montenegro in 2006.

Programme 3.3.3 Emergency Response Operations

51. This programme covers FAO's response to emergency situations through its Emergency Operations and Rehabilitation Division (TCE). During the biennium, two EC funded projects amounting to an estimated US$1 million have provided agricultural inputs to war-affected poor population and social institutions in Chechnya and Ingushetia. Emergency and rehabilitation projects amounting to some US$2.8 million, mainly funded by Canada, the EC and Sweden, have been implemented in Tajikistan to increase and sustain food availability. TCE is also responsible for operating project OSRO/GLO/504/MUL "Emergency assistance for the control and prevention of Avian Influenza" from which a number of countries in the Region are benefiting.

IV.CONCLUSION

52. Countries in the Balkans and the CIS are experiencing high poverty rates, particularly in rural areas, and agriculture is still an important sector that employs a high percentage of labour force and contributes significantly to GDP. Key areas for priority attention identified and endorsed by the past Regional Conferences for Europe relate to revitalizing the rural sector and supporting rural livelihoods, assistance to member countries to prepare them for meeting the requirements for EU accession as well as to enable access to EU markets. Other key areas are: strengthening the capacities of rural public institutions; land and water resources management; capacity building in livestock production and control of animal and plant diseases; restructuring of forestry; modernization of aquaculture and fisheries; capacity building in food safety and quality standards. Due to budgetary constraints faced by the Organization in the last two biennia, the technical mass in the Regional Office for Europe (REU) and in the Sub-regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe (SEUR) has decreased by six professional posts despite the increase in the membership in the European Region. Therefore, some areas can no longer be adequately serviced either by REU or SEUR or, in some cases, by the technical units at Headquarters, due to their lack of sufficient knowledge of the countries in the Region and their specific problems.

53. The emerging issues identified during the 24th Regional Conference for Europe: organic farming, biotechnology and biosafety as well as assistance in the efforts for EU integration, may not always be adequately serviced by FAO with the reduced technical and regional know-how available at Headquarters and in decentralized offices to address these critical areas.

54. In view of the above, Member countries are invited to express their views regarding the priority assistance FAO should provide in the coming years.

1 The CEI is a regional forum for cooperation and consultation among and between its members. The CEI has seventeen member countries (mostly Central and Eastern European) including Italy and Austria. Italy is the main contributor to the organization's budget.

For reasons of economy, this document is produced in a limited number of copies. Delegates and observers are kindly requested to bring it to the meetings and to refrain from asking for additional copies, unless strictly indispensable.
Most FAO meeting documents are available on Internet at www.fao.org

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Directory: unfao -> bodies
bodies -> Twenty-fifth fao regional conference for asia and the pacific
bodies -> Cl 115/PV/6 25 November 1998 first draft-premier projet-primer borrador council Conseil Consejo Hundred and Fifteenth Session Cent quinzième session 115º período de sesiones Rome, 23 – 28 November 1998 Rome, 23 – 28 novembre 1998 Roma

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