"Local and regional authorities (LRAs) are on the frontlines of addressing food crises and ensuring sustainable agriculture. Strengthening cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) allows us to enhance coordination, share best practices, and support regions in building more resilient food systems." These were the remarks of Piotr Całbecki, Chair of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) Commission for Natural Resources (NAT), during a meeting with Mr Viorel Gutu, FAO Assistant Director-General for Europe and Central Asia, and Mr Rashad Al-Khafaji, Director of FAO’s Liaison Office in Brussels.
The discussions focused on reinforcing collaboration between the CoR and the FAO to support LRAs in tackling food security challenges and advancing sustainable agriculture.
One of the key topics addressed was the coordination of local responses to food crises. The CoR could facilitate initiatives led by LRAs actively involved in responding to such crises, while the FAO could ensure the effective implementation of programmes co-funded by multiple LRAs contributing to a common funding pool.
Piotr Całbecki, who also serves as President of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region, highlighted the importance of knowledge exchange between EU and non-EU LRAs. In non-crisis situations, local and regional authorities from both EU and non-EU countries could benefit from sharing best practices, expertise, and information to address agricultural and food-related challenges. The FAO could facilitate these exchanges, with interest in such mutual interaction among LRAs to be further explored.
The meeting reaffirmed the importance of leveraging local expertise and resources to achieve global food security objectives. Further dialogue is expected to define concrete steps for future cooperation.