The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have agreed to step up their joint efforts to make agrifood systems stronger, greener and more inclusive across Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean.
The two institutions also stressed the importance of climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives for agriculture as they marked 20 years of collaboration with a Memorandum of Understanding, signed today in London by EBRD President Sir Suma Chakrabarti and FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva.
“We see our partnership with FAO as crucial for fostering the transition of the agribusiness sector in our region,” President Chakrabarti said. “By drawing on FAO’s technical and policy expertise, we are able to make more effective investments across agrifood chains, helping to enhance productivity, improve energy efficiency, create jobs and promote sustainable and inclusive growth,”he added.
FAO Director-General Graziano da Silva said: “The regions where we work together – Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean – play critical though contrasting roles in global food and agricultural markets. I am confident that together we will continue to build on our respective strengths and support the emergence of an enabling environment for all private players – from small scale farmers to leading agribusinesses.”