Albania starts the national dialogues for a Sustainable Food Systems Development in the Mediterranean
Tirana, Albania - On 1st November 2022, FAO organized the first national conference on Sustainable Food Systems in the Mediterranean (SFS-MED), in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Albania. SFS – MED is a multi-stakeholder initiative, and an essential component of the ambitious project that aims to engage all partners at national and local level in the implementation of new approaches and concrete solutions for the transformation of food systems in the country. Today's activity follows the journey of the National Dialogues for Sustainable Food Systems in Albania in the context of the UN Summit on Food Systems in 2021, concluded with the National Pathway of sustainable food systems development, led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and supported by the UN.
"We need to diversify the rural economy, improve food value chain systems, increase exports by reaching new markets around the world. In this context, Albania has made significant progress and agricultural exports have increased by 27% in for the last three years introducing the "Made in Albania" label”, said Ami Çarçani, Director of the Directorate for Implementation of Priorities and Statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development “For the transformation of food systems into sustainable ones, the Ministry is committed to the design and approval of strategies and policies in accordance with the directives on agriculture, food security and fisheries of the European Union” added the representative of the Ministry.
Raimund Jehle, FAO Representative for Albania, emphasized that the SFS MED Platform plays a key role in supporting the transformation of food systems in the region. "The project provides a forum for dialogue and cooperation as it involves many actors, strengthening the network for knowledge exchange, as well as capacity building. It serves as a catalyst for regional cooperation in priority issues for the transformation of sustainable food systems in the Mediterranean", he stressed.
Invited to the meeting, the Resident Coordinator of the UN in Albania, Fiona McCluney, expressed her gratitude for the commitment of the FAO Country team in the United Nations Food Systems Summit; FAO supported the implementation of the National Food System Pathway in Albania by organizing important activities such as the national and local dialogues in 2021. "The United Nations supports multisectoral cooperation and policy coherence. Transforming the food system to achieve improved sustainability and nutrition outcomes for everyone needs a holistic approach, creating synergies between different sectoral interventions”, said Ms McCluney.
The national dialogues aim to identify the essential elements to enable the National Road of Sustainable Food Systems in the Mediterranean, supported by the commitments of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, including the new Strategy for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, Security Policies Food, Rural Tourism Strategy, as well as the 10-year Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides which are in the process of development and will be implemented by the actors. To facilitate further integration, strengthening and scaling-up of the combined SFS approach, FAO will support the national and local level dialogues to be carried out in the framework of the SFS-MED Platform, by further engaging with the relevant sectoral policymakers, local communities, and municipalities.
Contact
Nigela Lici
FAO Albania
