fao sub-regional office for central and eastern europe benczur utca 34, h-1068 budapest, hungary...
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FAO Sub-regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe
Benczur utca 34, H-1068 Budapest, Hungary Tel: +36 1 4612000 Fax: +36 1 3517029
The Role and Mandate of FAO in CEE
Improvement of Information Exchange between Education institutions in the SEE Region1-3 June, Godollo
The establishment of SEUR
In the Third Millennium, FAO has committed itself to play a renewed role in Europe, specially focusing on some of the problems brought about by political events in the Region over the past decade.
A key move was the establishment of the Sub-regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe (SEUR) in Budapest in 1996, staffed by a core team of specialists, with expertise in various areas relevant to the development and transition needs of Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs).
FAO Member Countries in Central and Eastern Europe
FAO SEUR covers 20 member countries:
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine.Belarus applied for membership in 2004.Observer: Russian Federation.
The Mandate of SEUR
The FAO Sub-regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe (SEUR), closely working with the Regional Office for Europe (REU) and relevant Technical Departments at Headquarters, is responsible for: • monitoring and reporting to Headquarters the major developments and trends in the Central and Eastern European Sub-region, • identifying priority areas of action for the Organization in the Central and Eastern European Sub-region, with particular emphasis on the World Food Summit follow-up,• providing technical assistance to Member Countries within the areas of technical expertise available,• promoting and implementing the Agreement on Technical Cooperation between Countries in Transition and other Partnership Programmes, • providing support services as appropriate to FAO’s activities in the Sub-region.
FAO’s priorities in the CEE
According to the FAO Regional Conference for Europe FAO’s priorities in the CEE up to 2007 are:
•Poverty reduction, through support to sustainable rural livelihoods and food security•Food safety and quality•Sustainable management of natural resources•Institution and capacity building to support the process of transition to market economies in the rural sector
Organizational Structure of FAO SEUR
Office of the Sub-regional Representative (SEUD)
Multidisciplinary Team (SEUM)Operates in close coordination with the respective technical departments of
Headquarters as well as with the relevant units of the Regional Office for Europe
Policy Assistance Unit (SEUP) Operates in close coordination with the Regional Office for Europe Policy
Assistance Branch (REUP) and Policy Assistance Division of the Technical Cooperation Department.
Office of the Sub-regional Representative (SEUD)
The Sub-regional Representative's office ensures the efficient functioning of the Sub-regional Office and oversees the utilization of the staff and resources allocated to it; it participates in the development and implementation of a coordinated and balanced programme of work of the Organization and liaises with national authorities and other segments of the Organization.
Work Programme
Agricultural Information ManagementFarm Management and AgribusinessFood Standards and NutritionLand Tenure and Rural DevelopmentLivestock Sector DevelopmentForestryPolicy Assistance Library and Information Services
Agricultural Information Management
•promotes the development of national and sub-regional agricultural information systems and networks compatible with FAO’s information systems, •advises agricultural research, education and development institutions to use more efficiently FAO’s information systems, databases and data banks, •assists in the development and strengthening of the network of WAICENT centers in the sub-region, •works as WAICENT-Outreach contact person in Eastern Europe,
In close coordination with the Library and Documentation Systems Division (GIL) at FAO Headquarters:
•visits national AGRIS/CARIS centers in the sub-region to review their activities, needs, and advises them on the problems limiting their input to the system, •assists in the organization of, and lectures at, seminars, workshops and training sessions related to WAICENT information services, •organizes and maintains a modern agricultural Information Centre and Library suitable to the needs and tasks of the Sub-regional Office.
Farm Management and Agribusiness
• facilitatation, co-ordination and exchange of information,• evaluation of performance of commercial farming and
agribusiness, food and product supply chains,• development of policy guidelines and strategies,• advice to member countries in human capacity building and
developing training programmes and materials,
relating to farm planning, management economics and agribusiness development, focusing on farm and firm adjustmentsand the improvement of commercial farming and agribusiness, farm data systems, and related support services.
Working in close coordination of the Agricultural Support Systems Division (AGS) responsibilities include:
Food Standards and Nutrition
•promotion of internationally accepted standards (e.g. Codex Alimentarius) •support of Codex Alimentarius Contact Points in CEE,•assistance in harmonizing national standards with international standards, •assistance in the elaboration and implementation of the National Plan of Action for Nutrition, •facilitatation and implementation of food control systems, •establishment of sub-regional directories of internationally accredited food laboratories, national control services, national standardizing bodies, •support of Food Composition Data-base Network for Central and Eastern Europe (CEECFOODS), •provision of technical backstopping for field projects in the Sub-region.
Working in close cooperation with the Food and Nutrition Division (ESN) at FAO Headquarters, the responsibilities include:
Land Tenure and Rural Development
•Develops and organizes research and analysis related to land tenure institution changes taking place in CEEC and CIS countries with particular reference to land market institutions and technologies associated with the development and management of modern land information systems. •Provides advice to FAO members on rural development, design of poverty reduction, employment creation programs and institutional restructuring including support for agricultural cooperatives and farmers' organizations in co-operation with technical units at HQ. •Assists FAO members in the design and formulation of rural development and implementation of decentralized institutions and adoption of differentiated policies. •Provides technical support for FAO field experts in the above subjects, including field missions, project preparation and supervision. •Develops and prepare material and documents for technical meetings.
Working in close coordination with the Land Tenure Service (SDAA) and Rural Institutions and Participation Service (SDAR) of the Rural Development Division (SDA) at FAO Headquarters, in support of central and eastern European development,
Livestock Sector Development
•assists and coordinates a multi-disciplinary programme to promote new developments of the livestock sector in countries of the sub-region, •cooperates in formulation of livestock development policies with special emphasis on restructuring, modernization or revitalization of the livestock sector,•Supports capacity building in animal production and health services,•analyses the economic and technical constraints to developing sustainable systems of animal production and associated animal products processing industries,
Working in close coordination with the Animal Production and Health Division (AGA) at FAO Headquarters, the Livestock Sector Development Officer:
•assists in the formulation of integrated livestock development projects and advises on all aspects from production to consumption, •cooperates with all relevant institutions and NGOs active in the sub-region, in particular the European Association for Animal Production, •promotes the organization of, and participates in technical meetings with livestock research and educational institutions involved in the livestock sector, •assists in the identification and formulation of technical assistance programmes and projects and provides technical backstopping to the implementation of such projects.
Policy Assistance
The Policy Assistance Unit (SEUP) operates in close coordination with the Policy Assistance Branch (REUP) of the Regional Office for Europe and the Policy Assistance Division (TCA) of the Technical Cooperation Department and •provides sector review and policy assistance, on request, to individual countries;• assists in the identification/definition of national and sub-regional priority areas of action for FAO's biennial programme of work,• conducts country assessments of structural and sector adjustment programmes, strategies, plans, policies and programmes for enhancing food, agriculture and rural development,• assists FAO Member Nations of the Sub-region in reviewing sector policy options and choices, formulating policies and strengthening national capacities to perform policy analysis, design and implementation• ensures the necessary coherence and linkages between sector policy work and FAO's programme development operational activities within the framework of each country's development plans and priorities, • provides technical guidance and backstopping to agricultural policy analysis and planning projects in the field and cooperates with the Agricultural Policy Support Service (TCAS), as appropriate, in implementing training in agriculture policy and planning, •prepares country economic and agricultural sector profiles; assists in FAO's programme development and assists the Information and Procedure Unit (TCDI) in maintaining up-to-date information on political, economic and social situations, including emergencies, for use in the preparation of country briefs or other information material, • organizes programme development missions and assists their governments in the reviews of their technical assistance requirements.
Forestry
•Analyze and disseminate information and data related to forest resources, forest products markets and forest policies •Develop and disseminate technical advice for sustainable forestry management •Advise member countries in effective forest policies and institutional arrangements on the national and international level •Support programmes and projects related to forestry and natural resource management.
Active participation in the work of: •FAO European Forestry Commission monitoring policy processes and institutions, focusing on cross-sectorial approaches and the regional integration of Eastern European countries into the international forestry community •UNECE Timber Committee in particular with regard to outlook and analytical policy studies as well as to information and data gathering, •Ministerial Conference on Protection of Forests in Europe with regard to policy implications.
In close cooperation with the technical Divisions of the Forestry Department the forestry officer:
Library and Information Services
The Information Centre and Library of the Sub-regional Office, in close cooperation and coordination with the Library and Documentation Systems Division (GIL) provides the users free of charge with the following services:
•use of the reading room•approximately 1000 papers, mostly FAO publications mainly about the following topics:• agriculture• farm management• livestock management and development• forestry• rural development• food and nutrition
•use of the FAO electronic information services CD-ROM databases, online information services
•acquisition of FAO publications•regular or individual queries on FAO publications
Projects
Significant progress has been made over the past recent years in decentralizing operational responsibility for projects at the country level. In the European Region, due to the lack of FAO Representations, the operational responsibility for projects rests with the Regional Office. The average number of projects which SEUR operates in the Region on a yearly basis is between 30 and 35.
Regional and national projects
"Support to the formulation of a medium-term agricultural and rural policy framework" Country: Ukraine Project symbol:TCP/UKR/3004 (A) Starting date: April 2005 Completion date: March 2006
"Assistance in piloting small-scale modern on-farm irrigation technologies - Phase II" Country: MOLDOVA Project symbol: TCP/MOL/3001 (A) Starting date: March 2004 Completion date: January 2006
"Food safety capacity building" Countries: Armenia and Georgia Project symbol:TCP/RER/3003 (A) Starting date: February 2005 Completion date: July 2006
"Strengthening food safety in South East European transition countries - A regional approach to food legislation and control" Countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Kosovo - Serbia and Montenegro, Moldova, Romania Project symbol:TCP/RER/3002 (A) Starting date: December 2004 Completion date: May 2006
The following projects have been recently approved by the Director General of FAO:
Major events in 2004-2005
The Sub-regional Office hosted and supported several significant international events, e.g.:
2005 Location Title
20-21 June Budapest, SEUR office
UNECE/FAO Workshop on policy consequences of the European Forest Sector Outlook Study (EFSOS)
06-09 June Durdevac Croatia
Policy options for improved forest land use in South-East Europe
1-3 June Godollo, Hungary
Improvement of Information Exchange between Education institutions in the SEE Region
6-7 May Nitra, Slovak Republic
Development of Land Markets and Related Institutions in Countries of Central and Eastern Europe
18-21 April
Zvolen, Slovakia
Policy options for storm damage management - Workshop
autumn Tbilisi, Kiev Two sub-regional workshops on FAO assistance aiming at the Forest Sector
autumn Budapest, SEUR office
Meeting of the UNECE/ FAO team of specialists on sustainable development of the forest sector in Central and Eastern Europe and in the CIS
SEUR on the Internet
http://www.fao.org/Regional/SEUR