FAO Sub-regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe

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FAO Sub-regional Office for Central and Eastern
Europe

• The Role and Mandate of FAO in CEE

Improvement of Information Exchange between
Education institutions in the SEE Region 1-3
June, Godollo
Benczur utca 34, H-1068 Budapest, Hungary  Tel
36 1 4612000 Fax [phone] 
FAO-SEUR_at_fao.org 
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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).

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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.
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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
  FAOs activities in the Sub-region.

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FAOs priorities in the CEE

• According to the FAO Regional Conference for
  Europe FAOs 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

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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.

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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.

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Work Programme
Agricultural Information Management Farm
Management and Agribusiness Food Standards and
Nutrition Land Tenure and Rural
Development Livestock Sector Development Forestry
Policy Assistance Library and Information
Services
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Agricultural Information Management
In close coordination with the Library and
Documentation Systems Division (GIL) at FAO
Headquarters

• promotes the development of national and
  sub-regional agricultural information systems and
  networks compatible with FAOs information
  systems,
• advises agricultural research, education and
  development institutions to use more efficiently
  FAOs 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,

• 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.

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Farm Management and Agribusiness
Working in close coordination of the
Agricultural Support Systems Division (AGS)
responsibilities include

• 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 adjustments and the improvement of
commercial farming and agribusiness, farm data
systems, and related support services.
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Food Standards and Nutrition
Working in close cooperation with the Food and
Nutrition Division (ESN) at FAO Headquarters, the
responsibilities include

• 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. 

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Land Tenure and Rural Development
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,

• 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.

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Livestock Sector Development
Working in close coordination with the Animal
Production and Health Division (AGA) at FAO
Headquarters, the Livestock Sector Development
Officer

• 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, 

• 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. 

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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.

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Forestry
In close cooperation with the technical Divisions
of the Forestry Department the forestry officer

• 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.

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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

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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.
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Regional and national projects
The following projects have been recently
approved by the Director General of FAO

• "Support to the formulation of a medium-term
  agricultural and rural policy framework"        C
  ountry Ukraine        Project
  symbolTCP/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"        Countrie
  s Armenia and Georgia        Project
  symbolTCP/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 symbolTCP/RER/3002
  (A)        Starting date December
  2004        Completion date May 2006

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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
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SEUR on the Internet
http//www.fao.org/Regional/SEUR