FAO

What is FAO?

Making sure people everywhere have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives – universal food security – lies at the heart of FAO’s efforts.

Our three main goals are:

• eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition;
• elimination of poverty and the driving forward of economic and social progress for all;
• sustainable management and utilization of natural resources, including land, water, air, climate and genetic resources for the benefit of present and future generations.

FAO creates and shares critical information about food, agriculture and natural resources in the form of global public goods. But this is not a one-way flow. We play a connector role, through identifying and working with different partners with established expertise, and facilitating a dialogue between those who have the knowledge and those who need it. By turning knowledge into action, FAO links the field to national, regional and global initiatives in a mutually reinforcing cycle. By joining forces, we facilitate partnerships for food and nutrition security, agriculture and rural development between governments, development partners, civil society and the private sector.

What does FAO in Kosovo?

FAO has been active in Kosovo since the end of the conflict. While in the beginning the emphasis was more on solving the most acute problems related to food security, current FAO activities shifted to institution and policy development, and assisting relevant actors involved in food security, rural development, and forestry.

In 2016, FAO supports the implementation of Kosovo’s Forest Policy and Strategy to scale up the sector’s share in the national economy through sustainable use of forest resources. Forestry is a multifaceted area characterized by economic, social and environmental aspects, which help mitigate the negative effects of climate change. In this respect, FAO not only help in the implementation of the new forest policy, strategy and action plans, but also in improving livelihoods of rural communities, in particular in the North.

Furthermore, FAO is currently assisting the Economic and Analysis Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development (MAFRD) for policy impact assessments and their incorporation in the daily activities of the Unit. Technical staff specialized in impact assessments can benefit from tools enabling them to inform decision makers on the efficiency of agricultural policy support, the performance of competitive subsectors and the performance of farmers under current support.

List up to three priorities for 2016

Ongoing activities in Kosovo contribute to FAO’s overarching global goals.

On one hand, FAO’s assistance to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development supports the creation of inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems (FAO’s strategic objective 4) through enhanced monitoring, analysis and management of the impacts of trade, food and agriculture policies on food systems.

On the other hand, supporting Kosovo’s institutions in the implementation of national forestry policies and strategies fosters sustainable agricultural production and natural resources management (FAO’s strategic objective 2).

FAO Kosovo contact information

FAO Pristina office
10000 Pristina, Kosovo
Mother Teresa 35 A
MAFRD building, room A14

FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia
H-1068 Budapest, Hungary
Benczur utca 34
Tel.: +3614612000
E-mail: FAO-RO-Europe@fao.org