Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Regional Conference for Europe and Central Asia kicked off in Marriott hotel, Yerevan, Armenia, on May 13.

The conference is conducted in English, French, Russian and Spanish, with simultaneous interpretation provided. High-ranking officials from 41 FAO member countries, EU (Member Organization), observers from EU Council, UN and Holy See of Vatican are participating.

In his opening remarks, Minister for Agriculture of Armenia Gerasim Alaverdyan said: “This conference is important for implementation of regional programs. It will also focus on urgent issues, including usage of water resources, animal breeding, rural areas development and climate changes.”

For his part, FAO Director-General, Mr. Jacques Diouf regretted that starvation is still a pressing problem, due to reduction of investments and rise in food prices. “The number of people starving has increased by 105 million, reaching 1 billion,” he said.

Mr. Diouf also mentioned that that the economic crises resulted in slump of agriculture, specifically in Central and Eastern Europe. “The countries come across huge problems, including reduction of money transfers and private sector financing,” he said, adding that the best way to reduce poverty is to invest in agriculture.