From 12th to 15th June 2023, in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Balkan Rural Development Network-BRDN and the Regional Rural Development Standing Working Group in SEE (SWG) are organizing the 3rd Balkan Rural Parliament and Balkan Food Summit.
More than 80 participants, including representatives of the civil society, Ministries for agriculture and rural development from the WB countries, local food producers, national governments, EU organizations and institutions participate at the event. With relevance to the priority needs and challenges in the rural development process in the region, the discussions are focused on 4 topics: the challenges of implementation of the EU LEADER approach in WB; Implementation of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkan countries; Food security and rural gastronomy as potential for sustainable rural development; and Challenges and opportunities for women and youth in rural areas.
The Balkan Rural Parliament as a long-term campaign aims to express the voice of the Western Balkan rural communities, to promote self-help and action by the rural people, as well as to ensure that their needs and interests are strongly reflected in the rural development policies.
The Balkan Food Summit is aiming to raise the awareness regarding the importance of regional food systems and agrobiodiversity in the Western Balkans, in particular concerning the incentives for conservation and adding value to agrobiodiversity in order to enhance the rural welfare, ensuring food security and raising the awareness on the need for food system transformation and policy instruments that can support such transformation processes.
The main output is the Declaration of the 3rd BRP, as a clear set of common stands of the WB rural stakeholders and actions proposal for the rural communities, governments and EU and sustainable transformation of food system towards sustainable, healthy diet promoting the agrobiodiversity.
The organization of the 3rd Balkan Rural Parliament and Balkan Food Summit is supported by GIZ SEDRA II Program and Agricultural Policy Dialogue Germany – Western Balkans.
Presentations:
1. Alexander Schhrode_Präsentation Balkan Food Summit 2023-06-13
2. SWG – Regional cooperation in the WB_Boban
3. Balkan-Rural-Parliament-Mostar-2023-Hartmut-Berndt
5. Thomas Zbunke_Mostar keynote
6. Rural Women and Youth in WB_Mostar_FINAL
6. Svetlana Stanisic_SWG prezentacija
7. Food security and rural gastronomy