Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean was in Rome on 18-19 March to meet with high-level officials of the Government of Italy and discuss efforts to strengthen development cooperation across multiple areas, as well as to exchange with principals of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP).
In discussions with Federico Eichberg, Chef de Cabinet at the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy, Ms. Molcean focused on cooperation on corporate sustainability reporting, due diligence and digital product passports. She stressed the importance of UNECE’s tools for traceability along value chains, which were piloted with blockchain and other innovative technologies with brands, retailers and manufacturers of the Italian garment and footwear industry. Discussions also addressed gender equality and the promotion of women entrepreneurship and leadership, in particular knowledge sharing and best practices.
The Executive Secretary also met with Edoardo Rixi, Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, to discuss Italy’s longstanding contribution to UNECE’s work on transport, in particular on road safety, through the Global Forum for Road Traffic Safety (WP.1), chaired by Luciana Iorio, on vehicle regulations, through the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29), as well as on the transport of dangerous goods and the carriage of goods by rail. She also encouraged Italy to join the Advisory Board of the UN Road Safety Fund hosted by UNECE.
Meeting with Davide La Cecilia, Special Envoy for the Reconstruction of Ukraine and Coordinator of the Ukraine Recovery and Resilience Task Force, as well as with Marco Rusconi, Director of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), and Carlo Batori, Deputy Director General for Development Cooperation, the Executive Secretary discussed preparations for the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025 in Rome (10-11 July).
She appreciated Italy’s continued leadership and expected support to UNECE-led UN4UkrainianCities project, which plays a key role in rebuilding Ukraine’s urban centers, in particular Kharkiv and Mykolaiv, with a focus on sustainability, resilience, and inclusivity.
The Executive Secretary also visited the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to meet with Director General Qu Dongyu. UNECE and FAO have had a longstanding cooperation since 1947 on forests. Discussions also touched upon UNECE’s contribution to food systems sustainability through its agricultural quality standards, trade facilitation, ESG traceability and circularity. Cooperation with FAO also includes the promotion of the water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus approach to water resource management.
In discussions with Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), Ms. Molcean underlined the strategic alignment of UNECE’s expertise in sustainable development, trade facilitation and logistics, and particularly agricultural standards, with WFP’s mission in food security and humanitarian aid.