TIRANA, Feb. 24 – German agricultural economist and senior manager Raimund Jehle has been named as the Food Agriculture Organization representative to Albania and new deputy regional representative for Europe and Central Asia. Jeihle who has worked with FAO since 1999 succeeds Tony Alonzi and will also be the FAO Representative for Armenia, Georgia and Moldova.
“He combines a deep understanding of the technical issues faced by the countries of this region, with long practical experience and the ability to manage a team and get things done,” said Vladimir Rakhmanin, the FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia.
Last December, Albania became the first country in the Balkans where the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization opened an office.
The office, FAO’s first on the Balkans, will coordinate FAO projects in national priority areas such as support to farmers, climate change and natural resource conservation, statistics, veterinary reform and food safety.
“At the regional level, the Balkans remains an important region for FAO in terms of contributing to global food security and within the Balkans Albania is an important country for FAO,” said FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva during a visit to Albania.
“Environmental challenges are becoming more evident, such as the recent floods, and FAO stands ready to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies,” he added.
