With the support of IFAD and the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development (GDPRD), AICS organized the meeting of HARD (Heads of Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Union), held on October 14-15, 2024, at IFAD Headquarters in Rome.
Initiated by the European Commission’s DG INTPA, HARD is a principal informal mechanism for coordinating agro-food system transformation efforts among the Commission and its Member States. Since 2020, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), through its Office VI, has been an active participant in HARD to discuss DG INTPA’s work on rural development and food security.
Held alongside the G7 Presidency on agriculture and food security, the Rome meeting convened EU Member States and the European Commission to address critical agricultural and rural development issues, including climate change, food security, and food system sustainability.
The opening session featured remarks by Gérardine Mukeshimana, IFAD Vice President, Laura Aghilarre, Deputy Director-General for Development Cooperation at MAECI, and Carla Montesi, Director of Green Deal and Digital Agenda at DG INTPA. AICS’s Agriculture and Food Security Office actively contributed to the sessions, emphasizing Italy’s commitment to collaborative strategies for rural development and sustainable food systems.
