IFAD's 25th Anniversary Session of the Governing Council

Inaugural Session - 19 February 2003 - 10:00-13:00hrs

• Inaugural Address by H.E. Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, President of the Italian Republic (English | French | Italian)

• Inaugural Address by H.E. Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations and Statement (English | French | Italian)

• Message from His Holiness Pope John Paul II, Delivered on His Behalf by His Eminence Cardinal Angelo Sodano

• Statement by Mr Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

• Statement by Mr James T. Morris, Executive Director of the World Food Programme

• Statement of the President of IFAD (Arabic | French | Spanish)

19 February 15:00-17:00

Panel Discussion on the Theme: "Achieving the Millennium Development Goals by Enabling the Rural Poor to Overcome their Poverty"

---

20 February 10:30-13:00

Four Roundtables on the following topics:

• Indigenous Peoples and Sustainable Development
• Promoting Market Access for the Rural Poor in order to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals
• Transforming Rural Institutions in order to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals
• Women as Agents of Change