Speech delivered by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at the 27th session of the Governing Council

Rome, 18-19 February 2004

Mr. Chairman,
Mr. President,
Distinguished Representatives,

I would like first, in the name of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), to congratulate you, Mr. Guido Montega, for your election as chairman of this meeting and thank the secretariat and the Italian Government for sincere4 devoted to successful preparation of this meeting.

Mr. Chairman,

It is now the historical task common to the humankind to alleviate the poverty in the world. This puts into a requirement to enhance than ever before the responsible roles of the IFAD and other international financial institutions.

Last year, the work was concluded to obtain the 5th additional fund with a target of around 450 million USD and a new pledge was made at its last stage for gaining 6th additional fund. This is an important success of ensuring the smooth implementation of the IFAD assistance work.
Besides this, IFAD contributed towards reducing poverty through its all-round assistance such as relief work for the countries in excessive dept and implementation of the UN convention on preventing desertification.

 

Mr. Chairman,

What comes in reality is the requirement for the member governments to raise their bigger responsible roles in the work to quicken the rural development and reduce poverty in the world.

Now in our country, under the wise leadership of the great leader General Kim Jong Il, nationwide effort is spearheaded to effect the revolution in potato farming and develop en masse the double crop farming with a main focus in the seed reformation in the agriculture.
Added to this, vigorous work is conducted to firm up the material and technical foundations of the countryside including the full-swing work to rezone the whole country’s land as a standardized plot and conduct the large scale waterway project.

We also find IFAD’s successful loan assistance in our country which helps improve the lives of the farmers in the target areas and put on a normal improved footing the overall agricultural production.

Since we mobilize our active efforts for the rural and agricultural development relying on the economic system suitable to our situation, the assistance of the international organisations of our agricultural sectors will beat out good results in the future, too.

I take this opportunity to express thanks, in the name of the DPRK delegation, to the IFAD, other international organisations and members’ governments who render assistance to the agricultural sector of our country.

Mr. Chairman,

Our delegation would like to refer to some issues arising in attaining a new millennium objective aimed at reducing poverty in the world.

We regret that each member state should, among other things, show primary attention in setting a policy and strategy for rural and agricultural development suiting each specific and increase the Government investment in this field.

Next, in the light of situation where most of those in poverty live in rural areas, we recognize that there is an importance for the international development assistance to be highlighted in the fields of agricultural and rural development in the developing countries.

It is from this viewpoint we believe that the developed countries should be faithful in implementing the international commitment which recommends 0.7% of their GNP to be allocated as ODA for developing countries and decisively increase their share of assistance to the rural and agricultural development.

We should also see to it that the international negotiation on trade of agricultural commodities be held in a way which stands in favour of improving agricultural productivity of the developing countries and their ability to advance into markets.

In accomplishing the new millennium development objective, there comes more urgency for each member state to develop the cooperative relations with IFAD which plays and important role in reducing the rural poverty.

For this, we think that IFAD and member states should add a greater partnership in finding effective development methods to get rid of the factors standing behind rural poverty in consideration of the peculiarities of the region and each individual country.

We regard that the work to obtain the 6th additional fund for the assistance fund be concluded at an earliest date under the active participation of all member states.

Our delegation gives its recognized support to this year’s plan and budget of IFAD submitted before this meeting, which was drafted in a manner which gave a due reflection of the demand of the member states and activates more efficiently the assistance work of IFAD.

The DPRK government will continue to exert big efforts for the rural and agricultural development and expand and develop further the cooperative relations with IFAD in the future, too.

Thank you.