Statement by Mr. Kim, Kyung–surk,
Representative of the Republic of Korea

Mr. Chairman,
Mr. President, and Distinguished Governors,

It is my great honour to deliver an address at this 28th IFAD Governing Council on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Korea.

I would like to congratulate Mr. Lennart Bage on his being reappointed as President of IFAD.

Mr. President, I strongly wish that under your guidance IFAD will achieve its objective of reducing rural poverty and improving the agricultural development of developing countries thanks to the broad experience and excellent leadership shown during your last tenure as President.

Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Governors,

As we are all well aware, one of the biggest Tsunami ever south Asia last December. It not only took a toll of tens of thousands of lives, but also it destroyed the livelihoods of millions of fisher folk and farmers in a number of countries.

I would like to express my sincere condolences to the victims and the affected countries on behalf of the government of the Republic of Korea.

After this tragic catastrophe, many countries including the Republic of Korea, immediately pledged to provide financial support for the recovery and rehabilitation, and NGO’s, private corporations and even anonymous individuals have extended helping hands to the victims.

The Republic of Korea, under this commitment to grant total 50 million US dollars for 3 years from this year, has started helping the affected countries to recover since December 29th of last year.

My government is drawing up a specific medium and long term plan. It is also seeking to provide IT technology for the establishment of an early warning system for earthquakes in the region, and to share experiences and know-how for the recovery of farm lands.

Mr. Chairman. Distinguished Governors,

Tsunami causing huge damage in South Asia made us realize that a natural disaster is not a problem for one single country anymore but a threat to be dealt with regionally and globally. It has also pushed us to develop prevention measures and management techniques following such a catastrophe.

This experience has made us recognize the necessity of establishing a world-wide rescue system or a coordinated structure for speedy and systematic assistance when an unexpected disaster occurs over a wide area.

In this context, it is desirable for IFAD to seek the most appropriate measures to coordinate reconstruction after devastating disasters like Tsunami through cooperation with numerous international organizations such as UNDP, FAO, and WFP related to emergency rescue, disaster prevention and development.

Mr. Chairman. Distinguished Governors,

It is my belief that international assistance should be linked not only to the recovery of destroyed infrastructure but also to the increase of productivity in agriculture and fisheries which are the means of the people’s livelihoods in the affected area.

Further assistance should focus on poverty alleviation. IN this sense, IFAD’s action plan for Tsunami response should be pursued in this direction as well.

Accordingly, IFAD, beyond restoring the temporary living foundation for the victims, should focus its efforts on developing projects that can contribute to overcoming hunger and poverty by securing a stable foundation for food production with the medium and long term perspectives.

Mr. Chairman. Distinguished Governors,

My country, once devastated by a war half a century ago, has achieved remarkable economic growth with the concerted efforts of its people and direct as well as indirect help from the international community. The Republic of Korea is willing to share experiences in overcoming poverty and hunger.

Moreover, we will extend cooperation to countries facing situations similar to those our people experienced in the past for agricultural development.

Thank you very much for your kind attention.