Mr. President of the Fund,
Dear audience;

I have the pleasure to participate with you in the 33rd session of IFAD governors. I would like first to extend my regards and appreciation for Mr. Kanayo F.Nwanze and all assistants for their great and faithful efforts they exert to achieve the fund development goals, especially in developing countries.

Ladies & Gentlemen;

Over the past decades IFAD has been working hard to achieve development in the economic and social fields facing the constraints and problems and overcoming them which proves the good methodology adopted for implementing the development programs to alleviate poverty and hunger especially in the poorest developing countries which is clear through the development projects implemented in these countries.

Dear attendants;

Our meeting coincides with a number of world crises and problems and after holding a number of Arab and international summits and conferences to discuss and solve problems starting from Copenhagen Summit which deals with the problems of environmental changes and drought which most of world countries suffer from especially, food-producing countries, and its results were disappointed for the most. We recognize the risks of these changes on environment particularly, and on development generally, and their role in increasing the world crises of food, as well as, the 8th group summit which focused on the issue of environment and economic and financial crisis and their impacts on the social stability in world countries and then passing through the world food crisis where/105/ million inhabitants suffer from hunger and more than billion inhabitants are suffering from malnutrition.

Therefore, we recognize the importance of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the other funds from the International Organizations which have a concern in dealing with this crises and mitigate their negative impacts on the developing countries.

This situation requires the cooperation and intensification of the sincere international cooperation to find the suitable and applicable solutions for these problems.

Dear audience;

Syria practiced during the last years the policy of integrated development to cover rural communities in particular and human resources in general The government, through the participatory approach which is adopted in our country and the contribution of all sectors and panels of society in the development process, becomes able to get over these difficult conditions and perform important achievements in the agricultural field which in general contribute in achieving food security and improve the livelihood of population.
The cooperation among the Syrian government, IFAD and other Arab and international financing institutions have played an important role in that through the implementation of several successful projects in different regions in Syria such as the projects of "Rural Development in Idleb region", "Agricultural Development in Jabal ALHoss", "Integrated Development in the Syrian Badia Region", and other projects which contributed clearly to the development of the targeted areas and communities. Such development was witnessed by IFAD and other international organization working in Syria, helped to best use of natural resources, and created new job opportunities and income generating sources contributing to the improvement of the social and economic livelihood of rural people, and improve agricultural productivity and quality in the targeted areas through the support of agricultural Extension system and reclamation of new and big areas of the arable lands. Starting from the important role of the rural communities in the social and economic life, the development process covered several aspects of life there especially rural women trying to create a suitable climate and tools to help the development of rural women and it was clear through the component of rural women development in the implemented projects which contributed to the reduction of illiteracy, increase the use of computers, and help rural women to update with the modern era.

Dear Sirs;

The current situation of Palestine in general and in Gaza strip in particular is indeed a human tragedy because of the continuous Israeli blockade which is practicing all forms of terrorism, from killing, constant settlement operations, agricultural lands destruction, and trees pulling out which all   require the commitment of the International Community towards these suppressed people. The development process can't be achieved under the presence of the occupation and the absence of security and stability, and without stopping the Israeli intransigence that doesn't respect the simplest rights of man in all Arab occupied territories including the Golan heights and the international community should make serious steps to comply with the commitments it presented in the summit held for addressing the problems of the world, and the commitment of the international organizations to provide food and humanitarian increasing needs.           

ٍDear audience;

Finally I would like to express our thanks and appreciation for the government of Italy where headquarters of many international organizations are located and which are concerned with solving the problems and crises of the world. We appreciate their great efforts in holding these meetings which we hope they will have great effects in mitigating the impact of these crises on the whole world and allow me to express the aspiration of the Syrian Arab Republic for the day when the poverty and deprivation will disappear and the whole world will enjoy the development and prosperity.

Thanks

17 February 2010