Ireland would like to take this opportunity to complement IFAD on the leadership role that it is playing in reducing rural poverty and the consequential  plethora of benefits that accrue from the resultant agricultural development .

The Irish Government has prioritised the eradication of hunger and is playing a central role internationally on New Approaches to Tackling Hunger.

In 2008 the Irish Government published the Hunger Task Force Report advising the Irish government on areas that needed to be targeted in overseas aid to tackle world hunger.

One of the key recommendations of the Task Force’s report were:

• Increasing productivity of smallholder farmers in Africa, especially women farmers. We urge IFAD to continue, its already good work, in this regard, and we urge IFAD to ensure that all of its programs strive to maximum the benefit to rural women. In this regard we welcome IFAD’s work on Gender Evaluation.
  
• Another key priority is to address governance and leadership failures at national and international levels. The issue of hunger must be kept high on the agenda of the international community.
  

The Irish government contends that the issues of health, food nutrition and security should be addressed through a multi-sectoral approach which promotes resilient, and sustainable rural development.

Ireland welcomes the progress being made by IFAD in its reform process and remains fully support of this initiative.

We are at a critical juncture in our battle against the scourge of world hunger. While progress has been made, huge challenges remain, but we are encouraged by the efforts of the international community of which IFAD is an effective performer.

19 February 2011