Distinguished Chair, Governors, Mr. President, and Colleagues,

IFAD is based upon partnership. A unique partnership between OECD, OPEC and developing countries that harnesses the commitment and resources of each.  So it is right that IFAD focuses on the power of partnerships. We come here together at the start of the Ninth Replenishment with our shared goal of IFAD’s mandate: enabling poor rural people to improve their food security and nutrition, raise their incomes and strengthen their resilience. In a constantly evolving environment, we need to renew our partnership and forge effective new alliances to deliver our agreed results and lift 80 million people out of poverty.

The United Kingdom is a strong supporter of IFAD. Our Multilateral Aid Review found IFAD to be a good performer, with its focus on results and creating economic opportunities for smallholders. We believe that driving economic growth is key to sustainable development and encourage the responsible investment that IFAD generates. In order to foster partnerships –   particularly with the private sector – governance; strengthening institutions; transparency and accountability are all essential and we will support IFAD in its focus on these areas.

As part of the Ninth Replenishment, we are glad to contribute with others to the Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme – or ASAP. Climate change can have a catastrophic impact on agriculture – so we welcome IFAD’s initiative, leading the way as a significant part of the international response on climate change for smallholders. We look forward to seeing climate change fully integrated into IFAD’s future country strategies and projects, ensuring that all points of the value-chain are resilient to climate change and that scaling up success is not at the expense of the environment.

ASAP has the opportunity to deliver results, building partnerships – including with the private sector, research and knowledge community – to become a leader on knowledge generation and dissemination on climate adaptation for smallholders. It will benefit millions of smallholders –especially women – and, to scale up, we encourage others to step forward to support the programme

We congratulate you, President Nwanze, on your appointment for a second term. The next four years will be crucial: delivering the ambitious commitments of the Ninth Replenishment that will take us to 2015, building on this for the Tenth Replenishment and development beyond the MDGs.  We have every confidence that you and your staff will rise to the challenges IFAD faces.  Your leadership will be decisive in ensuring that IFAD maximises its impact through the open, participatory approach for which it is renowned. We appreciate your commitment to continuing reform, ensuring focus on results, maximising effectiveness, and enhancing transparency and accountability. We look forward to continuing to work closely with you and your team as you keep IFAD at the forefront of international good practice.

Thank you.