Mr Chairman,
Mr President,
Honourable Delegates,

Allow me, first of all, to congratulate you on being elected chairman of the session and express my conviction that this meeting will be held successfully under your skilful chairmanship.

On behalf of the DPRK delegation, I would like to express my gratitude to IFAD and the Government of Italy for their sincere efforts for the preparation of this meeting.

Mr Chairman,

This meeting, which is held in the first year of the 21^th century, should be an important occasion for IFAD to continue to promote its work on the basis of success and experiences gained in the activities of eliminating the rural poverty and achieving the food security in the world during the last 20 years.

It was due to the devoted efforts of IFAD and its all member nations that the 4^th Replenishment was successfully finished and the new 5^th one is well under way.

Last year, IFAD approved about 30 loan projects totalling more than USD 400 million as planned, while promoting the loan projects among the member nations in accordance with the purpose of its cooperation.

Concentrating its assistance on the priority area by more effective method, not increasing its budget, IFAD is adjusting the regional cooperation fully depending on poverty level and thereby continues to develop and strengthen activities for alleviating poverty in the direction of strengthening cooperation with other international organizations in order to increase its additional financial resources.

With the relationship of cooperation between DPRK and IFAD ever more developing, the loan projects in the fields of sericulture and livestock are at final stage of implementation and, recently, the agreement was newly signed on the loan for the Uplands Food Security Project mainly consisting of the potato production.

The IFAD’s loan for our country is encouraging our people in their struggle for removing the aftereffects caused by the natural disasters in successive years and increasing agricultural production.

I would like to avail myself of this opportunity to express thanks, in the name of our delegation, to international organisations including IFAD and member nations’ governments for the assistance to our people.

The credit for all successful activities goes to the skilful leadership and tireless efforts of President Al-Sultan who has led IFAD for many years.

Looking back with emotion upon the proposals made by President Al-Sultan during the last eight years, which were in reflection of common demand and aspirations, and later were agreed amongst member states under the mission and purpose of IFAD, I highly appreciate his efforts for their realization.

I would like to, in the name of our delegation, express thanks to President Al-Sultan for his work for the strengthening and development of IFAD, worldwide poverty decrement and food security in his term.

My thanks also go to all his staff members.

Mr Chairman,

I think it is important to realize man’s aspirations to live in the world free of famine and poverty and to choose correct method in accordance with its situation in the struggle to solve food problem.

The struggle to solve food problem in our country is under way amid overcoming the difficulties caused by the unprecedented drought, high temperature and typhoon followed by the natural disasters in successive years.

Regarding it as a decisive factor in the promotion of people’s livelihood, our Government is directing its great effort to solve food problem by developing agriculture.

In order to settle the food problem, the great leader general Kim Jong II is giving wise leadership to the struggle to increase the agricultural production of our country by having first hand inspection tour to cooperative farms, one after another, and discussing farming affairs with farmers.

With the limited arable land, we are giving priority to the seed improvement while encouraging double cropping with consideration of the etiological condition and expanding potato cultivating areas on the principle of right crop on the right soil at the right time.

Although everything is not enough, we are concentrating on the readjustment of the land, waterway project and reforestation work, which are of great importance in extending the arable land, solving water problem and in providing a favourable environment for farming.

For the diversified agricultural development, we are developing sericulture in the areas where mulberry grows well, whereas constructing fish farms wherever we have water sources and breeding fishes with high productivity and vigorously conducting a movement to increase production of livestock including grass-fed animals.

Even though everything is not enough and food problem is serious yet, our people are convinced that we can overcome all difficulties and raise the agricultural production in our country to normal level.

Mr Chairman,

Throughout the world 1.2 billion of people are suffering from severe poverty and 75% are living in rural areas. This situation requires that we put the decrement of rural poverty as an urgent task and give a strong impetus to it in the new century.

We are convinced that greater successes will be achieved this year in the activities of IFAD, which plays an important role in the work to eliminate the rural poverty and achieve food security in the world.

Our delegation considers that IFAD Work Programme and Budget submitted by the President to this meeting reflected adequately the demand of the member nations and was worked out for more vigorous and efficient development of its work.

We recognize it the most important to direct a great effort to find out financial resources to further strengthen IFAD activities. To this end, it is imperative to take actions in practice to hit the target of the 5^th Replenishment.

The Government of our Republic participated in the fund raising work for the 4^th Replenishment even though its financial condition was serious because of temporary economic difficulties caused by successive natural disasters in recent years.

In the future, too, the DPRK will take active part in the 5^th Replenishment.

The Government will also strive to implement the loan projects according to the agreements with IFAD for the food security in our country achieved and the farming people’s livelihood promoted.

In conclusion, I express my expectation that with sincere and earnest efforts of all participants this meeting will successfully discuss all agenda items and serve to be a turning point in pushing ahead the work of IFAD to a new phase.

Thank you.