Your Excellency;
Minister;
Colleagues;
Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is a great honour for me to open this week’s celebration of 25 years of effective partnership through the Joint Programme between the Belgian Survival Fund and IFAD.

The goal of the Joint Programme remains as it was 25 years ago, that is to enable poor rural women and men in developing countries to achieve a better standard of living through higher incomes, ownership of natural resources, improved food security, and better health and education.

For 25 years, the BSF and IFAD have worked, through the Joint Programme, to combat hunger, malnutrition and underdevelopment in the most vulnerable countries in sub-Saharan Africa. We have done so recognising that sustainable economic development in poor rural areas cannot be achieved without simultaneously addressing the social conditions of the local people, such as household nutrition, health, water and sanitation, education and capacity building.

Consequently, the Joint Programme provides BSF grants for these socio-economic sectors. It attaches them to IFAD loans that support the productive sectors in same rural areas, thus bringing together the complementary expertise of both organisations.

So, for example, BSF grants may provide drinking water to a village or set up a medical dispensary to tackle malaria and HIV/AIDS, which in turn help local people feel more secure and in a better condition to benefit from economic support measures funded by IFAD loans.

This interaction between social and economic strategies creates a virtuous cycle, as more productive individuals and households become better able to invest of their own accord in improving their health, schooling and social networks, especially if these services have already been made more available and more accessible.

Fundamental to the Joint Programme’s approach is a recognition that the primary need of poor rural people is to be able to build their own knowledge, skills and organizations, and so allow them to lead their own development and influence the decisions and policies that affect their lives. Projects are developed with household food and nutritional security as their main elements, starting with improved ownership of natural resources.

Based on this and looking to the future, I should like to outline what will be key components in all future Joint Programme projects:

• First, all projects will include a component on land and water (both for drinking and irrigation), with the objective of achieving more sustainable management through real ownership of these resources and greater involvement of civil society.
• Second, attention will continue to be given to strengthening the capacity and accountability of local authorities and civil society.
• Third, cross-cutting issues, such as gender, environment, HIV/AIDS, and climate change, will be included at all stages, from formulation to implementation and monitoring and evaluation.
• Fourth, where the government of the partner country requests it, the Joint Programme will continue to support the health and education sectors, mainly by working in certain food-insecure districts and regions where the most vulnerable people live.
• And finally, where appropriate and consistent with IFAD-supported loans, future projects will pilot improved technologies that boost crop and livestock production; rural financial services that help people to save money or acquire a loan to start small businesses; or skills training to enable rural people to enhance their livelihood options and raise their income.

Our combined interventions in the socio-economic and productive sectors have enabled the Joint Programme to bring additional and sustained benefits to the communities with which we work.  To capitalize on the achievements of the Joint Programme, we have embarked on a new path to expand the programme and to initiate new programmes in other vulnerable countries.

As part of this strategy, IFAD will invite new partners – both public and private donors – to recognize the value of the Joint Programme’s inter-sectoral, multi-dimensional engagements and become contributors in the expanded phase.

Mr. Ambassador, I should like to take this opportunity to thank the Belgian Government for its invaluable and steadfast support to IFAD over the years, through its growing replenishment, its supplementary funds and its complementary contribution through the BSF.  As the founding partner, it is appropriate that Belgium’s role should continue to be recognised over the next ten years under the new 3rd BSF.

On that note, I hereby declare the week of celebrations for the 25 years of IFAD/BSF partnership open and wish, especially our guests from Africa, successful discussions and deliberations.

Thank you.

28 September 2009, Rome, Italy