Excellencies,
Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my great pleasure to see you this morning and to welcome you to IFAD.

This week marks the end of my first term as President of IFAD.    The last four years have seen a transformation in IFAD as well as in the larger development world in which we operate.  And I can assure you that working together, over the next four years, we can make an even bigger impact in the lives of rural women and men.

Indeed, the world in which we operate has changed dramatically. It has been many years now since agriculture was a sleepy backwater. And the concept of smallholder farming as a business is now so widely accepted that it is a common phrase in the development arena. 

Today, with world attention focused on the post-2015 development agenda, the necessity of ensuring that smallholder-centred agricultural development is central to these discussions -- and that it is prioritised by governments, development partners and the private sector -- is all the more crucial.

IFAD’s task is to be prepared, not just for the year ahead but for the challenges and opportunities we see on the horizon. For 2015 is a crucial year.  It is not only the endpoint of the Millennium Development Goals -- it is also the last year of IFAD9 and of our fourth Strategic Framework.

As we look toward IFAD10 -- and the indications are that the current global financial climate may not be less turbulent -- we need to ensure that we are able to adapt to changing times.  At the same time, we must stay true to our mandate and mission, and to the work that we have done, uninterruptedly, for 35 years in rural and agricultural development.

Today, the threats to the lives and livelihoods of the poor rural people we work with are considerable but the opportunities have never been greater.

The threats come from climate change – which is making weather patterns even less predictable, and causing more frequent and extreme weather events – such as flooding and droughts.

They also come from new demand for the land that has provided poor rural people with food, shelter and income for generations. 

And in many areas where IFAD works, people still struggle with issues of insecurity and violence.

The threats are real, but so, too, are the opportunities. Simply stated, agriculture is a growth industry. With the world population expected to pass 9 billion by 2050, demand for food is  guaranteed to rise in the coming years.

Our job is to make it possible for small farmers, and everyone living in rural areas, to realise their potential so that they too can be a part of the supply chain to meet ever-increasing demand.

As we embark on our IFAD9 programme of work, I am happy to be able to report to you that we are thus far on track to meet our commitments.

The investments we have made in recent years in expanded field presence, direct supervision and implementation support, and better policy dialogue has generated  greater commitment to IFAD’s work from our partners in developing countries.

 This is reflected in the fact that, for each of the past four years, domestic contributions to IFAD’s programmes and projects has not only grown steadily; it has also been consistently higher than the amount generated by external co-financing.

We know that we have more work to do.  Change begins at home.  Improving staff morale and conditions is one of my priorities.

Moreover, IFAD is your institution. I want to ensure that we have the active engagement of our Member States.  Ensuring greater communication with our Executive Board, with our Permanent Representatives here in Rome and with your capitals is also priority.

You have my commitment that over the course of IFAD9 we will refine our work in direct supervision and implementation support.

We will continue to improve our business processes and our accountability framework. Here in Rome, and in our country offices, we will strengthen our efficiency, ensuring that money goes directly to where it can make the greatest impact.

And we plan to improve how we assess that impact, so that we can make sure the work we are doing is on the right track.

Our goal of helping to move 80 million people out of poverty is ambitious. Success will depend on our ability to scale-up operations in partnership with other stakeholders including the Rome-based agencies, governments, NGOs and donors.

Of course, IFAD’s involvement in policy dialogue must also continue so that we can ensure that inclusive, sustainable rural development remains part of the national and global development discourse.

All of us at IFAD believe that investing in rural economies is critically important to creating a sustainable future.  And we have made great strides in making the development and the  international community at large take notice that smallholders are part of the solution to the global food security challenge.  

But there is even more we can do in the area of advocacy.  We will step up our efforts to collect and analyse evidence-based knowledge from our experiences in the field.  And we will share these lessons learned and best practices in development, supported by a robust communications strategy. 

 Working together, I know we can transform the rural areas of the developing world into engines of growth.   Most importantly,  we can provide for a better future for the women, children and men whom we serve. 

Thank you.

Rome, 27 March 2013