May I, first of all, thank the Italian authorities, especially the President of the Republic, for Italy’s great generosity. May I also, with your permission, salute our sister who is with us here today, the wife of the President of the Republic of Ghana, Mr Rawlings, who is doing so much good for Africa. And may I salute you, the Directors-General, with us here this morning.

Excellency, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Distinguished representative of the Holy See, Members of the Governing Council of IFAD, Directors, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The main reason for my accepting once again the office of Head of the State of Mali is the children, the many children of Mali, so many of whom, as I have said on past occasions, line our roads and tracks to acclaim us, sometimes calling out our names with innocent, confident smiles on their faces. Many of these children have come out on empty stomachs and do not know where the next meal will be coming from. More and more frequently, increasing numbers of these children have left behind parents who, for reasons of dignity alone, refuse to display their poverty for all to see. Ladies and Gentlemen, I have already said that, in my country, in our country, even now, a hungry child is an indication that the father and mother, the parents, have nothing left to give. The home, the symbol of the family, of solidarity and of sharing, often remains in darkness, because there is no money. Seven out of ten Malians survive below the poverty line. More than 70 percent of Malians earn less than one dollar a day. One in every three Malians is denied access to drinking water. One in every three Malians is denied access to health care. Only one Malian in three has the opportunity to attend school. Two out of every three girls do not attend school. Fifty percent of young Malians no longer have the opportunity to go to school - just three years short of the 21st century! Fifty percent of Malians are under 15. Alas, such conditions are not confined to Mali; the situation is similar in many other countries. Our duty is to help these prople improve their situation. And this is why, through the office I hold, I am here as their spokesperson. However, I have not come seeking charity, that, never; I have come to tell you that such a situation, as we approach the third millenium, is not inevitable. Never has the human race created so much wealth, or tried so hard to control nature; but never has the gap in living standards between rural and urban people been so wide. Whilst the most despicable signs of hunger and poverty are no longer common in most regions of the world, it is an established fact that poverty has reached proportions unmatched until now, and that this is calling into question many of our fundamental beliefs.

Ladies and Gentlemen, human beings are losing their divine gift of humanity: their compassion, their sense of responsibility, their dignity. Restoring the macro-economic balance, achieving economic growth and the accumulation of wealth nationwide seems to have had only a limited effect on reducing poverty. Some countries are literally crumbling under the weight of agricultural surpluses, whilst others are unable to ensure that their people have enough to eat. Can we continue to be satisfied with social models where the most humble are denied basic rights simply because they do not fulfil the requirements of effective demand?

Today, I am the spokesperson for millions of young Malians, and the message I have to convey is that world hunger is not inevitable and it is not a production problem; it is essentially a political problem. I am here to ask that they be paid fair prices for their foodstuffs, that our economies and our societies be protected from the consequences of price fluctuations; I am here to denounce the dumping of food products by some rich countries, to denounce the arms race; I am here to say that in the same way as we denounce terrorism, we also wish to express our disapproval of repeated or permanent embargo policies, policies which reduce populations, in particular, children, to dire poverty. The embargos do not reflect the opinion of most UN Member States or of the international community. I am here to denounce the fact that child murderers and criminals who encourage children to become soldiers go unpunished. I am the spokesperson for millions of young Malians when I express considerable scepticism about the large summit meetings that are held to discuss sensitive issues. There may well be some good resolutions contained among the kilos, if not tonnes, of reports produced, and these resolutions may well result in some restructuring and in some skilful political manoeuvering, but is it not true that they also ease the consciences of the organizers and give the impression that things are changing? The fact is that we are repeatedly having to start from square one. There has been no real change. Ladies and Gentlemen, time is running out. The problem is getting worse day by day. Every year, nore than six million children under five die of malnutrition, accounting for 54% of all deaths in this age group.

But, I am also here to thank you, Mr President, Distinguished Governors, on behalf of millions of Malian men and women, for having paid us the honour of invitng us to the ceremonies commemorating the Fund’s twentieth anniversary. I accepted to participate, not for reasons of propriety, but because I have been able to appreciate IFAD’s patient efforts, great ability to listen and modest approach in the field. IFAD is the light at the end of the tunnel. I also agreed to participate because I know that you are capable of fair and frank self-criticism; for our countries’ failure is also a reflection of the failure of cooperation policies. I agreed to participate because I know that you are capable of understanding and assisting the most needy , because I have noted your willingness to be involved in taking concrete measures to combat hunger and poverty and to promote food security in our countries, to bring about a world where every man and woman would be assured the right to a life of dignity, regardless of barriers and frontiers. I also agreed to participate because I feel that IFAD is interested in Africa, believes in Africa, can understand Africa, and because I feel sure that Africa will have an increasingly important role to play and that more and more Africans will become involved in IFAD at all levels, in order to better serve humankind in general, but African men and women in particular.

Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests,

As you know, Mali is a Salehian country battling, at the same time, against the vagaries of the weather and the effects of a world-wide economic recession - a situation made worse by unequal terms of trade within the context of a global international market. In addition to Mali being vulnerable to these imponderables and to its geographical location, its agricultural sector is characterized by a general isolation of potential production areas, relatively undeveloped product and input markets, a shortage of equipment, farmers’ small borrowing capacity and low productivity. Also, despite a rate of agricultural growth that is slightly higher than the population growth rate, a number of obstacles still need to be overcome if the people’s living standards are to improve significantly. At present, almost one third of the State’s investment budget is channelled to agricultural revitalization and modernization. Our objectives for the next five years are: to bring 30,000 hectares fully under management, to provide two our of three farmers with basic farm tools and to revitalize the major livestock cereal sector. To have 30,000 hectares under management; to ensure that two out of three instead of one out of three farmers have a cart and two buffalo! If we can do this within the next five years, then a large part of our food security would be assured.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

However, Mali’s national resources alone are not equal to this task. We also need the support of our partners to ensure sustainability of our potential. Our minimum development objective for the year 2000 is to provide every Malian village with one drinking water point, one school, one community health centre, leisure areas; to set up a micro-credit arrangement - perhaps 20 dollars or 40 dollars - through the savings and credit banks. Believe me, these small banks will enable men and women to borrow, will give them economic initiative, greater responsibility and dignity. We are happy to see that IFAD shares these objectives. It is drawing the lessons from its wide range of operations in Mali and, as part of its new strategy, is steering towards a new type of operation in an attempt to be more effective in the countryside, in the context of the State’s move to decentralize and redefine its services. We understand that this new strategy extends beyond IFAD’s specific mandate, which is to provide support for agricultural development in the poorest regions, and aims at achieving sustainable development, where good relations with beneficiaries, in terms of participation, quick reactions and transparent decision-making, are as important as concrete results.

The Malian Government, which has just finalized its next five-year programme - a programme geared to combating poverty and to good governance - has asked me to assure you that in its partnership with IFAD everything will be done to ensure that conditions in the sahelian region will be such that the Fund will have no difficulty in meeting its objectives.

Finally, I would like to welcome our new member, the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I wish you every success in your work and assure you that the Government of Mali is totally committed to stepping up the fight against hunger and poverty. May I also say once again what I said in 1996 in the same connection on the occasion of our meeting on hunger. May I say that in spite of everything, in spite of all the images and all the propaganda with which we are bombarded nowadays, how optimistic I am about Africa’s future, how confident I am in the new Africa, the Africa which wants no more white elephants; the Africa which refuses to beg, the Africa which is moving forward thanks to micro-projects, thanks to having a school where its own language is spoken, thanks to having wells, a bridge, a track in the countryside, new seeds; the Africa which is moving forward thanks to a successful vaccination campaign, thanks to prescriptions for essential medicines. I am confident in the new Africa, whose salvation lies in its being united, in its managing its differences; in the new Africa where goodwill reigns overall, the new democratic Africa which does not need a supreme saviour. Indeed, it is the Africans who will be their own saviours. Africa is moving forward thanks to the efforts of its young people, its school-children, its students and its migrant workers. No one should imagine that success is possible without the help of others. Neither barriers nor visas will be able to stop us. Our salvation lies in solidarity, in sharing. Such solidarity and such sharing are unequivocal commitments. Human rights concern everyone, regardless of where they come from. Human rights are a question of conscience.

Ladies and Gentlemen, to be a human being, what an opportunity! What a responsibility! But what an honour! Each day we must be worthy of that honour. People must be given every chance; for, thank God, only mankind can save itself. Thank you for your attention.