President Xi Jinping of China thanks IFAD, FAO and WFP for their support during COVID-19 outbreak

3 March 2020, Rome - President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China has expressed his thanks to IFAD, FAO and WFP in response to their pledge of support to his country as they face the COVID-19 outbreak.

In a letter addressed to the leaders of the three Rome-based UN agencies – President Gilbert Houngbo of IFAD, Director-General Qu Dongyu of FAO and Executive Director David Beasley of WFP – President Xi expressed his gratitude to all three agencies for their “staunch support for China at this critical moment of fighting the novel coronavirus disease.”

“Such support fully attests to your deep friendship towards the Chinese people,” he continued.

President Xi’s message is in response to the three agencies’ joint pledge to provide “immediate support” to the Government of China and its people as they work to contain and mitigate the impacts of COVID-19.

In a letter addressed to President Xi, the three agencies had jointly praised “the unprecedented efforts of relevant Chinese authorities and the resilience of the Chinese people.” All three agencies committed to assist the Government of China with agriculture-based assessments on the impact of COVID-19, as well as with “anticipatory action to safeguard the livelihoods of at-risk or affected rural communities.”

IFAD further pledged to build upon its 40-year partnership with the Government of China to continue its inclusive support of China’s rural population as an integral part of the country’s revitalization strategy.

Since 1981, IFAD has worked closely with the Government of China in its efforts to eradicate rural poverty. China’s reform-driven economic growth and a comprehensive national poverty reduction programme have together delivered impressive results. China was the first developing country to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of a 50 per cent reduction in extreme poverty and hunger and is at the forefront of tackling the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.