Mr Chairman,
Mr President,
Esteemed Delegates,

Allow me, first of all, to congratulate you on your election as the Chairman of the session and to express my belief that this meeting, under your able chairmanship, would bring a good success.

On behalf of the DPRK delegation, I would like to express thanks to the IFAD and the Italian Government for sincere efforts to ensure this session a success.

Today we are proudly looking back upon the successes achieved in the IFAD's activities for assisting the developing countries in financing their agricultural sector last year that is the first one of the 21st century.

Last year the IFAD approved its loans amounting to about 4 hundred millions USD as planed, while ensuring smooth progress in the implementation of ongoing loan projects, and thus actively expediting the rural development and poverty alleviation in member countries.

The IFAD is concentrating its assistance on the sectors and regions of priority in the more effective method without increase of its administrative budget while activating its activities for the poverty alleviation in the direction of enhancing collaboration with the other international organizations.

In my country, in the process of the deep relations of cooperation between our country and the IFAD, the Sericulture Development Project and the Crop and Livestock Rehabilitation Project financed by the IFAD are being successfully implemented at the final stage, thus contributing to the rural development and the improvement of the farmers' life, and the Upland Food Security Project was initiated last year.

The IFAD's loans to my country encourage our people to strive for removing after-effects of natural disasters continued for last several years and increasing agricultural production.

I would like to take this opportunity to express, in the name of our delegation, my sincere thanks to the international organizations including the IFAD and member state governments for having given assistance to our people in their struggle for overcoming difficulties and solving food problem.

Mr Chairman,

What we deem important is to strive actively for the food security in fulfilment of alleviation of the worldwide poverty, which is a historic task common to humankind, for all member state governments.

In order to increase the agricultural production, my government has been taking various important measures to increase the state investments in the agriculture and to boost production.

Important measures we have taken include giving priority to the seed revolution, improving methods of crop cultivation on the principals of right crop in right time and right crop on right soil, increasing two-crops farming and potato farming and paying attention to respect the farmer's intention in all farming work.

The validity of our government's policy has already been proved in practice in making a radical advance in agriculture.

In recent years, progress is being made in the work of strengthening the material and technical base of the agricultural production, for which the investments of the state are increasing, including the land realignments on province -by - province basis and big projects for construction of waterway.

General KIM JONG IL, the great leader of our people leads our people's struggle for the economic construction energetically and thus a new turning point is being brought in the agricultural production.

The further progress will be made by our people in their struggle to overcome difficulties and increase the agricultural production thanks to the firm unity between the leader and people and the self-style economic system to suit our own situation and the fruitful results will also be produced in the support of the international organizations to my country.

Mr Chairman,

We are convinced that the IFAD's aid activities for assisting the developing countries will, this year, be carried out on the higher level in accordance with its ideal and purpose.

Our delegation considers that this year's work program and budget submitted by the President to this session has been formulated to activate the IFAD's aid activities more effectively in reflection of the demand of member state and therefore DPRK delegation fully supports them.

For the purpose of further strengthening the IFAD's mandate, we recognise it important that all the member countries' governments pay attention to mobilising financial resources and take substantial measures for the achievement of goal of the 5th Replenishment pledged already by us.

My Government will actively endeavour to develop cooperation with IFAD through our sincere participation continuously in the IFAD's work including fund raising as well as successful implementation of the loan agreements concluded between the IFAD and us.

In conclusion, I express my expectation that, with efforts of all participants, this session will bring about good success.

Thank you.