40 Years of IFAD-China Cooperation: Celebrating the past, envisioning the future

His Excellency Yu Weiping, Vice Minister of Finance,

Mr. Gilbert Houngbo, President of IFAD, whom I congratulate on his recent election as Director-General of ILO,

Excellencies, colleagues, partners, ladies and gentlemen,

In my role as Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in China, it is a great honour to join you in celebrating this important milestone in the relationship between the Government of China and one of the specialized UN agencies and active member of the UN Country Team in China: the International Fund for Agricultural Development, or IFAD.

As we mark the 40th Anniversary of the cooperation between IFAD and the Government of China, it is only appropriate to look back at China’s economic history and recall the outstanding progress made during the past forty years.

In the early 1980s, China’s GDP was roughly one-third of Sub-Saharan Africa’s. Ninety per cent of China’s rural population was living in poverty, and about one-third of the rural population was undernourished.

Today, China, now the second-largest national economy in the world, has successfully addressed hunger; and eradicated extreme rural poverty.

These would be remarkable achievements in their own right for any country. But the fact that they were accomplished in merely four decades makes them as close to an economic miracle as there ever was.

All along, IFAD was there to accompany China on this remarkable journey.

As a specialized UN agency, IFAD was there to support China in its efforts to address rural poverty and food insecurity, promote inclusive rural development, and realize its development ambitions overall.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This event is not only a moment to celebrate the past. It is also an opportunity to look ahead. To do more. To go beyond and better our societies. That is the spirit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

While it is true that much has been achieved, it is also true that much remains to be done, in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Some remaining challenges include rural-urban income disparities, uneven agribusiness development, and the need to get on a pathway towards inclusive, green and climate-resilient agriculture.

The Government of China is taking action. In 2018, China launched an ambitious rural revitalization campaign to tackle these challenges, and the way ahead, as presented in the 14th Five-Year Plan, holds promise.

And again, IFAD continues to support these efforts: by tirelessly providing its resources, experiences, and technical expertise.

IFAD continues to be a reliable partner of China in addressing poverty, hunger, and inequalities by closing the gaps between rural and urban areas, to leave no one behind.

Currently, IFAD is providing full support to China’s rural revitalization efforts, particularly contributing to the Goals of SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), and SDG 5 (Gender Equality).

But IFAD’s support also goes beyond China’s borders.

In his remarks, IFAD President Mr. Houngbo referred to the biogas digester technologies that were first introduced by IFAD in China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the early 2000s.

Through other IFAD-funded projects, these interventions were later replicated in several African countries. Their impact was profound and widespread.

Such is the power of South-South Cooperation.

In my previous role as the UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya, I have experienced first-hand the impact China can have as a South-South Cooperation partner.

There is much richness of experiences that China can share with other countries of the Global South to support their path toward rural development and poverty eradication.

Our role as the United Nations in China is to facilitate China’s potential to promote – as a responsible global partner – the attainment of the SDGs beyond its national borders. This is one of the fundamental pillars of our current Cooperation Framework with China.

As previous speakers noted, the commitment of the United Nations to China remains, but the forms and modalities of cooperation need to evolve and adjust to the changing context.

In the case of IFAD, the partnership with China now increasingly focuses on strategic engagement and supporting China in contributing to the global development agenda and accelerating the achievement of the SDGs.

As President Xi Jinping has said, "Ensuring food security is always a top issue that concerns national development and people's wellbeing. It is imperative to study and improve food security policies, take production capacity building as a fundamental task, and tap potential of grain production from farmland and technology”.

I have no doubt that IFAD will remain one of China’s strongest and most committed partners.

I wish you successful deliberations.