Your Excellencies, distinguished delegates of the FAO members countries of the Asia-Pacific region, Dr. Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the FAO, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, I wish to extend to you my warmest welcome on the opening of the 30th FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific. I also welcome all of you to our ancient capital of Gyeongju, a city whose history goes back more than two thousand years.

I applaud the excellent work done by the organizing committee and the FAO Secretariat. I wish to thank all those who worked so hard to prepare for this important meeting.

The Republic of Korea hosted the 8th Regional Conference back in 1966 in Seoul. At that time, Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. It suffered from the chronic lack of food; Korea had to rely on the FAO and our friends around the world for food assistance and agricultural training.

Forty years have gone by and today, I am proud to say that through hard work and the launching of the green revolution, we have eradicated hunger and have attained food security.

Furthermore, we have transformed our country to become an industrialized nation from an agricultural one; and now, the 21st century will be one that is driven by information technology and the knowledge based economy. The new era will also be a green growth era.

We have certainly come a long way in forty years.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Eradicating hunger and attaining food and energy security is a global challenge. It is a moral challenge.

I know you discussed food security during yesterday’s high-level session. Food security is a basic human right that is directly related to our very survival. 16% of humankind suffers from chronic hunger; a child is dying of hunger every six seconds. This is unacceptable.

Since its founding in 1945, the FAO has been striving to guarantee this basic human right for all humankind. It has pledged to work “for a world without hunger.” And it has certainly done a remarkable and admirable job.

In 1996 during the World Summit on Food Security, the world adopted the Rome Declaration, promising to reduce the number of undernourished people to half their present level no later than 2015. This year, the food situation has improved slightly but unfortunately, the number of people who suffer from hunger as of last year has now reached nearly one billion.

Despite the increase in agricultural output and productivity, climate change and increase in natural disasters have worsened instability in food production and distribution. Urbanization has led to the decrease of land for agriculture. The rapid increase in global population and the increasing use of crops for biofuel are all placing burdens on the food situation. Furthermore, the international movement of food stuffs and products are being restricted which leads to higher prices. The global financial crisis has also threatened global food security.

As such, hunger has many reasons, including structural ones. It is a multifaceted issue requiring multiple approaches. However, we find hope in Asian countries that have been successful in overcoming these challenges. This is a source of hope.

In order for us to eradicate hunger and attain food security, we must first of all achieve higher productivity in food production. We must seek production models that are best suited to individual countries’ needs. This in turn will also help many resolve the issue of violence and internal strife; it will help in peacefully resolving conflicts.

Advanced states must also be willing to provide and further expand humanitarian and development assistance.

Last July the international community adopted the “L’Aquila Food Security Initiative” and we must continue to do our best to implement this very important agreement. In this light, we must do our part to contribute to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme.

Ladies and gentlemen,

As a country that knows what it is like to suffer from hunger and as a country that has been fortunate to overcome it, we wish to share our experiences with our friends around the world. We hope we can do a small part in eradicating hunger from our planet.

Korea will continue to provide food assistance and we will also expand our assistance in the field of infrastructure that will lead to increased productivity and output. Our efforts will also be focused on developing models that are suitable to each country.

And when Korea hosts the G20 this coming November, we will do our best to seek common prosperity for all, both the advanced and the developing countries. The world must work together, seek common goals and strive for common prosperity. We must work towards a Fair World that promotes cooperation and harmony.

In order for all of our efforts to succeed, ensuring sound global governance of recipient countries is also a challenge that must be addressed. Aid must be used wisely and effectively. When these two are combined, we will come closer to achieving our collective goal.

Distinguished guests,

Global climate change poses grave risks to our effort to attain food security. Arable land is shrinking and water is scarce. Increasing frequency of natural disasters is reducing productivity. Now, we must come up with viable ways to ensure the protection of our environment while at the same time attain sustainable development.

Our answer to this question is our Low Carbon Green Growth vision. This is our Green New Deal. It is our way to overcome the divide between humans and nature. This will allow us to overcome both anthropocentrism and eco fascism.

Green industries and green technologies can and will help us deal with the effects of climate change while reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. This year, Korea was the first country in the world to adopt a Basic Law on Green Growth. We aim to invest 2% of our GDP every year from 2009 until 2013 in areas of green growth.

And for our green growth vision to be sustainable, global partnership is vital. This becomes evident because when it comes to climate change and the environment, no country is left unaffected. Therefore, global cooperation is a must.

For this, Korea launched the Global Green Growth Institute known as GGGI last June. This institution will come up with innovative policies and creative technological solutions and we will share these with the world.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Many agree that the importance and influence of the Asia-Pacific region is growing by the day. Korea will always remain a close partner and a true friend. We will continue to work together towards promoting regional cooperation, common prosperity and friendship.

I hope that this year’s regional conference of the FAO will facilitate such friendship and partnership. There are lots we must do.

You have come to Korea at its best. Do enjoy the wonderful nature and the warm hospitality of the Korean people. Once again, congratulations and I wish you the best of luck.

Thank you.