IFAD head urges Seoul's more aid for developing nations

By Byun Duk-kun SEOUL, July 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea needs to increase its support for developing countries since it is one of the best examples of economic and agricultural development, the head of the United Nations agricultural fund said Friday. "Only 50 years ago, this country was struggling and hunger and poverty were widespread," said Kanayo Nwanze, president of the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), at a press conference in Seoul, where he earlier met with the country's Agricultural Minister Suh Kyu-yong. "Today Korea is a contributor. Korea is the first country to make the transition from a recipient of (U.N.) Official Development Assistance to a donor." He also said the country had the potential to play a major role in representing the voice of the South or developing countries. Nwanze said South Korea's assistance was especially important in Asia where he said "food security" is essential. Globally, he said, assistance for small, family-run farms is needed as some 2 billion people, or about 80 percent of the population of developing countries, currently depend on the world's 500 million small farms for food. He also said the role of such small farms will be "pivotal" in fighting climate change in the future. About his meeting with the South Korean minister earlier Friday, Nwanze said the two discussed ways to increase South Korea's support for other Asian countries, as well as African nations hit by recent droughts such as Ethiopia, for which South Korean President Lee Myung-bak agreed to increase his country's support during his recent trip there. Nwanze said his agency's assistance, as well as that of governments and other international institutions, should focus on long-term solutions because natural disasters such as droughts will only become more frequent because of climate change, and that the impact of such catastrophes "is highly dependent on how well countries are prepared." When asked about the IFAD's support for North Korea, Nwanze said the agency had provided US$69 million in loans to the impoverished country up until 2009 when it had to suspend any further activities because of Pyongyang's failure to make payments on its loans. But unlike in the past, even if the North is able to resume payments, the IFAD will not provide any assistance to the North unless the latter signs "legally binding documents" that will allow the IFAD to monitor the implementation of its development loans. "The IFAD's new business model is one which compels us to supervise projects that we support. Should we, therefore, at any point in the future resume activities in North Korea, we will employ the same measures. Otherwise we will not provide resources," he said.