The Executive Board of the World Food Program (WFP) held its first regular session of 2023 on Feb. 27 local time. Ambassador Guang Defu, Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome, attended the opening ceremony and delivered remarks via video link. 

At the outset, Ambassador Guang expressed deep grief for the victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria and offered sincere condolences to the bereaved families and the injured. He said China has provided emergency humanitarian aid to the two countries and will work with the international community to actively support people of both countries and help them overcome the disaster and rebuild their homelands as soon as possible.

Ambassador Guang emphasized that in the past year, China has resolutely safeguarded food security and prevented the re-emergence of large-scale poverty. It has unremittingly prioritized work relating to agriculture, rural areas and the rural population. It has also comprehensively promoted rural revitalization and has accelerated the modernization of agriculture and rural areas. In 2022, China enjoyed the 19th consecutive year of bumper harvests, and ensured the supply of key agricultural products for 1.4 billion Chinese people. Meanwhile, China has actively participated in global humanitarian operations and has supported developing countries in solving problems such as hunger and poverty through development.

In conclusion, Ambassador Guang said natural disasters, turmoil and conflicts, along with other negative impacts caused by human activities, have posed severe challenges to the international community, with humanitarian crises at an unprecedented scale. China highly values its relationship with WFP and is ready to carry out more practical cooperation with WFP at multiple levels in various fields. China is ready to work with all WFP members to support global humanitarian operations, fully realize the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and spare no effort in building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Counsellor Li Bo, Deputy Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome, attended the opening ceremony in person.