Joachim von Braun, Director General of IFPRI, delivers his inaugural address
I also thank my IFPRI staff in Washington and New Delhi, especially Dr. Ashok Gulati, for their efforts in setting up this office. This will not be simply an office, but a vibrant research branch of IFPRI.
Since IFPRI's inception 30 years ago, India and the larger South Asia region have been a focal point of our research. The alliance of the Centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) of which IFPRI is part, along with national agricultural research organizations, played a key role in promoting the Green Revolution in the late 1960s and 1970s. More recently, IFPRI has conducted research, undertaken capacity-strengthening activities, and facilitated policy dialogues in the region in collaboration with ICAR and other members of the IFPRI-facilitated South Asia Initiative. South Asia and India, in particular, will remain a key component of IFPRI's forward-looking agenda for many years to come. And from now on, our commitment to the region will be solidified by our presence here, in close proximity to our partners and colleagues. Besides welcoming you all here to this wonderful new office, I would like to make a few remarks about the context in which IFPRI is opening this facility. This context shapes the issues that we hope to study from this important new hub.
As Mahatma Gandhi has said: "There are seven sins in the world: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, and politics without principle."
I can assure you that IFPRI incorporates character into knowledge, humanity into science, and principle into politics. IFPRI policy research and communication is oriented toward the needs of poor farmers and consumers. Better policy can have a tremendous poverty-reducing impact. Yet policy advice is worthless without the political will and commitment of the national leaders. That is why the support and dedication of the Indian government for our work in this country and throughout the region is particularly valuable.
As you know, the international community has agreed to work together to reduce hunger and poverty by half no later than 2015. But the world is not on track to meet these milestones. If current trends continue, there will still be about 600 million hungry people in 2015, far short of the target of 400 million. Declines in poverty have also been minimal in the past decade-the number of people in the world who live on less than US$1 a day has fallen by only 12 million since 1990. With business as usual, almost a billion people will still live in absolute poverty by 2015. The Millennium Development Goals will not be achieved without a fundamental development paradigm shift.
South Asia is the region of the world with the highest concentration of poverty. Although South Asia is expected to reduce the incidence of poverty substantially by 2015, progress must be accelerated. This will require shaping policy not only to promote economic growth, but also to improve distribution. To achieve more equitable growth, policies to generate employment opportunities, for example, must be accompanied by strengthened and better targeted safety nets for the vulnerable segments of the population.
IFPRI wants to contribute to the efforts of national governments in the region by lending its expertise both in formulating individual policy interventions and in shaping comprehensive strategies for pro-poor growth. Our long-standing research on the issue of targeted safety nets, for instance, has earned IFPRI recognition in policy circles. Also, over the past two years IFPRI has played a key role in contributing to the Hunger Task Force Report for the UN Millennium Project that put forth policy recommendations for achieving the MDG on hunger.
Trade liberalization has the potential to offer tremendous opportunities for South Asia by opening up lucrative new markets, generating foreign exchange, and stimulating the agricultural sector that provides the majority of the world's poor people with their livelihoods. Regrettably, however, international markets remain heavily protected, and developed countries' domestic producers are heavily subsidized. Reducing poverty cannot be accomplished until we assure fair trade between developing and industrialized nations.
To capitalize on the promise of trade liberalization, the developing countries need to create a strong and unified alliance to prevail in the upcoming multilateral trade negotiations. India is playing an important role in building such a coalition of developing countries and tilting the power dynamics in their favor through its strong role in the G-20. A growing role in global fora such as the World Trade Organization is a part of global responsibility that comes with India's size and position in the world. The time has come to shift away from merely coping with the impacts of globalization to actually shaping globalization into a process that is beneficial for the world's poor. Only then will the Doha round of WTO-negotiations truly be a "development round." IFPRI is committed to supporting South Asian countries in their aspiration to shape the appropriate agenda for action rather than responding to the one set by the rich nations.
Increasing public investment in agricultural research and development, infrastructure, health, and education is critical to improving the standard of living for South Asia's poor. The effectiveness of these investments, however, is closely linked to the quality of institutions that accompany them. Currently, there is ample room to strengthen public institutions and governance in most developing countries. The crippling effects of corruption and poor capacity continue to undermine already scarce public resources and hinder efforts to address poverty and hunger throughout the world.
Thus, promoting transparency and accountability, competent public administration, and the rule of law must be at the forefront of development policies. Not only will better governance allow public investments to be more productive, but it will also help optimize their allocation by giving voice to poor people and engaging them in public policy processes. Given its mission to provide developing countries with sustainable policy solutions to end hunger and poverty, IFPRI does not overlook the central role of governance and institutions. Much of our research has revolved around these issues and will continue to do so in the years to come.
We welcome the opportunity to work even more closely with our partners in the region on research that can generate appropriate policy solutions. Cooperation with universities is an important element of that. Because we are engaged in policy research, IFPRI is particularly pleased to open this office in India. India's long-standing tradition of democratic institutions and open debates provides a congenial environment for the pursuit of our common goals and for expanding our activities in South Asia. What we learn here will also be invaluable to our operations in other parts of Asia, as well as in Africa and Latin America. We believe that mutual sharing and learning go a long way toward promoting meaningful globalization. Ultimately, as the Sanskrit saying states, "Vasudhaive Kutumbakam" (the entire Universe is one family), and we must all work together for the common good. Again, I welcome you to the IFPRI New Delhi office, and thank all of the distinguished guests, especially his Excellency the Prime Minister, for joining us today.
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