Remarks at the Plaque Unveiling Ceremony for AVRDC, the World Vegetable Center
Chen Shui-bian
President
Republic of China (Taiwan)
April 14, 2008
Chair of the Board Sun, Secretary General Chen, Tainan Magistrate Su, Minister of Foreign Affairs Huang, Honorable Directors of AVRDC, Director-General Keatinge, Director-General Lumpkin, Esteemed AVRDC Colleagues:
Good morning!
It is a great honor to be invited to attend the plaque unveiling ceremony for AVRDC, the World Vegetable Center. When this institution was founded in 1971, it was called the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center. Its mandate was to research, develop, and improve tropical vegetable crops, so as to assist East Asian countries in enhancing the nutritional levels of their people's diets. AVRDC's efforts over the past three decades have brought its operations to regions outside of Asia, and established the center's reputation and status worldwide in the field of vegetable research.
Since its founding, AVRDC has formed a mutually beneficial and cooperative partnership with its host country, Taiwan. The center has contributed greatly to the enhancement of this nation's standards for agricultural technology R&D. In the process, it has boosted our own agricultural development, and added value to domestically grown agricultural products. As an active member of the international community, Taiwan has the responsibility to share its development experiences with others, especially developing nations. That is why agricultural cooperation has become an important part of our government's foreign aid policies. The humanitarian concerns demonstrated by our policies were also the driving force behind the creation of AVRDC decades ago.
Over the years, Taiwan's agricultural missions overseas have worked with AVRDC on numerous occasions in providing assistance to developing countries. In addition, cooperation between Taiwan's agricultural institutions and AVRDC has yielded many remarkable results. We are gratified by and thankful for these achievements. The existence of AVRDC is a precious asset both to Taiwan and the world community, and we earnestly look forward to further strengthening the constructive partnership between AVRDC and Taiwan.
In recent years, the eradication of poverty has become one of the chief goals of the international community. To achieve this goal, both the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization continue to highlight the importance of research on the development of vegetables. In response, AVRDC presented a farsighted plan entitled "Rebirth" to the Taiwan government, detailing how the center may further expand its operations internationally and pragmatically in order to help people in need worldwide.
We wholeheartedly advocate this proposal for reaching out to all poor and needy peoples. Therefore, since 2006, our government has raised its donations to AVRDC in support of its global endeavors and promotion of international cooperation schemes. The latter includes the Global Horticulture Initiative, which aims to establish a global network for the research and development of tropical vegetables and fruits.
Meanwhile, we are pleased to see that AVRDC has not only successfully achieved breakthroughs in agricultural production by combining traditional and cutting-edge agricultural technologies, but also has shared these advancements with farmers around the world. This reflects the objectives of the New Agriculture Movement of our government—to spur sustainable agriculture by bolstering the research and development of agricultural technologies and adopting more efficient management methods.
As you know, AVRDC has set up a regional center in Africa and an office in Central America. Its operations have extended to Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, and Oceania. Through the establishment of these regional cooperation networks, AVRDC has increased the varieties of vegetables grown as well as improved their cultivation and management in many countries, thereby benefiting several developing countries. Its hard work has inspired numerous international agricultural institutions to focus on the research and development of vegetables and has drawn individuals from across the world to support the AVRDC. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the leaders and staff members of AVRDC on their hard-won achievements.
I also want to express my congratulations to Dr. Keatinge on assuming the director-generalship of AVRDC. I am confident that, under Dr. Keatinge's leadership, the center will successfully realize its aim to benefit nations across the globe. On behalf of the host country, Taiwan, I would also like to pay tribute to the outstanding contributions of the former director-general, Dr. Lumpkin, toward transforming AVRDC into one of the most prestigious agricultural research institutions in the world.
In closing, I would like to wish the board of directors meeting great success, and our distinguished guests good health and happiness. Thank you.