Serbia joins the membership of the International Fund for Agricultural Development

The Republic of Serbia became a new member of the International Fund for Agricultural Development – IFAD, at the 47th session of the Governing Council of this organization in Rome.

The delegation of the Republic of Serbia was headed by State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Goran Aleksic.

In his address, the head of delegation thanked IFAD President Alvaro Lario, the member states, and all who supported Serbia's membership in this organization. Recalling that Serbia had been active in IFAD as part of Yugoslavia, he pointed out that this was, in a way, a return of the Republic of Serbia to the organization.

Ambassador Aleksic stated that the agricultural sector was the fourth largest sector in Serbia, which is also why the issue of food safety remained one of the country’s primary goals, along with protecting the ecosystem, natural resources and biodiversity.

In accordance with the activities carried out by IFAD, State Secretary Aleksic expressed the hope that membership in this organization would contribute to the promotion of agricultural development in Serbia, primarily through assistance to vulnerable groups in rural areas.

During the session, a meeting was held with the President of IFAD Lario, when mutual satisfaction was expressed over the return of Serbia to the organization as well as the readiness for the participation of the Republic of Serbia in IFAD programs of mutual benefit.