RC address to the DPRK delegation visiting from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Pyongyang

SPECIAL REMARKS BY THE UN RESIDENT COORDINATOR IN THE DPRK

[As delivered]

Mr. Ri Nam Song, Permanent Representative of the Mission of the DPRK to ESCAP,

Professor Abdul Salam, Dean of the School of Environment, Resources and Development at the Asia Institute of Technology,

Mr. Pae Song Nam, Director of the Agro-Information Research Institute at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 

All members of the DPRK delegation,

UN colleagues,

Good evening. 

My name is Joe Colombano, I am the UN Resident Coordinator in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. I am delighted to join you tonight at the farewell session concluding this study visit and training program.

Allow me to start by thanking our hosts, the Asia Institute of Technology and its Dean, Professor Abdul Salam, along with our FAO colleagues, represented here by my friend Sheikh Ahaduzzaman, the Deputy Representative of FAO to the DPRK.

But perhaps most importantly, I wish to convey my deep gratitude to our guests, the delegation from the Academy of the Agricultural Sciences of the DPRK. 

Thank you, Mr. Pae Song Nam.

Thank you, Mr. Pak Won Sik.

Thank you, Mr. Kim Chol Gyu.

Thank you, Mr. Pak Chun Hun.

Let me explain why I chose to thank each of you personally. Usually, salutations and thanks are performative parts of any speech. But not tonight. Tonight, they take on a deeper meaning. Because tonight you are here in person, and we can meet face-to-face.

You see, my title reads Resident Coordinator in the DPRK. But I am a resident of Bangkok, Thailand, and I have never been to the DPRK. The same is true for all my colleagues in the UN Country Team in the DPRK. It’s been five years since we were last in Pyongyang.

So having you here in person, meeting you face-to-face is a privilege and a rare opportunity for which I am grateful.

As a representative of the United Nations, especially at this specific juncture of the geopolitical landscape, my main message tonight is that multilateralism needs exchanges such as the one we have had in the past two weeks. Multilateralism needs direct dialogue. Multilateralism dies in isolation.

So, I commend you for supporting the United Nations and multilateralism by being here and joining the program that concludes today.

Over the past two weeks, you have not only gained knowledge but also built bridges across cultures and disciplines. 

Whether it was the site visits, or the discussions and the brainstorming sessions, each moment added depth to our shared experience. To understand who we are, where we come from, and how we can work together, for the DPRK and its people. 

This program has shown what can be achieved when national priorities meet international collaboration. This is the true function of multilateralism. By working alongside each other, we can enhance resilience, pursue sustainable agriculture, and fulfil the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals. 

As you return to Pyongyang in the coming days, you will carry forward the knowledge and expertise you have gained in these past two weeks. I ask that, with that, you also bring home our call for a renewed and reinvigorated partnership between the UN and DPRK, one based on trust and mutual respect, in line with international norms and standards, and in pursuit of our shared objectives.

As we continue to look forward to returning to Pyongyang, these are both our motivations and ambitions.

So, here’s to new knowledge and deeper partnerships! 

Thank you and I’ll see you in Pyongyang.

**END**