 It's my great pleasure and honor to invite the Director-General of the International Rice Research Institute and the Executive Chairman of the Steering Committee of the International Rice Congress 2010, Dr. Robert S. Siegler, to give it his welcome remarks. Please join me in welcoming him to the podium. It's excellent to see the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. It's excellent to see the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam. His Excellency, Excellency Quang Pham Phong, Minister of Science and Technology in Vietnam, Dr. Kanayam Wanze, President of the International Fund for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Papa A. Sek, Director-General of the Africa Rice, Dr. E. Ezapehu, representing World Bank President Robert S. Siegler and Carlos Pérez de Castillo, Chair of the Consortium of the CTIR Centers, esteemed Ministers, Ambassadors and National Representatives, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is with great pleasure that I too welcome you to the Third International Rice Conference here in Hanoi, Vietnam. First, thank you to Dr. Kaukamp-Putt for his welcome message. It has truly been a pleasure of working with Marr, not just in the preparation of this IRC, but indeed over many years and decades of collaboration. I would especially like to recognize Dr. Kaukamp-Putt's leadership in the role of Honorary Chair of the IRC Steering Committee, and to thank the very hardworking organizational team led by Vice Minister Rui Ba-Bong and my co-executive chair of the Steering Committee. The Chairman of the IRC, the Organizing Committee, Dr. Thu Phuc Thong, Principal Scientist at Erie Directorate, deserves special recognition for this tireless effort. As do his co-chair, Dr. Nguyen Bong-Bong, President of the Vietnamese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Mr. Marcel Iwal's Managing Director for the IRC Partner of Asia Congress. I would also like to thank Dr. Mike Jackson as the Chair of the Organizing Committee of the 28th International Rice Research Conference, and Dr. Samuel Haunty as the convener of our first international rice policy and investment conference. Finally, a special thanks to our partners from the private sector, Bayer, Sojenta, Kubota, Pioneer, Tulinze, and all of our other sponsors who work hard to make this a success. It's been a great team effort, and the IRC is a very fitting and climatic end to Erie's 50th anniversary celebrations. Our first international rice Congress was held in 2002 in Beijing, China, and our second in 2006 in New Delhi, India, and we're delighted to have arrived at the third IRC here in Hanoi, Vietnam, which is set to be the biggest and hopefully the most successful IRC yet. At last count, IRC 2010 has more than 1,700 registered participants for more than 66 countries, and we are especially happy to know the significant presence of scientists and representatives from Africa who have joined us today. Ladies and gentlemen, as you all know, rice remains of the utmost importance to the developing world, especially in Asia, but increasingly in Latin America and Africa, where rice is now the fastest growing food statement. More than 3.5 billion people depend on rice for more than 20 percent of their daily calories, and more than 1 billion people depend on rice cultivation for their livelihoods. Changes in rice availability and increases in rice prices affect the poorest and most vulnerable people and can have devastating effects. The World Bank estimates that an additional 100 million people were pushed into poverty as a result of the 2008 rice price crisis. Projected demands for rice will outstrip supply in the near to medium term unless something is done to reverse current trends of slow productivity growth and inefficient, often unsustainable management of natural resources. This challenge is particularly grave and we consider the impact of climate change. The rice research is the single largest documented source of agricultural research benefits in the developing world. By the late 1990s, Asian annual gains from adoption of modern varieties of rice and associated technologies, largely through the efforts of national systems, were 10.8 billion dollars, or nearly 150 times to provide the annual investments in rice research by Erie and national systems. Other analyses have shown that productivity growth for rice has more than double the global poverty reduction potential of any other agricultural product. By increasing rice productivity has impacts that extend far beyond the single field and the humble rice bowl. The increased income and baseline security in a farm family experiences allow them to expand their economic activity beyond the farm. Ladies and gentlemen, there is no better example than Vietnam of how a vibrant rice sector conserved the engine of growth for an agrarian society. I ask all of you to remember the state of Vietnam's economy in the early 1980s when the government decided that the way for the country to develop was to first build from their strengths. Rice cultivation was number one on their list. Over the last 30 years, Vietnam has been completely transformed and this transformation simply could not have occurred without the rice cultivation revolution. So it is with much optimism that we face the future and hope that our combined rice science efforts continue to make the difference in people's lives. We are delighted to have you here at the IRC to share your science, your ideas, and solutions to major challenges and for you to learn from others from across the globe and in the rice industry. Through this interaction, we hope that together we can advance rice science and its application to reduce poverty and hunger, improve human health and nutrition, and create a better environment for all. Our program for IRC 2010 bodies are the theme, rice for future generations. It incorporates the 26th International Rice Research Conference, which is the heart of the IRC 2010, where hundreds of the world's top rice scientists will discuss the latest scientific breakthroughs. This year, we introduced the Rice Policy Investment Conference to the IRC program to highlight the importance of sound policy and wise investments for future global food security. The third international rice technology and cultural exposition will feature latest technologies, equipment, and machinery for rice farming, processing, research, and development. Finally, the third ministerial roundtable meeting on rice features an impressive lineup of ministers and their representatives from around Asia. The meeting's main agenda item will be the recent report from an international task force never an empty bowl sustaining food security in Asia. We hope that these events, amidst the myriad of other activities available here at IRC, will provide engaging and interesting sessions that you can take part in and contribute to. IRC 2010 is especially important to Geary, given that 2010 also landmarks our 50th anniversary. Together with our partners, I am also very pleased to announce that tomorrow we will formally launch the Global Rice Science Partnership, our response to improve international coordination of rice research and its delivery and impact and ensure they reach those who need the most. I am particularly pleased that Dr. Papasek from Africa Rice, the Premier Rice Research Institute in Africa, is present, leading the delegation of scientists from that great continent. Africa Rice participation has been essential to make sure that Global Rice Science Partnership moved from ideas into reality. And partnerships have always been at the heart of successful rice science and there are hundreds of research and extension agencies and organizations that support them across the world and many are represented here thanks to your participation. Each of you will bring with you important expertise to share with others during your time at IRC and we hope to take this opportunity to further build relationships and foster collaboration. Our host, Vietnam, has been a vital partner in ensuring the success of IRC 2010 and one example of a project and what it did in IRC 2010 is only one example of a project we have worked together on. Since 1963, here in Vietnam have been partners in a wide range of collaboration in the exchange of rice breeding materials, rice reliable development, resource management, and capacity building. Vietnam's adoption and adaptation of rice technologies has helped it become a major rice export and the country is an example of how rice science can benefit a nation and its people. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Vietnam and all other rice producing countries who are similarly, similarly important partners for IRC. IRC 2010 will play a role in developing these relationships and sharing technological advances and finding solutions to the challenges rice farmers face. I hope IRC 2010 helps all participants do more and better work in these areas. Finally, I would like to wish our hosts in Hanoi and its residents all the best in celebrating Hanoi's 1,000th anniversary. Hanoi, as you know, is located in the heart of rice production in the Red River Valley, Red River Delta, and Northern Vietnam. We have enjoyed working with officials here in Hanoi to develop IRC 2010 and we hope the event contributes to the global recognition of this beautiful and rich historical city. We hope Hanoi's future is bright and prosperous and we wish all of you the best to enjoy its celebrations. We also hope IRC participants can take some time to see Hanoi, learn its history, see its landmarks, and meet its people. It will enrich your stay here. So once again, welcome to the 3rd International Rice Congress. I wish you all a productive and fruitful stay. Thank you very much.