Partnering with IFAD
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and specialized United Nations agency that invests in rural people, empowering them to improve their food security, nutrition, and incomes.
FAO and IFAD have been collaborating for over 45 years, supporting investment in sustainable agriculture, rural development and agrifood systems, including co-development of investment strategies and knowledge products, as well as implementation of the United Nations Decade of Family Farming 2019-2028.
Global Frameworks
In August 2023, FAO, IFAD, and WFP, known collectively as the Rome-Based Agencies (RBAs), signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a period of five years.
The MoU enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of the agencies’ contribution to food security and nutrition, and in particular, the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2.
The MoU outlines six thematic areas in which the RBAs agree to enhance collaboration: agrifood systems; nutrition; gender equality and women’s empowerment; resilience building; youth; and climate change, environment, and biodiversity.
However, this does not preclude the RBAs from exploring collaboration in other areas of mutual interest where there is a clear comparative advantage and the benefits of collaboration outweigh the costs.
The MoU also states that the RBAs’ collaborative efforts will be underpinned by science and innovation; strong data and analysis; knowledge sharing; awareness raising; and joint resource mobilization, communication, and advocacy.
Memberships
FAO and IFAD are Members of several groups and initiatives at both global and country-level to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Below are a few highlights:
Both organizations are Members of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG), a high-level forum for joint policy formation and decision-making, which guides, supports, tracks and oversees the coordination of development operations in countries and territories across the world.
Since 1974, FAO, IFAD and the World Food Programme (WFP) provide technical support to the Committee on World Food Security, which is the foremost inclusive international and intergovernmental platform for all stakeholders to work together to ensure food security and nutrition for all.
FAO, IFAD, and others, as part of the Oversight Steering Group, steer the strategic work, decision-making, and engagement of the United Nations Food Systems Coordination Hub, which is hosted by FAO on behalf of the UN system.
FAO and IFAD are also Members of UN-Nutrition, whose mission is to coordinate and leverage the response of UN agencies to address malnutrition in all its forms, along with its root causes. UN-Nutrition is universal in scope, working to safeguard the nutrition of all people in all countries.
International Observances
The United Nations designates specific days, weeks, years and decades as occasions to mark particular events or topics in order to promote, through awareness and action, the objectives of the Organization.
FAO and IFAD co-convene the implementation of the UN Decade of Family Farming 2019-2028, which aims to shed new light on what it means to be a family farmer in a rapidly changing world and highlights more than ever before the important role they play in eradicating hunger and shaping our future of food.
In 2026, FAO, together with IFAD and WFP, will facilitate the implementation and observance of
the International Year of the Woman Farmer. The occasion will serve as a platform for the adoption of effective policies and
actions against the barriers and challenges that women farmers face
across agrifood systems, as well as to promote gender equality and the
empowerment of all women in agriculture.
Flagship Reports
FAO and IFAD, together with the World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Health Organization (WHO), jointly produce the annual flagship report on the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI).
The report monitors and analyses the world’s progress towards ending hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition. It also provides in-depth analysis on key challenges for achieving these goals in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Useful Links and Resources
Contacts
Partnerships and UN Collaboration Division (PSU)
[email protected]
FAO Investment Centre
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