48th Session of the Governing Council of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) was held in Rome
Under the theme “Catalysing Investment at the First Mile”, the opening day featured participation by King Letsie III of Lesotho, President Julius Maada Wonie Bio of Sierra Leone, Noora Sulaiman Salem Al Fassam, Kuwait’s Minister of Finance and State Minister for Economic Affairs and Investments, Hussein Bashe, Minister of Agriculture of the United Republic of Tanzania, Muhammad Al Jasser, President of the Islamic Development Bank, and Janja Lula da Silva, First Lady of Brazil.
In his opening address, IFAD President Alvaro Lario emphasized that IFAD, with its 180 member countries, serves as a universal home, highlighting the importance of building resilient rural communities. He noted that many global challenges stem from inequality, social instability leads to conflicts and forced migration, and investing in rural economies is a crucial step toward achieving global development goals.
Other speakers highlighted that global hunger is exacerbated by conflict, climate change, and economic instability, with over 2 billion people lacking regular access to safe and sufficient food, and projections suggesting that by 2030, more than 600 million people may face hunger. They stressed the necessity of climate-resilient agricultural investments, noting that the situation is particularly critical in Africa, and called for urgent joint action.
The speakers also shared information on national agricultural initiatives and action plans, praising and supporting the Global Alliance on Hunger and Poverty launched under the G20 presidency, which currently has 150 members.
On 13 February, a roundtable on “Designing and delivering for impact in an increasingly complex context” was held. Participants discussed IFAD’s critical role in addressing the interconnected challenges of climate change, natural disasters, conflicts, forced migration, financial volatility, debt stress, and recurrent emergencies, sharing perspectives on strategies for greater impact in complex global contexts.
On the same day, Rome-based agencies – FAO, IFAD, and WFP – presented the 2024 RBA Excellence Award, recognizing country-level transformative collaborations that advance food security, sustainability, and rural development.
The session also featured a dialogue on South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC), emphasizing the need for multilateral commitments to fully leverage SSTC for scaling up partnerships and accelerating progress toward SDGs. IFAD’s President highlighted SSTC’s strategic role in complementing and enhancing development cooperation for greater impact. Discussions included expanding SSTC opportunities, lessons learned from past experiences, and strategies to strengthen partnerships for maximum development outcomes.
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