IFAD 11/07

IFAD President to Address Newsmakers Breakfast

OTTAWA 16 October 2007 - Lennart Båge, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), will be in Ottawa on October 22 to meet senior government officials. He will participate in the Canadian launch of the World Bank’s 2008 World Development Report (WDR).  The report, whose theme is ‘Agriculture for Development', focuses on strategies for agricultural growth to reduce poverty. IFAD, is an international financial institution and a specialized agency of the United Nations, works with governments to develop and finance projects and programs that enable rural poor people to overcome poverty, mainly through low-interest loans and grants.

Extensive consultations were held as part of preparing the report, including with IFAD, which assisted in financing its publication. A civil society consultation was held in Toronto in January this year where the need for an increased focus on marginalized groups was raised, as well as for strategies for key issues such as climate change, natural disaster and political stability. A near-final version is available but it is not for quotation or citation.  Journalists please note that the final WDR report will be embargoed until noon, Friday, October 19. See: More about the report.

Båge will discuss how enhanced agricultural production can spur economic growth and reduce poverty - and how IFAD can work with development organizations in Canada to advance this strategy. Media representatives are invited to attend the Newsmakers Breakfast, and one-on-one interviews with Båge can be arranged for the period immediately following the event.

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IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries. Through low-interest loans and grants, IFAD develops and finances programmes and projects that enable poor rural people to overcome poverty themselves. There are 191 ongoing IFAD-supported rural poverty eradication programmes and projects, worth a total of US$6.6 billion. IFAD has invested US$3.1 billion, with cofinancing provided by partners including governments, project participants, multilateral and bilateral donors. These initiatives will help about 82 million poor rural women and men to achieve better lives for themselves and their families. Since starting operations in 1978, IFAD has invested US$9.8 billion in 751 programmes and projects that have reached more than 310 million poor rural women and men. Governments and other financing sources in recipient countries, including project participants, contributed US$9.2 billion, and multilateral, bilateral and other donors provided another US$7.2 billion in cofinancing.