Rome, 28 November 2011 – Global leaders attending the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF-4) on 29 November–1 December in Busan, Korea, will review and assess progress made in the implementation of the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness and determine how global development efforts can be accelerated over the next couple of years.

Yukiko Omura, Vice-President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) said: “There are some concrete examples of progress made since the Paris Declaration in 2005 in terms of country ownership and, in particular for IFAD, the use of country systems. However, there is still a long way to go in enhancing the alignment of aid programmes with the priorities of aid recipients, and in developing effective partnerships.”

“If we want to use aid more efficiently and meet the global poverty reduction targets, scaling up to impact more people must be a broadly supported concept. Developing country governments, donors and development organisations must commit themselves to include the scaling up objective and practice into their own planning, implementation, evaluation and accountability mechanisms,” emphasised Omura who is heading the IFAD delegation to the Busan HLF-4. She added that with the right technical and financial support, development interventions can be scaled up successfully.

In Busan, IFAD will call for a global partnership for agriculture development between civil society, governments, donors and private sector. The Fund will show how aid efficiency can be scaled up by sharing its own proven rural development solutions. A good example of a project which has been scaled up to make a real and lasting difference in the lives of millions of people, is in the highlands of Peru. The basic principles of the projects’ demand-driven approach have been incorporated by one of Peru’s largest national development programmes. Also, some of the innovative features are being taken up by Peru’s Ministry of Transport; the World Bank in a new project in the southern Sierra; and by European Union-financed projects in Guatemala and Chile.

Country ownership is at the heart of effective aid for agriculture and rural development. It is a process that allows governments, civil society and the private sector to participate in all aspects of rural development, including the creation, implementation and monitoring of national development strategies, programmes and projects.

”Developing countries themselves need to be active partners in leading their own development,” Omura said.

IFAD is undergoing an ambitious reform process to improve the quality, relevance and effectiveness of its work. IFAD is committed to a vigorous scaling up agenda for the next five years. The key areas of focus, include among others: sustainable agricultural intensification; increased smallholder integration in markets and value-chains; capacity building; and engagement and empowerment of rural youth, particularly women, throughout the agricultural value chain.

Notes to editors

The Paris Declaration, 2 March 2005, is an international agreement endorsed by over one hundred ministers, heads of agencies and other senior officials to continue to increase efforts in harmonization, alignment and managing aid for results with a set of monitorable actions and indicators.

The Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness is being held at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Centre (BEXCO), November 29 – 1 December 2011. It will be attended by ministers from over 100 countries, heads of bilateral and multilateral development agencies, donor organizations and civil society organizations from around the world.

Participants will review progress in improving aid effectiveness and discuss key actions donors and partner countries need to take to accelerate progress in making aid more effective. They will also chart a course for continuing international action on harmonizing the delivery of aid.

During the Forum on 1 December IFAD Vice-President Yukiko Omura will participate in a panel discussion: Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition – Getting the Results. The panel discussion, moderated by the Executive Director of World Food Programme, will be attended by ministers from Africa and Asia, the Administrator of USAID, and the Minister for Development Cooperation from Ireland.

A marketplace of knowledge and ideas will be held over the three days of the Forum. Through posters displayed at the marketplace and presentations, delegations will be able to share their innovative approaches to aid effectiveness.

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Press release No.: IFAD/85/2011

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) works with poor rural people to enable them to grow and sell more food, increase their incomes and determine the direction of their own lives. Since 1978, IFAD has invested about US$13.2 billion in grants and low-interest loans to developing countries through projects empowering about 400 million people to break out of poverty, thereby helping to create vibrant rural communities. IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized UN agency based in Rome – the United Nation’s food and agricultural hub. It is a unique partnership of 167 members from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), other developing countries and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).