Opening remarks by the Director of IFAD’s Near East, North Africa and Europe Division

In 2010, IFAD’s investments in projects developed by the Near East, North Africa and Europe Division (NEN) reached record levels – more than US$150 million in loans and grants for new rural poverty eradication programmes in the region. This represents a 30 per cent increase over the prior year’s investments and can in part be attributed to the Division’s efforts to enhance projects’ operational quality and social impact. NEN has improved the quality of project design and has also achieved greater responsiveness and agility by decreasing design time from a median of 11 months to less than 10 months without affecting the quality of projects at implementation.

NEN’s ability to design outstanding projects was recognized at year-end when the Yemen country team received the IFAD staff award for an “outstanding project” in recognition of its work on the Economic Opportunities Programme. The programme will reduce rural poverty in Yemen through the creation of jobs and income-generating opportunities. It takes a new approach, focusing specifically on employment generation in rural areas, especially for young people, rather than on generic targeting in the context of poverty alleviation. While concentrating its efforts on the economic aspects of employment generation, NEN takes into consideration the dynamics of the region’s large informal rural labour market. In this context, the Division continues to support actions to mitigate the significant vulnerability of women employed in this sector.

In addition to boosting the administrative efficiency of its operating systems and ensuring the delivery of concrete results, the Division succeeded in 2010 in strengthening partnerships and expanding cofinancing through cooperation agreements with the Islamic Development Bank and the OPEC Fund for International Development.

NEN has also honed it ability to capture and share knowledge from its country programmes and from partnerships with research centres and think tanks, allowing it to identify innovations and successful experiences for replication and scaling up.

As in 2009, the 2010 annual divisional retreat provided an opportunity not only to reflect on lessons learned throughout the year, but also to learn from others how they have successfully advanced their territorial development plans (see relating article in this issue). These efforts to capture and share knowledge will be intensified following the recruitment of additional professional staff to support the higher programme of work. Thematic experts will be hired to improve the skill mix within the Division; in-country presence and existing divisional clusters will be reinforced; and staff training and career development will be given greater support.

In 2011, NEN intends to propose the same level of investment as last year in support of operations in the region, but with increases in efficiency and impact – as well as a revived commitment to contribute to IFAD’s becoming an increasingly valid knowledge organization.

We count on the support of our partners and look forward to supporting them in return.

Nadim Khouri
Director, Near East, North Africa and Europe Division

IFAD’s Rural Poverty Report reveals a record percentage increase in the number of hungry people in MENA


	Coverage of the Rural Poverty Report 2011

The latest edition of IFAD’s flagship publication, the Rural Poverty Report, which was launched at Chatham House in London on 6 December 2010, points out that “the largest percentage increases in the number of hungry people in 2009 relative to 2008 were actually in the Middle East and North Africa (an increase of 14 per cent)”. The increase is due not only to the 2008 food prices hikes, which added about 100 million to the global number of hungry people, but also to broader underlying problems in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA). The crisis occurred in an environment characterized by a rising demand for food products and long-term growing food insecurity; a declining farming population; and a deteriorating base of natural resources.

The report states that although the incidence of extreme rural poverty in MENA has declined slightly over the past decade, about one eighth of the population is still living on less than US$2 per day. There have been only negligible reductions in rural poverty rates in North Africa, while rates have increased in the conflict-affected Near East. With a growing dependence on food imports, severe water scarcity and demographic pressures, the region is facing daunting challenges, not least of which is the need to develop the right policies and new approaches to rural development in order to help the agricultural sector become an effective driver in the eradication of rural poverty.


	President Nwanze at the launching event in London

The report reveals that, despite improvements over the past 10 years that have lifted more than 350 million rural people out of extreme poverty, global poverty remains a massive and predominantly rural phenomenon – with 70 per cent of the developing world’s 1.4 billion extremely poor people living in rural areas. At the launching ceremony in London, IFAD President Kanayo Nwanze said: "The report provides an in-depth evaluation of the state of rural poverty and its consequences for people all over the world. It also makes important recommendations on policies and investments that will help rural women and men move out of poverty and, in the process, become part of the solution for the global food security challenges of the next several decades." He then added: "One of unique characteristics of the RPR is that it goes beyond cold facts and figures and includes the stories, hopes, challenges and aspirations of poor rural women and men from around the world who are struggling to overcome poverty. Their thoughts and perspectives were influential in the preparation of the report."


	Mylene Kherallah speaking at the Rome launching event

	Panellists at the Rome launching event

The Rural Poverty Report was also presented to the general public in Rome through a high-level panel discussion coordinated by Mylene Kheralla, Regional Economist of the Near East, North Africa and Europe Division. Welcoming the over 150 participants to the event, Kherallah reminded the audience that the Rural Poverty Report provides a coherent and comprehensive look at rural poverty, its global consequences and the prospects for eradicating it. The panel of eminent experts in rural poverty and food security was moderated by Marta Dassu, Director-General for International Activities at the Aspen Institute Italia. It included Hafez Ghanem, Assistant Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); Uma Lele, an agricultural economist and former senior advisor to the World Bank; John Sender, Emeritus Professor of Economics, School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London; and Kevin Cleaver, Associate Vice-President for Programmes at IFAD. All shared their views on the themes raised in the Rural Poverty Report and engaged in a compelling discussion with the audience.

The panellists concluded that the challenge was for governments to follow through on their promises and for players in all areas of rural development to take action. Developing countries must be the drivers of rural development. Where countries have shown the commitment, development agencies and others should support their efforts. IFAD is meeting the challenge by working closely with partners to scale up its support to rural development on the ground. Concluding the event, Kheralla highlighted that, for IFAD, “the high level of interest in the 2011 Rural Poverty Report is a validation of our work, which inspires us to redouble our efforts to eradicate rural poverty”.

IFAD honours the performance of NEN teams


	President Nwanze handing an award certificate to Henning Pedersen

	President Nwanze handing an award certificate to Omer Zafar

Staff members of the Near East, North Africa and Europe Division (NEN) were among the winners of the first edition of IFAD’s Staff Awards Programme, which took place on 17 December 2010. This new programme recognizes the achievements and accomplishments of staff members who, as individuals or as teams, have made outstanding contributions under three categories, namely: leader; designer or implementer of an innovative or outstanding project; and effective agent and facilitator of change. IFAD President Kanayo Nwanze handed the award certificates to the winners.

Henning Pederson, Country Programme Manager for Armenia and Turkey, received a “leader” category award. Pedersen stands out for his leadership capabilities in developing projects and country programmes that are on the cutting edge of development practice, particularly in rural finance and value chain development.

The Country Programme Manager for Yemen, Omer Zafar, and the Yemen country team, led by Zafar and composed of Fathia Bahran (Country Programme Officer), Nicole Hervieu and Jessica Lattughi, received an “outstanding project” award. The award recognized that that team had completely transformed the Yemen portfolio from one based on a hand-out approach to one creating sustainable economic opportunities that empower poor rural men and women.

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Regional themes

NEN holds its annual retreat in Tuscany


	Nadim Khouri addressing the Retreat participants

	Retreat participants at Sala Pegaso, Grosseto Province

Keeping up with its tradition of holding a staff retreat every year to reflect on its operational policies, ongoing activities and pipeline interventions, and to share lessons learned and acquire knowledge in areas relevant to its mandate, IFAD’s Near East, North Africa and Europe Division (NEN) held its 2010 retreat on 3-5 November 2010 in the Italian region of Tuscany. In addition to all NEN staff members, four consultants, four guests from the Arab Gulf States Liaison Office and a guest from the Ministry of Agriculture of Albania also participated in the retreat.

An important output of the three-day retreat was the final draft of NEN’s 2011 management plan. Relying on relevant resources in Tuscany, the retreat also helped NEN acquire greater knowledge of three important operational themes: territorial development; rural finance; and the Slow Food movement. Reflecting on the Division’s achievements in 2010 and distilling lessons learned from performance bottlenecks and constraints, NEN staff took advantage of the retreat to acquire greater “know-how” relevant to their sphere of work. This expertise will be synthesized in knowledge products for wider sharing and use.


	Representatives of the Tuscan authorities addressing the Retreat participants

	A worker processing pumpkins at the Grosseto Fruit and Vegetable Cooperative

The “learning route” followed by NEN’s convoy into the heart of Tuscany brought the participants to some sites of historical value, farms and agroprocessing industries. In the process, they learned first-hand how some territorial development plans have been put into practice.

In the Sala Pegaso of the provincial headquarters of Grosseto, provincial and regional authorities briefed participants on territorial development projects supported by European Union and the Government of Italy under the Rural Development Programme of Tuscany 2007-2013. They elaborated on the participatory bottom-up approach that the programme takes in preparing regional development plans, made possible through the use of local action groups. During the learning tour and field visits, local officials made presentations on, among others, ongoing programmes, public-private partnership models adopted during value chain development, and territorial development approaches to community-focused rural development.

Nadim Khouri, NEN Director, underlined the importance of learning from the innovative approaches to territorial development experimented in Tuscany, particularly because some IFAD-funded activities also promote similar types of activities in remote mountain areas of developing countries. He therefore found the knowledge and lessons drawn from these Tuscan experiences, as part of the decentralization approach in decision-making processes, to be very helpful.


	Retreat participants during their visit to a chestnut farm

	Thierry Mahieux making a presentation on microfinance

Retreat participants had several opportunities to visit farmers’ cooperatives, including the Maremma Milk Producers’ Cooperative, which has succeeded in optimizing the milk production chain, and the Grosseto Fruit and Vegetable Cooperative, which processes and markets a wide range of products, including biological fruits and vegetables. Another field visit brought some retreat participants to the sites of an olive oil valorization programme supported by the Associazione Strada del Vino Montecucco e dei Sapori dell'Amiata. The improved processing techniques and marketing approaches promoted by the programme as part of the Slow Food movement have added value to the region’s produce and brought greater returns to olive farms. Another group of retreat participants visited a chestnut farm supported by a project working to protect the biodiversity of chestnuts. The group learned about the various postharvest storage and handling practices and processing activities involved in producing chestnut flour. In 2000 the project helped establish the Associazione per la valorizazione della castagna del Monte Amiata, whose goal is to protect the germplasm of native chestnut varieties and improve cultivation techniques.

Participants also visited the 800-hectare Spineto farm estate, Abbazia di Spineto, which is a practical example of the success of public-private partnerships in territorial development. With the support of the European Union and public institutions, the estate combines agricultural development, environmental protection and biodiversity conservation activities with tourism, conferences, cultural initiatives, and nutrition, research and aid programmes.

During the retreat, various NEN clusters presented their achievements in 2010 and plans for 2011. The presentations were followed by discussions and a collective reflection on ways to improve each cluster’s outputs and impact on the ground. In addition, participants engaged in a thorough discussion on rural finance following presentations by Omer Zafar, Country Programme Manager for Yemen; Thierry Mahieux, a NEN consultant; and Shkeizen Marku, a guest speaker from Albania. Marku spoke about his country’s experience in promoting territorial development approaches and the solutions that had been developed for promoting and valorizing value chains and private-public partnerships, with direct benefits to rural producers.


	Mylene Kherallah and Karim Sma discussing project related issues

Following a debate on the bottlenecks facing the Division in various areas, retreat participants endorsed the Division’s draft 2011 management plan. Divided into five groups, the participants discussed the most pressing needs in areas extending from project design and supervision to country strategic opportunities programmes (COSOPs), grants policy, knowledge management and staffing issues, together with possible solutions.

The discussions, moderated by Mylene Kheralla, NEN Regional Economist, touched on some key issues that require more in-house interaction, particularly within the Project Management Department. Such internal exchanges and dialogue would help ensure that the views of NEN are taken into consideration when decisions are made on key initiatives such as the new COSOP guidelines. Nadim Khouri explained that some of these questions and suggested courses of action required further post-retreat discussions, underlining the importance of internal communication to foster a greater understanding of such issues within both the Division and the Department.

The participants also experienced an authentic Slow Food dinner at a restaurant accredited by the movement. Tiziana Tacchi, the chef-owner of the restaurant, and Alberto Baraldi, a Slow Food expert, made a presentation on Slow Food concepts and the progress in outreach made by the Slow Food movement.

Country programme features

IFAD’s December Executive Board approves the highest-ever number of NEN projects


	A Moldovan farmer with her newly purchased cow

IFAD’s Executive Board approved five new rural and agricultural development projects proposed by the Near East, North Africa and Europe Division (NEN) – in the Republic of Moldova, Morocco, the Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen – at its 101st session held in Rome on 14-16 December 2010. Worth a total of US$203.7 million, including IFAD soft loans and grants of US$92.43 million, the five projects take a new approach by focusing on specific areas to achieve greater impact in the context of rural poverty eradication.

In the Republic of Moldova, the Rural Financial Services and Agribusiness Development Project will boost ongoing efforts to upgrade the country’s agribusiness sector to meet demand in both domestic and export markets; enhance the profitability of rural businesses; and give rural people, including young people, decent employment opportunities. At a total cost of US$39.3 million, including an IFAD loan of US$19.3 million, an IFAD grant of US$0.5 million and a US$4.5 million cofinancing grant from the Danish International Development Agency, the project will support inclusive contract farming arrangements while promoting access to a full range of appropriate and mainstreamed financial services. These services will specifically target products that support the development of sustainably improved incomes for the most vulnerable and poorest groups in rural areas.

In Morocco, IFAD will finance the new Agricultural Value Chain Development Programme in the Mountain Zones of Taza Province. At a total cost of US$39.2 million, including an IFAD loan of US$22.5 million and an IFAD grant of US$0.5 million, the programme will address some of the root causes of rural poverty in the programme area, such as inadequate social and economic infrastructure, and limited income opportunities, and will help its target group, some 48,000 people, overcome the constraints resulting from underperforming support services and the scarcity of rural financial infrastructure. It will also help local authorities address the problems of high illiteracy rates, particularly among women; high unemployment rates; weak professional farmers’ organizations; and the absence or deterioration of rural roads and tracks, resulting in poor accessibility to markets and limited transfer of appropriate technological packages.

In the Sudan, the Supporting Small-scale Traditional Rainfed Producers in Sinnar State Project provides a response to the current alarming levels of land degradation. This phenomenon now poses the biggest threat to smallholders’ livelihoods and to social peace. Worth a total of US$21.2 million, including an IFAD grant of US$13.5 million, the project introduces environmentally friendly technical packages to enhance productivity, and mobilizes efforts to formulate a regulatory framework for the development of both smallholder and large-scale farming, in a way that conserves the environment.

In addition to the Sinnar State project, the Board approved a supplementary grant of US$2.1 million, from Sweden’s complementary contribution to the Eighth Replenishment of IFAD’s resources, to the ongoing South Kordofan Rural Development Programme in the Sudan. The Swedish contribution will assist the programme in its efforts to improve the performance and outreach of a local-level village fund known as Bara’ah, which was created in the Al-Rashad locality to provide financial services to some 45 local communities. The supplementary financial input will help the Bara′ah develop the infrastructure, management systems and human resource base required for expanding outreach and becoming sustainable according to the sustainable growth scenarios envisaged in its business plan.

In the Syrian Arab Republic, the Integrated Livestock Development Project will harness the high potential of the livestock sector, while helping the country face the threats posed by external factors. These include, among others, international market fluctuations, increased feed costs, low productivity, local supply and demand constraints, harsh climatic conditions and the underdevelopment of value-added products. In addition to IFAD’s loan of US$27.3 million and grant of US$.07 million, the project will be supported by parallel cofinancing of US$27 million from the Agence Française de Développement. At a total cost of US$73.1 million, the project will help achieve important gains nationally in productivity, production and incomes along the main segments of the value chain, namely production, collection, processing and marketing. The project will target 311,000 households, including 145,000 small sheep herders, 160,000 small cattle herders, 1,000 buffalo herders and 5,000 milk collectors and processors. Rural women are targeted within each group.

In Yemen, the Fisheries Investment Project addresses the opportunity to add value and increase returns across the fisheries value chain, particularly for poor fishers, while introducing measures to protect the resource base and reverse the overexploitation of valuable species. Worth a total of US$30.9 million, including an IFAD grant of US$9.1 million, the project will invest in sustainable resource management, upgrade the fisheries value chain and strengthen its vertical integration, and develop aquaculture. External cofinancing includes a loan of US$11.3 million from the Islamic Development Bank and a grant of US$5.3 million from the European Union. Covering all coastal zones of the country, the project will help create sustainable pro-poor investments, aligned with the Government’s poverty reduction and economic growth policies and IFAD’s strategic objectives. It will also introduce a private-sector-led approach to development and will help manage development resources transparently and efficiently on the basis of public-private partnerships.

In brief

IFAD and OFID conclude a partnership framework agreement

IFAD and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) concluded a partnership framework agreement to enhance the scope of existing cooperation between the two institutions and called for increased investment in agriculture to guarantee food security. The agreement, signed in Rome on 3 December 2010 by IFAD’s President Kanayo F. Nwanze and OFID’s Director-General Suleiman J. Al-Aharbish, includes a common pipeline of projects for a three-year rolling programme, 2011-2013. The two institutions intend to promote innovative financing mechanisms to attract private-sector investment in agriculture, and to develop inclusive business models that bring benefits to investors and local small farmers. The agreement emphasizes an integrated approach to on- and off-farm investments, supply chains and entrepreneurship development. Rural infrastructure and services – such as those advocated by the Energy for the Poor Initiative in the global efforts to alleviate energy poverty – is also a key concern.OFID cooperation with IFAD is a cornerstone of the commitment made by member countries of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to eradicate poverty and boost agricultural productivity in developing countries. To date, IFAD and OFID have jointly implemented a total of 81 projects in 44 countries.

ACSAD delegation visits IFAD


	ACSAD’s delegation during their visit to IFAD headquarters

A delegation from the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD) visited IFAD headquarters on 28 Sept 2010 to discuss with the Director and staff members of the Near East, North Africa and Europe Division the progress made by ongoing joint programmes and means of further enhancing ACSA-IFAD cooperation. Consisting of Abdullah Al Droubi, Director of the Water Resources Department, and Ali Zidan, Director of Soil and Water Use Department, the ACSAD delegation gave a presentation on thematic areas of collaboration between the two institutions, extending from climate change and water scarcity to animal health and oasis development.

NEN holds a financial management and procurement workshop in the Republic of Moldova

An IFAD workshop on the theme of “Financial Management and Procurement” was held in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, on 5-6 October 2010. With more than 40 participants – including officials and managers of IFAD-supported projects in Central and Eastern Europe, and the Newly Independent States and Turkey, representatives of international organizations, as well as IFAD staff – the workshop provided a knowledge-sharing platform and an opportunity for training on financial management and procurement. Participants affirmed that the workshop had achieved its key objectives, namely familiarizing them with: new IFAD tools and procedures; financial management systems, and issues related to them facing projects; disbursements and procurement; and best practices in procurement planning, implementation and contract management. The workshop also increased their understanding of specific loan administration requirements and their correct application.

NEN knowledge-sharing events help boost national financial management and procurement capacities

IFAD’s Near East, North Africa and Europe Division (NEN) organized two learning events in the Near East, North Africa subregion on “Financial Management and Procurement”. The first was held in Sana’a, Yemen, from 19 to 21 September 2010 and saw an impressive turnout of 49 participants from all Yemen projects as well as the participation of a wide range of key in-country partners. The participants included senior officials from the Ministries of Finance and Agriculture, the Central Bank of Yemen, the Social Fund for Development, and the Audit Bureau of Yemen.


	Nadim Khouri (left) next to the Lebanese Minister Hajj Hassan at the workshop opening

The second event took place in Beirut, Lebanon, from 22 to 26 November for selected project staff in Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Somalia, the Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia and Yemen. Some 65 project staff participated in the workshop, which was opened by Hussein Hajj Hassan, Minister of Agriculture of Lebanon, and attended by Nadim Khouri, NEN Director. Both workshops provided a valuable knowledge-sharing platform as well as an opportunity to build the capacity of financial management staff on specific issues pertaining to financial management and procurement in the region. In particular, they offered opportunities to identify and address the main issues and aspects related to loan administration, including the preparation of withdrawal applications and procedures to facilitate the flow of funds.

IFAD hosts the first KariaNet II Steering Committee meeting

The Steering Committee of the second phase of KariaNet, an Internet-based regional network of IFAD operations in the Middle East and North Africa region, held its first meeting under its second phase project on 14-15 October in Rome. Chaired by Nadim Khouri, Director, Near East, North Africa and Europe Division (NEN), the meeting discussed a project progress report and approved the implementation plan, the first-year programme of work and budget, and the project’s monitoring and evaluation plan. The meeting was attended by Tawfiq Al-Zabri, IFAD’s KariaNet Grant Manger, and a visiting delegation from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), which is responsible for implementing the project. The delegation included Jean Lebel, Director of the Agriculture and Environment Programme; Eglal Rached, Director of the IDRC Cairo office; Sarwat Salem, Regional Controller; and Hammou Laamrani, Secretary of the Steering Committee and Manager of KariaNet. With the participation of Taysir Al-Ghanem, IFAD’s Regional Communication Manager for NEN, the meeting also reviewed a draft communication strategy for KariaNet.

NEN sponsors the participation of young entrepreneurs at rural youth entrepreneurship meeting in Colombia

The Near East, North Africa and Europe Division (NEN) participated in the first meeting on “Youth Entrepreneurship and Rural Microenterprising”, organized by IFAD’s Latin America and the Caribbean Division in the Colombian city of Cartagena from 15 to19 November 2010. In addition to the participation of its own staff, NEN sponsored the attendance of two young entrepreneurs who have developed successful small enterprises with the support of IFAD-funded projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Syrian Arab Republic. Anita Derlek, 28, from Bosnia and Herzegovina presented her organic food production and marketing activity, which she and her mother had developed thanks to a small loan from the IFAD-supported Rural Enterprise Enhancement Project. Today all six members of her family are involved in the production of organic food products, which are sold both in-country and abroad (in Germany). The Derleks were the first in the region to launch the idea of organic farming, which is proving to be a highly profitable rural business activity. From the Syrian Arab Republic, mosaic art worker Abdulla Al Dani, 19, also recounted his success story while showing examples of his mosaic products. With a small loan from his village sanduq (member-based savings and credit group) in the northern province of Idleb, he began manufacturing and selling mosaic tableaux using locally available natural stones. His earnings were hardly enough to feed his family when he started in 2002. Now he has a flourishing business with customers throughout the Syrian Arab Republic and in neighbouring Jordan and Turkey.

IFAD launches projects in Egypt and Lebanon

The On-farm Irrigation Development Project in the Old Lands was launched at a start-up workshop held in Cairo, Egypt, from 20 to 22 November 2010. Funded by an IFAD loan of US$47 million and grant of US$1 million, the project will provide assistance to smallholders cultivating an average of three feddans (1.26 hectares), landless labourers, woman-headed households and unemployed young people. It will help these groups improve their livelihoods through higher on-farm water use efficiency; improved agricultural productivity; marketing support; and support for small businesses and microenterprises as means of promoting employment and income-generation.


	A water harvesting site of the new IFAD project in Lebanon

Implementation of IFAD’s Hilly Areas Sustainable Agricultural Development Project in Lebanon began with a start-up workshop held in Beirut from 24 to 26 November 2010 under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture. The workshop, which received extensive media coverage, was attended by Hussein Hajj Hassan, Minister of Agriculture, and Nadim Khouri, Director of the Near East, North Africa and Europe Division (NEN), together with some 90 other participants. These included participants from relevant Lebanese ministries and government agencies, mayors, and representatives of participating municipalities, civil society organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and other donors. The workshop was successful in communicating the project’s basic design concept and development objectives to all in-country stakeholders. The start-up mission provided two days of informative presentations and discussions, laying a sound foundation for project implementation.

The new IFAD-managed Spanish Food Security Cofinancing Facility Trust Fund will benefit countries in the Near East and North Africa

IFAD’s Executive Board approved the establishment of the euro 300 million Spanish Food Security Cofinancing Facility Trust Fund during its 101st session held in Rome from 13 to 16 December 2010. As a response to the commitment made in the Joint Statement on Global Food Security agreed at the G8 Summit held in L’Aquila, Italy, from 8 to 10 July 2009, the Trust Fund will provide financing for agricultural and rural development projects aimed at helping low-income countries face the challenges of food security and rural poverty eradication. Spain decided to allocate the funds it has committed at L’Aquila for financing projects and programmes focused on food security and agriculture, and considered IFAD to be a reliable partner for managing these funds. The new facility will allow IFAD to scale up existing projects and have a larger and more meaningful impact in supporting agricultural development in the rural areas of its developing countries. In her statement to the Board, Yukiko Omura, IFAD’s Vice-President, said that the indicative list of countries suggests that more than 45 per cent of the resources will be allocated to Africa, 38 per cent to Latin America, 8 per cent to the Middle East and Eastern Europe, and 7 per cent to Asia. The list includes Egypt, Lebanon and Tunisia. However, the Vice-President cautioned that the list was only indicative and that the final allocation percentages might not precisely match those quoted.