1st IFAD/NGO Consultation, Rome, Italy, 1990

Review of IFAD/NGO Collaboration: Policy Issues

The first Consultation, held in May 1990, was attended by 33 NGOs, of which 14 were from the south, 13 from Europe and 6 from North America. In addition, the Consultation was attended by a representative of the African Development Bank (AfDB) as an observer. The Consultation provided a forum for dialogue between the Fund and representatives of the NGO community concerning past, ongoing and future cooperation activities.

During this first Consultation, discussions centred on four major issues: (i) opportunities for and constraints to IFAD/NGO collaboration; (ii) IFAD's evolving approach to NGO collaboration in project design and implementation; (iii) the Fund's approach to environmental sustainability and rural poverty alleviation as an opportunity for cooperation with NGOs; and (iv) IFAD's 1990 lending programme, in terms of possibilities for greater involvement of NGOs in the Fund's projects. The Consultation made a number of specific recommendations, including the formation of a consultative group of NGOs to collaborate with IFAD for the purpose of preparing subsequent Consultations and to provide advice regarding further IFAD/NGO collaboration.