At the second session of the Executive Board (EB/2), it was agreed that information on planned project activities would be presented to the Board regularly to enable representatives to keep abreast of developments in IFAD’s project/programme pipeline and prospective lending and, should they so desire, to comment on planned operations at an appropriate stage of the development cycle.

The information provided in this document reflects current IFAD approval procedures and investment activities. At its ninety-eighth session held in December 2009, the Board endorsed the proposal to streamline the approval process for investment projects and programmes and adopted rule 24 of the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board. For IFAD-funded projects/programmes, the Fund will apply two approval procedures: (i) the standard procedure and (ii) the lapse-of-time (LOT) procedure as outlined in the Implementation of rule 24 of the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Board on the lapse-of-time procedure

Since the approval of the Spanish Food Security Cofinancing Facility Trust Fund in September 2010, this document also reports on how the Spanish Trust Fund resources are allocated. Further, in 2012, IFAD developed the Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP), a multi-year and multi-donor grant financing window to provide a new source of cofinancing targeted specifically at scaling up and integrating climate change adaptation in ‘regular’ smallholder development programmes. The ASAP will channel earmarked climate and environmental finance to smallholder farmers through IFAD-supported programmes.¹ Information on specific planned activities under this programme are included in this document.

Part I - Table 1 of this document provides a comprehensive listing of all projects and programmes that have entered the pipeline as part of results-based country strategic opportunities programmes (RB-COSOPs) or after approval of concept notes, and which are planned for submission to the Executive Board under the standard procedure.

Part I - Table 2 provides a list of proposed and eligible projects and programmes planned for consideration under the LOT procedure, which will be considered approved by the Executive Board if no request for formal discussion by the Executive Board is received by a specified deadline. 

Management also reports information in Part I – Table 3 on the proposed global/regional grants currently planned for financing under the LOT procedure. 

In September 2006, the Executive Board approved a new framework for results-based country strategic opportunities programmes. RB-COSOPs provide a framework for entry of projects/programmes into IFAD’s official pipeline. Some of these pipeline projects/programmes will be processed within the current 2010-2012 cycle of the performance-based allocation system (PBAS), while others will be included in subsequent PBAS allocation periods. Part II – Table 1 provides information/comments on planned RB-COSOPs, where available, and identifies dates of forthcoming country and stakeholder consultation meetings.²

As agreed at the Board session in April 2001, Part II – Table 2 of this document provides information on all COSOPs reviewed to date by the Operational Strategy and Policy Guidance Committee (OSC) as well as those reviewed by the Board.

The above information is complemented by information on projects and programmes that are likely to be presented at a future session of the Board, which IFAD makes available on its website. Each of these operations is described in a two-page information note. This is intended to:

• explore fully cofinancing opportunities early on in the design stage;
• provide project/programme-related information in a timely and efficient manner; and
• increase public awareness, knowledge and interest vis-à-vis the activities of IFAD and other development organizations.

To achieve this, with special attention to exploring cofinancing opportunities at an early stage in project design, and to reflect current IFAD design processes, as of September 2012 the information notes will be produced and published on IFAD’s website when the project is in the concept stage, following approval by the Operations Strategy Committee (OSC), and at the detailed design stage (quality enhancement). When projects/programmes reach the design completion stage (quality assurance) and the President’s Report is produced, a link to this document will be made available on the planned project activities section on IFAD’s website.

It is expected that this new procedure will achieve the dual purpose of providing project/programme information early in the project design process to allow Members to explore cofinancing opportunities, and will lead to further efficiencies in the production of the information notes.

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1/ Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP)

2/ As a result of lessons learned from the COSOP process since 2007, countries with three or more projects in a given PBAS cycle will normally require a full COSOP. Borderline cases such as transitional situations with three or more operations but a relatively modest PBAS allocation, e.g. below US$15.0 million, will require guidance from Management. Countries with only two operations in the pipeline but with a PBAS allocation of a US$20.0 million or above will require a COSOP to guide overall country engagement.