Pakistan. The Southern Punjab Poverty Alleviation Project has almost eliminated extreme poverty in its target area. It combines social protection, skills training and infrastructure development, and emphasizes women’s empowerment.
Despite robust – albeit slowing – economic growth, the region of Asia and the Pacific faces formidable challenges in realizing the SDGs. Inequality and marginalization continue to hold back progress – especially in rural areas, where the impacts of climate change are increasingly undermining livelihoods. Indeed, with 45 per cent of the world’s climate-related disasters occurring in the region, climate resilience, along with addressing marginalization, is a major areas of focus for IFAD here.
But this is also a region where transformation is continuing apace, with potential opportunities for those who have not yet benefited from the growth of recent decades. Long-term growth has enabled governments to invest in communications, transport and social protection programmes. And with incomes rising and the middle class expanding, the amount and types of food being demanded is changing. Through programmatic approaches focusing on rural women and youth, enabling rural communities to adapt to climate change, and improving nutrition outcomes, IFAD is promoting models of transformation that leave no one behind.
Afghanistan - 2
Bangladesh* - 7
Bhutan* - 1
Cambodia* - 4
China - 4
Cook Islands
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Fiji
India - 7
Indonesia - 5
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Kiribati - 1
Lao People’s Democratic Republic* - 3
Malaysia
Maldives
Marshall Islands
Micronesia (Federated States of)
Mongolia - 1
Myanmar - 3
Nauru
Nepal* - 3
Niue
Pakistan - 3
Palau
Papua New Guinea - 2
Philippines - 5
Republic of Korea
Samoa - 1
Solomon Islands - 1
Sri Lanka - 2
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Tonga - 1
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Viet Nam* - 3
Numbers indicate ongoing programmes and projects
*Countries with ongoing ASAP grants
in partnership with 20 countries in the region at the end of 2019
in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia (2 projects), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Samoa and Sri Lanka
in Viet Nam
in the region’s ongoing portfolio
in 2019
Pakistan. The Southern Punjab Poverty Alleviation Project has almost eliminated extreme poverty in its target area. It combines social protection, skills training and infrastructure development, and emphasizes women’s empowerment.
In East and Southern Africa, young people under 24 years of age represent the largest share of the population, while in Africa as a whole it is projected that, by 2030, 30 million youth will be entering the labour market each year. As noted in IFAD’s 2019 Rural Development Report, Creating Opportunities for Rural Youth, youth are key to achieving the SDGs. Generating livelihood opportunities for young women and men is therefore increasingly prioritized throughout IFAD activities.
Another priority is addressing the often stark gender inequalities that persist in rural areas of the region, impeding the livelihoods of women and children – as well as holding back the development of rural communities at large. Women’s empowerment was therefore a focus of all projects throughout the year, with IFAD increasing the use of tailored approaches such as household methodologies for this purpose. Also emphasized in 2019 was supporting rural people in the region to adapt to increasingly disruptive regional climate change impacts.
Angola - 3
Botswana
Burundi* - 5
Comoros* - 1
Eritrea - 2
Eswatini - 2
Ethiopia* - 3
Kenya* - 3
Lesotho* - 2
Madagascar* - 4
Malawi* - 3
Mauritius
Mozambique* - 3
Namibia
Rwanda* - 4
Seychelles
South Africa
South Sudan
Uganda* - 3
United Republic of
Tanzania - 1
Zambia - 3
Zimbabwe - 1
Numbers indicate ongoing programmes and projects
*Countries with ongoing ASAP grants
in partnership with 16 countries in the region at the end of 2019
in Angola, Ethiopia (2 projects), Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique (2 projects), Uganda and Rwanda (2 projects)
in Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda and Zambia
in the region’s ongoing portfolio
in 2019
Rwanda. The Project for Rural Income through Exports has enabled small-scale farmers to benefit from export markets through better access to training, credit and technology. It has led to increased returns for farmers from coffee, tea, sericulture and horticulture value chains..
In Latin America and the Caribbean, while economic transformation is relatively advanced, inequality and marginalization remain major challenges. IFAD is therefore stepping up efforts in the region to address the marginalization of groups at risk of being left behind. This is why, in 2019, IFAD prioritized ensuring greater numbers of women, youth and indigenous peoples benefited from its projects and programmes. Enabling rural people to adapt to climate change impacts is another area identified as key for addressing marginalization.
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina - 2
Bahamas (The)
Barbados
Belize - 1
Bolivia (Plurinational
State of)* - 1
Brazil - 5
Chile
Colombia - 1
Costa Rica
Cuba - 2
Dominica
Dominican Republic – 1
Ecuador* - 3
El Salvador* - 1
Grenada - 1
Guatemala
Guyana - 1
Haiti - 1
Honduras - 1
Jamaica
Mexico - 2
Nicaragua* - 2
Panama
Paraguay* - 2
Peru - 1
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago
Uruguay
Venezuela (Bolivarian
Republic of)
Numbers indicate ongoing programmes and projects
*Countries with ongoing ASAP grants
in partnership with 17 countries in the region at the end of 2019
in Brazil and Cuba
in the region’s ongoing portfolio
in 2019
Bolivia. The ACCESOS programme emphasized building resilience to climate change, with associated social and nutritional benefits. It drew in part on indigenous climate adaptation practices.
The fragile context characterizing much of the Near East, North Africa and Europe region poses serious challenges for rural communities. The persistence of long-lasting conflicts has contributed to significant flows of refugees and internally displaced people, while climate change-driven desertification is further worsening the already fragile regional landscape. Further, since conflicts often result in the collapse of agricultural production, the number of undernourished people in conflict-affected countries in the region has doubled over the last 10 years. Alarmingly, fragile institutions and economies often result in unequal societies, with the most vulnerable groups, especially youth and women, paying the highest toll.
In this complicated context, IFAD – building on its extensive experience tackling vulnerability and fragility – is building peace and stability through a comprehensive approach focused around strengthening institutions, addressing sources of climatic and environmental stress, improving nutritional outcomes and creating opportunities for women and youth.
Albania
Algeria
Armenia - 1
Azerbaijan
Bosnia and
Herzegovina - 1
Djibouti* - 2
Egypt* - 4
Georgia* - 2
Iraq* - 1
Jordan - 2
Kyrgyzstan* - 2
Lebanon
Montenegro* - 1
Morocco* - 3
Republic of
Moldova* - 2
Somalia
Sudan* - 2
Syrian Arab Republic - 1
Tajikistan* - 2
Tunisia - 3
Turkey - 3
Uzbekistan - 2
Yemen
And Gaza and the West Bank - 1
Numbers indicate ongoing programmes and projects
*Countries with ongoing ASAP grants
in partnership with 17 countries and Gaza and the West Bank
in Egypt, Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia
in Djibouti and Tunisia
in the region’s ongoing portfolio
in 2019
Sudan. Poverty rates fell sharply as a result of the Butana Integrated Rural Development Project. It focused on enhancing livelihoods by improving climate-resilient management of natural resources, expanding access to markets and building community cohesion.
The West and Central Africa region is still deeply marked by poverty, hunger, youth unemployment, vulnerability to climate change and rural marginalization, all of which threaten progress across the SDGs. Over 40 per cent of the population face extreme poverty, the vast majority of whom live and work in rural areas. Sixty per cent of young people are rural dwellers, with half being underemployed or unemployed. This has contributed to significant migration, both internal and external, exacerbated by growing insecurity in the Sahel region.
At the same time, opportunities abound – the region is home to some of the world’s fastest growing economies (for example, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana are both growing at 7 per cent or more annually), has a youthful, energetic population, and is increasingly benefiting from both domestic and international investment. In this context, and bearing in mind IFAD’s renewed focus on the poorest countries and most fragile situations, IFAD has stepped up its investment in the region, working in close partnership with governments, other development agencies – in particular the Rome-based agencies (RBAs) – civil society and the private sector.
Benin* - 3
Burkina Faso - 2
Cabo Verde* - 1
Cameroon - 1
Central African
Republic - 1
Chad* - 2
Congo - 1
Côte d’Ivoire* - 2
Democratic Republic
of the Congo - 3
Equatorial Guinea
Gabon
Gambia (The)
Ghana* - 2
Guinea - 1
Guinea-Bissau - 1
Liberia* - 3
Mali - 2
Mauritania* - 1
Niger* - 2
Nigeria* - 3
Sao Tome and
Principe
Senegal - 3
Sierra Leone - 2
Togo - 2
Numbers indicate ongoing programmes and projects
*Countries with ongoing ASAP grants
in partnership with 20 countries in the region at the end of 2019
in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger and Senegal
in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Republic of the Congo and Senegal
in the region’s ongoing portfolio
in 2019
Nigeria. The Value Chain Development Programme and Commodity Alliance Forum, implemented in partnership with Olam International and the Nigerian Government, was a finalist for the P3 Impact Award, recognizing positive impacts on the livelihoods of small-scale producers.