17 goals to transform our world

The 2030 Agenda is a commitment to “leave no one behind”. It applies to all countries and spans social, environmental and economic issues. This commitment is most salient in rural areas as shocks, such as climate change and the COVID crisis, disproportionately affect rural communities.

To overcome these challenges, IFAD supports small-scale rural producers and connects them to markets and services so they can produce more, earn more and, in doing so, sustainably transform rural communities.

IFAD projects make a tangible contribution to 16 of the 17 the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This comprehensive impact reflects IFAD’s integral role in development, providing broad and sustainable finance.

IFAD monitors, reports on and maps direct and indirect contributions to the SDGs through the Results Management Framework (RMF) and the Sustainable Development Finance Framework.

How IFAD contributes to the SDGs

Given IFAD’s focus on transforming rural areas and investing in small-scale producers, SDG 1 (no poverty) and SDG 2 (zero hunger) are particularly pertinent. For example, over the IFAD11 replenishment period (2019-2021), 77.4 million people increased their income, while 62.4 million people improved their production.

IFAD contributes to SDG 4 (quality education) by providing poor rural people with the tools and skills for business development.

By helping people access technology that sequesters carbon or reduces greenhouse gas emissions, IFAD promotes affordable and clean energy (SDG 7).

Through access to business development services, IFAD fosters inclusive, diversified and productive rural economies that create opportunities for decent work, higher incomes and economic growth (SDG 8).

To link rural producers to markets, IFAD constructs, rehabilitates or upgrades roads, thus contributing to SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure).

IFAD invests in sustainable agriculture to preserve and restore natural resources while increasing the resilience of farming systems to a changing climate (SDG 13).

Find out more about IFAD’s results and how they contribute to SDGs