United Nations agencies

Rome-based Agencies working to achieve long-term sustainable development

IFAD is both a specialized United Nations agency and an international financial institution (IFI). The Fund is systemically partnering with other United Nations development system agencies, in particular with the UN Rome-based agencies – the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) – with whom we share a common vision of ending hunger and promoting food security through sustainable agriculture towards the delivery of the 2030 Agenda.

In the context of the overall UN Reform agenda, the repositioning of the United Nations development system to deliver on the 2030 Agenda, collaboration among the UN Rome-based agencies is a strategic priority for all the three organizations at local, reginal and global levels. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) constitute the greatest opportunity ever presented for collaboration, and SDG 2 to end hunger is at the heart of their mandates.

Improving food security, today and in the future

To advance SDG 2, IFAD, FAO and WFP provide financial and technical support to the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), which has a unique role as an inclusive, multi-stakeholder platform for inter-governmental deliberations on food security and nutrition.

The three agencies are working together to leverage their mutual comparative advantages and operations to achieve long-term sustainable development in ways that transform people’s lives and improves their food security, today and in the future.

A new emphasis is being placed on collaboration at the country level. Country teams from the three agencies are joining forces with other UN agencies on the elaboration of United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks (UNDAFs) that better reflect and align with the 2030 Agenda and collectively contribute to the delivery of development results based on common country analysis, programming and investments.

Learn more about how the three agencies are working together.

IFAD has formalised relations with other UN programmes and funds such as the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) and UN Women.

"One thing is to work side by side, another thing is to work hand in hand."
Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD

Spotlight

Hunger crises will escalate unless we invest more in addressing root causes, say UN food agency chiefs on visit to drought-hit Ethiopia

Speaking at the conclusion of a four-day visit to Ethiopia, including to the drought-stricken Somali region, the heads of the United Nations food agencies made a joint call for greater investment in long-term activities that strengthen people’s resilience to drought and the impacts of climate shocks.

Experts

Zachary Bleicher

Partnership Officer, Office of Partnership and Resource Mobilization

z.bleicher@ifad.org

Shantanu Mathur

Lead Adviser to the Associate Vice President

s.mathur@ifad.org

Ashwani Muthoo

Director, Quality Assurance Group

a.muthoo@ifad.org

Related news

Securing sustainable food systems hinges on gender equality

March 2020 - NEWS

The three United Nations' Rome-based agencies dedicated to food and agriculture called today for bolder action to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls in the agricultural sector and beyond.

President Xi Jinping of China thanks IFAD, FAO and WFP for their support during COVID-19 outbreak

March 2020 - NEWS

President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China has expressed his thanks to IFAD, FAO and WFP in response to their pledge of support to his country as they face the COVID-19 outbreak.

IFAD and FAO Investment Centre sign cooperation agreement

January 2020 - NEWS

IFAD has long drawn on the services of the FAO Investment Centre (DPI) to assist it in its operational work at country level.

Related publications

Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in the Near East and North Africa 2019

May 2020

This report explores food systems in the Arab States and the policies that support them.

The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2019

July 2019

This year’s report presents evidence that the absolute number of people who suffer from hunger continues to slowly increase. The report also highlights that food insecurity is more than just hunger.

Rome-based Agencies Resilience Initiative: Strengthening the resilience of livelihoods in protracted crises in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Niger and Somalia

October 2018

Canada is partnering with the United Nations Rome-based agencies (RBAs) – the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) – to further test in the field their joint Conceptual framework for strengthening resilience for food security and nutrition.