47th session of the IFAD Governing Council

IFAD's 47th Governing Council will delve into "Innovation for a Food Secure Future".

Every day, rural people grapple with climate change, conflict, poverty and other hardships. In an increasingly complex world, we cannot rely on conventional approaches alone to respond to these challenges. We need new thinking, new ideas, new approaches. In short: we need innovation. 

On 14 and 15 February 2024, heads of state, ministers, development professionals, innovation experts and small-scale farmers from all over the world will discuss how IFAD and its partners can better harness innovation so rural communities can find solutions to the challenges they face and thrive in a rapidly changing world.

An interactive Marketplace of Innovations will showcase 11 ground-breaking ideas that are delivering results for rural people – from AI and blockchain to Web3 and geospatial analysis – funded and developed by IFAD and partners.

Resources

Main events

Keynote addresses

Wednesday 14 February 2024, 10:15 (CET) | Plenary Hall

Alvaro Lario

President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development

Alvaro Lario

President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development

Alvaro Lario is President of IFAD. He has more than 20 years of experience across academia, private sector asset management, World Bank Group and the United Nations, including as Associate Vice-President of Financial Operations at IFAD.

Senator Patrizio Giacomo La Pietra

Undersecretary of State to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry of the Italian Republic

Senator Patrizio Giacomo La Pietra

Undersecretary of State to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry of the Italian Republic

Maximo Torero

Chief Economist, FAO

Maximo Torero

Chief Economist, FAO

Maximo Torero Cullen is the Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). His research focuses on poverty, inequality, infrastructure and institutions, and technology for improving the welfare of small-scale farmers.

Carl Skau

Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, WFP

Carl Skau

Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, WFP

Carl Skau is WFP’s Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer. He leads the organization’s coordination, strategic direction, humanitarian diplomacy and support for field operations. He also supports efforts to maximize WFP’s inter-agency collaboration and partnerships.

Monsignor Fernando Chica Arellano

Permanent Observer of the Holy See to IFAD

Monsignor Fernando Chica Arellano

Permanent Observer of the Holy See to IFAD

Fernando Chica Arellano was appointed Permanent Observer of the Holy See to IFAD, FAO and WFP in 2015. He has written several books and articles on canon law, the Bible, theology and spirituality.

IFAD Talk: Actions for Inclusive Growth in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Wednesday 14 February 2024, 11:00 (CET) | Plenary Hall

Speaker: Bhaskar Chakravorti

Dean of Global Business and Executive Director, Institute for Business in the Global Context, The Fletcher School, Tufts University

Speaker: Bhaskar Chakravorti

Dean of Global Business and Executive Director, Institute for Business in the Global Context, The Fletcher School, Tufts University

Bhaskar Chakravorti is the Dean of Global Business and Executive Director at the Institute for Business in the Global Context, The Fletcher School, Tufts University. He is also founder and chair of Digital Planet, which studies the impact of technology on lives and livelihoods around the world. His multi-year initiative, Imagining a Digital Economy for All 2030, investigates how data, digital technologies and artificial intelligence can spur inclusive growth, development and productivity.

Moderator: Hélène Papper

Director, Global Communications and Advocacy Division, IFAD

Moderator: Hélène Papper

Director, Global Communications and Advocacy Division, IFAD

Hélène Papper is the Director of the IFAD Global Communications and Advocacy Division, which is responsible for IFAD’s global internal and external engagement and positioning, communications and advocacy strategies and operations.

Champions of Change: Celebrating transformative pathways to a nourished future

Wednesday 14 February 2024, 12:00 (CET) | Plenary Hall

Moderator: Redi Tlhabi

Journalist and broadcaster

Moderator: Redi Tlhabi

Journalist and broadcaster

Redi Tlhabi is a South African journalist and broadcaster. She has facilitated debates on international platforms such as Aljazeera and BBC World News. Tlhabi is a member of the United Nations Global Journalists Corps, tackling socio-political issues, including foreign policy and education.

Kristin Engvig

Women’s International Networking (WIN)

Kristin Engvig

Women’s International Networking (WIN)

Kristin Engvig founded Women’s International Networking (WIN), hosting women-focused leadership events across the world. With a background in finance and consulting, Kristin leads WIN’s Women Pioneering Global Change initiative.

Jyotsna Puri

Associate Vice-President, Strategy and Knowledge Department, IFAD

Jyotsna Puri

Associate Vice-President, Strategy and Knowledge Department, IFAD

Jyotsna Puri leads IFAD's Strategy and Knowledge Department. She provides evidence-informed programme advice and policy. With prior experience at Green Climate Fund, 3ie, UNEP, World Bank, and UNDP, Puri is also an adjunct associate professor at Columbia University.

Donal Brown

Associate Vice-President, Programme Management Department, IFAD

Donal Brown

Associate Vice-President, Programme Management Department, IFAD

Donal Brown leads IFAD's Programme Management Department, managing operations through loans and grants. He oversees the work of five Regional Divisions and the Operational Policy and Results Division. Brown was previously Africa Director at DFID.

Ndaya Beltchika

Lead Technical Specialist for Gender, Targeting and Social Inclusion, IFAD

Ndaya Beltchika

Lead Technical Specialist for Gender, Targeting and Social Inclusion, IFAD

Ndaya Beltchika is IFAD's Lead Technical Specialist for Gender, Targeting and Social Inclusion. Previously, Beltchika was Country Director for Benin, Liberia and Sierra Leone, where she led the development of country strategies and coordinated programmes.

Bojana Perunović

Agricultural professional, Montenegro

Bojana Perunović

Agricultural professional, Montenegro

Bojana Perunović is an agricultural professional from Montenegro with extensive experience in rural transformation and gender equality projects. She was a gender focal point for the Rural Clustering and Transformation Project, empowering women and young people in rural areas.

Mickaëlle Andriamahefa

Operations Manager and Gender Focal Point

Mickaëlle Andriamahefa

Operations Manager and Gender Focal Point

Mickaëlle Andriamahefa is Operations Manager and Gender Focal Point for the Vocational Training and Agricultural Productivity Improvement Programme in Madagascar. She has extensive experience supporting projects in the country.

Letitia Sampoa Apam

Project management for rural development

Letitia Sampoa Apam

Project management for rural development

Letitia Sampoa Apam specializes in project management for rural development, focusing on gender equality, social inclusion and market linkages. She has collaborated with IFAD, USAID and the EU, among others.

Sereyroth Lim

Project Gender Specialist, Tonle Sap Poverty Reduction and Smallholder Development Project, Cambodia

Sereyroth Lim

Project Gender Specialist, Tonle Sap Poverty Reduction and Smallholder Development Project, Cambodia

Sereyroth Lim is a Project Gender Specialist with the Tonle Sap Poverty Reduction and Smallholder Development Project in Cambodia. She has over a decade of experience spanning sectors like gender-based violence, agriculture and climate change.

Roberto Bonifacio Montaño

National Coordinator, PRO-CAMELIDOS, Bolivia

Roberto Bonifacio Montaño

National Coordinator, PRO-CAMELIDOS, Bolivia

Roberto Bonifacio Montaño has over 20 years of experience advancing Camelid husbandry in Bolivia's highlands. He is the National Coordinator for PRO-CAMELIDOS, promoting sustainable resource management and entrepreneurial initiatives.

IFAD13: From pledges to action

Wednesday 14 February 2024, 15:45 (CET) | Plenary Hall

Satu Santala

Associate Vice-President, External Relations and Governance Department, IFAD

Satu Santala

Associate Vice-President, External Relations and Governance Department, IFAD

Satu Santala leads the External Relations and Governance Department at IFAD. She is responsible for communications, global engagement, partnerships, and resource mobilization, as well as overseeing the relations with IFAD’s 177 Member States.

Mohamed Beavogui

IFAD special envoy for IFAD13.

Mohamed Beavogui

IFAD special envoy for IFAD13.

Mohamed Beavogui is former Prime Minister of the Republic of Guinea and special envoy for IFAD13. He has over 35 years of international experience in development finance and risk management, having previously served as United Nations Assistant Secretary General, Board Chair of the United Bank for Africa, among other positions.

Maria de Fátima Monteiro Jardim

Permanent Representative of the Republic of Angola to IFAD, FAO and WFP

Maria de Fátima Monteiro Jardim

Permanent Representative of the Republic of Angola to IFAD, FAO and WFP

William Roos

Assistant Secretary for Multilateral, Development and Trade Affairs at the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Recovery

William Roos

Assistant Secretary for Multilateral, Development and Trade Affairs at the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Recovery

William Roos is Assistant Secretary for Multilateral, Development and Trade Affairs at the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Recovery. He previously served as Director for France at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Alvaro Lario

President of IFAD

Alvaro Lario

President of IFAD

Governors' Roundtable: Innovation for a food-secure future

Thursday 15 February 2024, 11:00 (CET) | Italian Conference Room

H.E Haifa Aissami Madah

Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to FAO and the UN agencies in Rome

H.E Haifa Aissami Madah

Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to FAO and the UN agencies in Rome

Ambassador Haifa Aissami Madah was appointed Permanent Representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome in 2021. Previously, she held multiple diplomatic positions and was a Judge of the Court of Appeals of Caracas.

H.E Céline Jurgensen

Ambassador, Permanent Representative of France to the UN agencies in Rome

H.E Céline Jurgensen

Ambassador, Permanent Representative of France to the UN agencies in Rome

Ambassador Jurgensen was appointed Permanent Representative of France to the Food and Agriculture Agencies in Rome in August 2020. Previously, she held a wide range of multilateral positions in the areas of humanitarian affairs and security.

Alvaro Lario

President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development

Alvaro Lario

President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development

Jyotsna Puri

Associate Vice-President, Strategy and Knowledge Department, IFAD

Jyotsna Puri

Associate Vice-President, Strategy and Knowledge Department, IFAD

Claudia ten Have

Director of the Office of the Secretary and Secretary of IFAD

Claudia ten Have

Director of the Office of the Secretary and Secretary of IFAD

Claudia ten Have is Director of the Office of the Secretary and Secretary of IFAD. She has extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy and coordination with Member States.

Jim Woodhill

Global Foresight4Food Initiative

Jim Woodhill

Global Foresight4Food Initiative

Jim Woodhill leads the Global Foresight4Food Initiative, is a senior consultant with University of Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute and is a senior advisor to the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development. Jim has extensive experience in rural development and agriculture.

Rural people innovating for a resilient future

Thursday 15 February, 15:00 (CET) | Plenary Hall

Redi Tlhabi

Journalist and broadcaster

Redi Tlhabi

Journalist and broadcaster

Kevin Perkins

Executive Director at Farm Radio International

Kevin Perkins

Executive Director at Farm Radio International

Kevin Perkins is Executive Director of Farm Radio International to make radio a powerful force for good in rural Africa. He has over 25 years of experience in international and community development.

Elissa Golberg

Ambassador of Canada to Italy, Ambassador of Canada to Albania and San Marino, High Commissioner to Malta, and Permanent Representative of Canada to the UN Agencies in Rome

Elissa Golberg

Ambassador of Canada to Italy, Ambassador of Canada to Albania and San Marino, High Commissioner to Malta, and Permanent Representative of Canada to the UN Agencies in Rome

Elissa Golberg is Ambassador of Canada to Italy, Ambassador of Canada to Albania and San Marino, High Commissioner to Malta, and Permanent Representative of Canada to the UN Agencies in Rome. She is a member of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters and the UN Central Emergency Revolving Fund Advisory Group.

Sophie Grigson

Food writer, broadcaster, teacher and cook

Sophie Grigson

Food writer, broadcaster, teacher and cook

Sophie Grigson is an award-winning food writer, broadcaster, teacher and cook. She champions domestic and has written 20 books. A recipient of the Guild of Food Writers Cookery Journalist of the Year Award, she has presented shows for the BBC, Channel 4 and UKTV Food.

Hélène Papper

Director, Global Communications and Advocacy Division, IFAD

Hélène Papper

Director, Global Communications and Advocacy Division, IFAD

Mohammed Sualisa

Farmer, Ghana

Mohammed Sualisa

Farmer, Ghana

Thirty-year-old Mohammed Sualisa cultivates maize and soybeans in Ghana. Thanks to the Ghana Agricultural Sector Investment Programme he has learned good agricultural practices and received seeds which have at least doubled his yields, so he can feed his family and send his children to school.

Iddrisu Sanatu

Farmer

Iddrisu Sanatu

Farmer

Thirty-year-old Iddrisu Sanatu uses her new knowledge on good agricultural practices and climate resilience to increase her farm yields, while Zaa Radio keeps her up-to-date on weather information. She is more economically empowered and can contribute to her household's income.

Issahaku Hamdia

Farmer

Issahaku Hamdia

Farmer

Thirty-four-year-old Issahaku Hamdia grows soybeans, groundnut and maize in Ghana. Her farming practices and yields have improved thanks to Zaa Radio. She engages regularly with Zaa Radio to share what she has learned with others in her community.

Azara Mohammed

Farmer

Azara Mohammed

Farmer

Thirty-five-year-old Azara Mohammed is the secretary of her village's savings and loans model. Members contribute money which are then shared at the start of the farming season so farmers can buy inputs and access small low-interest loans.

Side events

The UN Decade on Family Farming 2019-2028: Family Farmers at the centre of the rural sustainable development agenda

14 February, 13:45-14:45 | Italian Conference Room

Read Bio

The UN Decade on Family Farming 2019-2028: Family Farmers at the centre of the rural sustainable development agenda

14 February, 13:45-14:45 | Italian Conference Room

This event will highlight the importance of partnering with family farmers to transform rural communities and share ideas on how to progress the agricultural development agenda.

IFAD, G7 and G20: A partnership for sustainable rural transformation

15 February, 09:00-09:45 | Italian Conference Room

Read Bio

IFAD, G7 and G20: A partnership for sustainable rural transformation

15 February, 09:00-09:45 | Italian Conference Room

This event will showcase achievements and contributions to the global food security agenda under the G7 and G20 presidencies in 2023 (Japan and India) and highlight how the incoming presidencies (Italy and Brazil) will build on these accomplishments.

International Land Coalition: Women’s land rights for a food-secure future

15 February, 13:30-14:15 | Oval Room

Read Bio

International Land Coalition: Women’s land rights for a food-secure future

15 February, 13:30-14:15 | Oval Room

This session will discuss how supporting rural people, and especially women, to secure their land rights can address the climate crisis and transform global food systems.

Launch of the MOPAN Report on IFAD: How can findings from the MOPAN assessment of IFAD support the successful implementation of IFAD13?

15 February, 14:00-14:45 | Italian Conference Room

Read Bio

Launch of the MOPAN Report on IFAD: How can findings from the MOPAN assessment of IFAD support the successful implementation of IFAD13?

15 February, 14:00-14:45 | Italian Conference Room

MOPAN assesses multilateral organizations, shapes performance standards, strengthens results and promotes accountability. The launch will include a panel discussion with Executive Board members on how findings can inform the successful implementation of IFAD13.

Marketplace of Innovation

An interactive marketplace at the Governing Council will showcase 11 innovations that have delivered positive results for rural people and helped IFAD do its work better.

AgroWeb3

Digital wallets for smallholder farmers in the Web3 era
Powered by LACChain, AgroWeb3 will develop a single interoperable protocol, common standards and a universal integration system for digital wallets tailored to the needs of small-scale farmers. This will enhance the traceability of transactions, reduce transactional costs and better protect digital identities and data.

AI for Climate Resilience in Rural Areas: Winners of the M4D Open Innovation Challenge

An open innovation challenge by the IFIs to transform the future of agriculture

This challenge, led by the Moonshots for Development Alliance, identifies, supports and finances AI solutions for climate resilience in rural areas. IFAD funds and provides coaching support for Farmer Lifeline Technologies, Viamo's Voice Companion for Farmers and Agpreneur.

Generative AI-Powered Farm and Farmer Digital Assistant

AI-powered chat to enhance extension services for farmers

Small-scale farmers need timely and relevant information to farm better. Developed in partnership with Digital Green, this innovation will combine Artificial Intelligence with Natural Language Processing to provide context-relevant, inclusive and consistently updated advisory services via SMS or app.

Food for the Future: Neglected and under-utilized species

Promoting local foods for better health and a better planet

The world is over reliant on rice, maize and wheat, while local foods are often underused. IFAD combines traditional knowledge to innovate so that local, nutritional and climate-resilient species, like fonio and sorghum, are produced and consumed.

LandMonitor

Inclusive data for better land policies and programmes

A gap in official data on land tenure limits both rural development and efforts to implement better land policies. LandMonitor collects, analyses and presents land tenure data, working with target groups to improve data collection and encourage evidence-based decision-making.

Top Secret HelpLine

An app to address sexual harassment in the workplace and across IFAD-funded projects

IFAD's winner of the UN Culture Change Innovation Challenge, this app connects users with IFAD’s reporting channels in their native language in an encrypted and anonymous way, lowering the threshold to report sexual harassment and seek help.

TRACE Blockchain

Blockchain to enhance transparency and trust

IFAD uses blockchain technology to enhance transparency and combat corruption, while virtual reality allows people to experience our projects in an accessible and cost-effective way, while encouraging investment from donors.

GeoScan

Enhancing decision-making with geospatial data

Collecting and presenting geospatial data is complex and time-consuming. GeoScan reduces the time required, providing accessible and accurate geospatial data from various sources on multiple themes, including demographics and poverty, to enhance evidence-based decision-making, monitoring and evaluation.

Egyptian National Initiative for Smart Green Projects

A database of innovative solutions to address the impacts of climate change
The National Initiative for Smart Green Projects Governorates in Egypt’s Governorates will develop a map of smart green projects that provide innovative and local climate solutions. This database facilitates and encourages national investments in the green economy.

IFAD OPEN & BUILDPROC

Revolutionizing Project Procurement with Automation

IFAD OPEN introduces end-to-end automation, enhances efficiency and ensures transparency in project procurement. Simultaneously, BUILDPROC is a comprehensive certification programme for procurement officers, reshaping public procurement for IFAD-financed projects.

OMNIDATA

IFAD's internal platform for data and analytics

Omnidata empowers IFAD’s workforce to do more with data and AI, developing data dashboards and AI solutions for use cases across many different and thematic areas. Through this, a strong community of practitioners are developing new skills, augmenting the way they work and sharing knowledge.