Country strategic opportunities programme

Facilitating management for results.

A country strategic opportunities programme (COSOP) is a framework for making strategic choices about IFAD operations in a country, identifying opportunities for IFAD financing and facilitating management for results.

The central objective of a COSOP is to ensure that IFAD country operations produce a positive impact on poverty. The document reviews the specific rural poverty situation in order to determine geographic sites and thematic areas for IFAD operations. The COSOP also highlights the innovation IFAD intends to promote in the country programme.

The COSOP discusses institutional and policy factors that affect IFAD operations and their impact on people living in poverty. In particular, local governance and the empowerment of smallholders are the main determinants of an environment that encourages pro-poor projects.

Additionally, the COSOP includes an overview of IFAD's previous operations in the country. It also integrates the lessons learned, particularly from evaluation studies, into future operational directions.

To ensure strong country ownership, the COSOP design and implementation process is characterized by wide stakeholder consultation. It is also designed to be aligned with the country's poverty reduction strategy and planning framework.

It clearly indicates potential strategic partners among multilateral and bilateral donors, taking into account the comparative advantage of each.