Canada and IFAD have a long-standing partnership to end poverty and hunger. Both place vulnerable people at the centre of efforts to build livelihoods and create opportunities for women and men in rural areas, where 80 per cent of the world’s poorest people live.

Canada is a founding member of IFAD, a top donor to the Fund and is strongly engaged in IFAD’s governance. Canada has provided catalytic support to IFAD to advance priority issues, helping the Fund to strengthen its focus on women, enhance the nutritional impact of its investments and enable rural communities to become more resilient to the effects of climate change.

IFAD works in the most remote regions of developing countries and in fragile situations where poverty and hunger are deepest. IFAD-funded projects help rural women and men to produce more food, sustainably manage natural resources, start businesses, connect to markets, build strong organizations and gain a voice in decisions that affect their lives. IFAD’s work tackles the root causes of poverty and contributes directly to the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

IFAD leverages the core resources it receives. Every dollar Canada invests in the Fund delivers a pro-poor total investment equivalent to US$4. The Fund has 40 country offices across the developing world and is headquartered in Rome, Italy, the UN’s food and agriculture hub.