France and IFAD share a commitment to ending poverty and hunger through sustainable rural development. France’s development priorities and IFAD’s mandate are strongly aligned: both place smallholder farmers and rural people at the heart of their work and recognize the potential of agriculture as a key driver in increasing food security, reducing poverty and mitigating climate change.

France is a founding member of IFAD and one of its top donors. Since IFAD’s inception, France has provided US$383.1 million to the Fund’s resources, US$10.8 million in supplementary funds and over US$212.2 million towards co-financing IFAD’s investment portfolio. A loan of €200 million from the Agence Française de Développement has provided IFAD with significant additional resources. France is strongly engaged in the Fund’s governance, including as a member of the Executive Board, the Evaluation Committee and the Working Group on the Performance-based Allocation System.

Collaboration between France and IFAD is strengthened through a partnership agreement. The agreement aims to deepen operational collaboration and to encourage sharing of knowledge and expertise in priority areas, including gender equality, climate change and rural finance.

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 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 that France invests in IFAD delivers a pro-poor total investment equivalent of US$4. IFAD has 40 country offices across the developing world and is headquartered in Rome, Italy, the UN’s food and agriculture hub.