Alvaro Lario

Hunger and food security: what’s the latest? Hear from Tisorn Songsermsawas, Senior Economist at IFAD, as he explains the complex picture painted by #SOFI2026 and how the evidence shows that integrated interventions are key to tackling unequal progress. Read more at ifad.org/sofi #FinancingTheFirstMile | #IFADImpact

Hunger has declined for a third consecutive year. That is welcome progress and proof that coordinated action and investment can make a difference. However, #SOFI2026 also warns that progress remains fragile. Nearly 2.7 billion people may still be unable to afford a healthy diet. Affordability is a whole-value-chain issue. It depends on resilient production, affordable inputs, effective storage and processing, functioning markets and decent incomes for small-scale producers. Climate shocks, conflict, inflation and disruptions to energy, transport and trade affect this chain. That is why integrated investment in production, value chains and market systems is so important. The evidence shows this works. IFAD-supported projects increased participants’ incomes, production and market access by at least 34 per cent. Where strong private-sector engagement was included, income gains reached 64 per cent. @IFAD's focus on nutrition is cross cutting. We approach nutrition as a food systems outcome integrated across our investments. Scaling up investment in resilient food systems and value chains that connect rural producers to opportunity and consumers to affordable and nutritious food. SOFI 2026 gives us the evidence. Our task now is to turn that evidence into investments. @FAO | @WFP | @WHO | @UNICEF #FinancingTheFirstMile | #HealthyDiets

Global hunger declined for a third consecutive year in 2025, according to the 2026 edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (#SOFI2026) report. But progress remains fragile and uneven – with food insecurity still highest in rural areas and among women. An estimated 645 million people faced hunger in 2025, while 2.1 billion experienced moderate or severe food insecurity – still above pre-pandemic levels. Healthy diets are becoming more expensive and, despite improvements, affordability varies sharply across regions. In Africa, 66.6% of people could not afford a healthy diet in 2025. “Our task now is to turn the evidence SOFI provides into investment - and to do so through partnership. Together, we can build the value chains, market systems and rural economies that make healthy food affordable for all.” said @IFADPresident Alvaro Lario. Read more at bit.ly/4hj4Si0 #FinancingTheFirstMile | @FAO @WFP @UNICEF @WHO

As I reflect on my time at #HLPF, one central thread ran through my bilateral discussions. Rural transformation will not be delivered by any one institution or source of finance. It requires governments, international financial institutions, the private sector, philanthropy and the UN system to align capital and expertise behind country-led priorities. With #Japan’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, @ayano_kunimitsu, we discussed our partnership on food security, nutrition and rural investment. Through initiatives such as the Enhanced Linkages between Private Sector and Small-scale Producers programme in Tanzania, we are also building stronger markets and public-private-producer partnerships. Japan’s leadership helps to scale this approach through #IFAD14. #Malawi’s Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Dr Hon Ben Phiri, and I discussed IFAD's investments in the country, which helps small-scale producers to transition from subsistence towards commercial agriculture. With @SpainUN’s, Héctor Gómez, we reflected on #Spain’s long-standing leadership in innovative development finance. Its pioneering EUR300 million food-security facility enabled IFAD to expand concessional financing across 24 countries, while our current co-financing framework is supporting investments in countries across Latin America and Africa. @UNOPS Executive Director @UNOPS_Chief and I explored how IFAD’s financing capabilities and UNOPS’ expertise can be brought together more systematically particularly in fragile and crisis-affected settings. Rural infrastructure is not simply a construction challenge, it connects farmers to markets, services and economic opportunity and the development of a local private sector. My discussion with @RockefellerFdn Executive Vice President Elizabeth Yee focused on moving from strategic alignment to operational partnership and exploring the agriculture-energy nexus where are work and priorities can create synergies. Finally, in my meeting with @UN Deputy Secretary-General @AminaJMohammed, I reaffirmed IFAD’s commitment to accelerating the #SDGs and UN80. IFAD is putting these commitments into practice by combining concessional lending, grants, guarantees, sustainable bonds and direct private-sector investment to mobilize capital for markets, employment and resilience. @IFAD will continue bringing governments, IFIs, public development banks, investors and partners together to ensure that global finance reaches the first mile, where it can strengthen local economies before the next crisis arrives. #FinancingTheFirstMile | #HLPF2026

Hunger and food insecurity – what do the latest figures show? @IFADPresident Alvaro Lario will join partners at @FAO HQ for the launch of the 2026 edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (#SOFI2026). Watch the livestream on 21 July at 12:00 CEST: bit.ly/4fef6O0 #HealthyDiets #FinancingTheFirstMile

.@IFAD exists to ensure global finance reaches rural communities that are often disproportionally affected by hunger, climate risk, fragility and economic shocks. At #HLPF, I joined @UNECOSOC Lok Bahadur Thapa, @UN Under-Secretary-General @MelissaFleming and @AminaJMohammed for a discussion on “The Way Forward to 2030”. My message is simple. Progress on the #SDGs will depend on whether more finance reaches rural areas. Today, 2.3 billion people experience moderate or severe food insecurity, and more than 670 million face hunger. In rural communities, these pressures are closely linked. Increase in input prices or weather extremes quickly lead to lost harvests, falling incomes and less food on the table. Agrifood systems must therefore be treated as a development and financing priority. They support more than 1.2 billion jobs and are central to food security, employment, climate adaptation and economic stability. Humanitarian action remains essential, but reacting after each crisis is not enough. We need to invest before the next shock arrives. As an international financial institution, IFAD directs finance to the first mile of food systems, where small-scale producers, rural entrepreneurs and agrifood SMEs operate. Every dollar contributed to IFAD helps mobilize around six dollars of investment on the ground. We also use public finance to reduce risk, strengthen local financial systems and bring development banks, businesses and private investors behind national priorities. Effective multilateralism means less fragmentation, stronger institutions and more finance reaching the people and places that need it most. #FinancingTheFirstMile | #HLPF2026

Tonga’s leadership matters far beyond its shores. For Small Island Developing States, resilient food systems are central to climate adaptation, food security and economic stability. On the margins of #HLPF in New York, I held bilateral discussions with the Prime Minister of #Tonga, Lord Fatafehi Fakafānua highlighting the long standing partnership between @IFAD and Tonga.  IFAD and Tonga have worked together since 1983. Our total investment has reached more than US$53 million, including US$22 million in IFAD financing, supporting rural communities and expanding opportunities, particularly in the outer islands. Our shared priority is the development of value chains and opening markets for small holder producers from outer islands to main islands and regional markets. The Tonga Rural Innovation Project Phase III marks the next stage of this partnership. Financed by a US$5.3 million IFAD grant and US$4.7 million in climate co-financing, it will strengthen climate-resilient agriculture, improve food and nutrition security, and create new economic opportunities for approximately 35,000 people. Across the Pacific, IFAD has mobilized more than US$400 million in investments over four decades, helping countries strengthen resilience, food security and sustainable rural livelihoods. As we look towards #IFAD14, our focus is on mobilizing greater investment in rural people, climate adaptation, nutrition and sustainable food systems across Tonga and the wider Pacific. #FinancingTheFirstMile

Food crises do not begin or end at national borders. COVID-19, conflict, climate and economic shocks and disruptions to energy, fertiliser and trade have shown how quickly pressure in one part of the world can spread through food systems and reach communities thousands of miles away. At the #HLPF in New York, @IFAD hosted a High-Level Roundtable on a difficult but necessary question: How do we finance agrifood systems that can better withstand the next shock? The discussion confirmed that this is no longer only an agricultural issue. Food-system resilience is inseparable from economic security, geopolitical stability and international cooperation. Shocks are transmitted through energy, fertiliser, trade and food markets. In many African countries, for example, more than 80% of fertiliser is imported. Disruption or price volatility in global markets can therefore quickly affect planting decisions, harvests and rural incomes. Small-scale producers and rural entrepreneurs feel these pressures first. Rising input costs and reduced access to finance determine whether they can plant, invest, hire workers or take produce to market. But vulnerability can be reduced. Better fertiliser application and combining organic and inorganic inputs can cut fertiliser use by 25–30% while sustaining or increasing yields. What happens at the #FirstMile shapes food availability, prices, and rural incomes. If disruptions persist, as many as 45 million additional people could face acute food insecurity. Resilience must be financed before the next crisis arrives. That investment must begin at the first mile. Lord Fatafehi Fakafānua, Prime Minister of Tonga, underlined this and brought in the perspective of countries already facing climate and economic vulnerability. Through #IFAD14, we can bring governments, development finance institutions, the private sector and other partners around a shared agenda: addressing immediate food-security pressures while building stronger rural economies and more resilient agrifood systems. @GovIE | @ItalyMFA_int | @ItalyMFA | @MFAEthiopia | @PolandMFA | @PremierRP | @RockefellerFdn #FinancingTheFirstMile

This week at #HLPF, I have the opportunity to reflect with colleagues, partners and Member States on what comes next for global #water action. The launch of the United Nations SDG 6 Synthesis Report last week offered both encouragement and a clear reminder of the work ahead. After ten years of implementation, billions more people now have access to safer water, sanitation and hygiene. Countries are also increasingly managing water in more integrated ways across the entire water cycle. Yet progress remains too slow and too uneven, and too many people continue to be left behind. Throughout the discussions this week, there is a strong sense of shared purpose. We know much of what needs to be done. We have evidence of what works, growing political commitment and innovative partnerships emerging across sectors and regions. We need to bring these pieces together and move further, faster. The 2026 UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi is an opportunity to strengthen cooperation, mobilize investment and accelerate implementation to deliver real improvements in people’s lives. The momentum is there. Now, let’s turn it into lasting results.  Read the United Nations SDG 6 Synthesis Report: unwater.org/publications/s… @UN_Water

Pleased to speak with @NHKWORLD_News about the Enhanced Linkages between Private Sector and Small-scale Producers (ELPS) initiative, financed by Japan, @IFAD and private sector partners. In Tanzania, ELPS is connecting nearly 1,400 coffee farmers with expertise, markets and private sector partners to improve quality, increase productivity and build more resilient supply chains. This is the value of Public-Private-Producers Partnerships, small-scale farmers gain access to better opportunities and higher-value markets, while companies strengthen the resilience and sustainability of the supply chains they depend on. At a time of rising food, fuel and fertilizer costs, this matters even more. Global shocks are often absorbed first at the farm gate, by producers with the least capacity to adapt. That is why IFAD is working with partners to scale this approach through Agri-Link, connecting rural producers with local and international agribusinesses across countries and value chains. My thanks to #Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for its leadership, and to @UCC_COFFEE, NHK and all partners helping show how investment at the first mile can deliver shared value. Watch the full video here: youtu.be/YroSyyY-6bU?si… #FinancingTheFirstMile

It was a pleasure to welcome Zou Jiayi, the President of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) at an important moment as AIIB enters its second decade. @IFAD and @AIIB_Official are building on their strong partnership and move toward joint investments in Asia and beyond. For the first time, in Cambodia, we are directly co-financing a US$240 million investment that brings together infrastructure, climate adaptation and rural development, with expected benefits for more than 1.5 million people. We are also collaborating through #AgriConnect in Papua New Guinea, with further opportunities emerging across Asia and beyond. There is great potential in connecting AIIB’s infrastructure finance with IFAD’s first-mile expertise so investments in solar irrigation, rural infrastructure, agribusiness logistics,  and climate resilience translate into jobs, incomes, stronger markets and more resilient food systems. Our discussion today centred around turning this potential into real impact. We are committed to cooperate early at design stage and establish mutual reliance frameworks to leverage the IFAD-AIIB complementarity. I look forward to deepening our partnership and mobilizing more public, private and climate finance for rural transformation at scale. #FinancingTheFirstMile

Africa’s future will be shaped in its rural economies and areas. Today at @IFAD, I was pleased to co-host with Italy the event “Advancing the Italian Mattei Plan: Scaling Joint Investments in Agriculture and Food Systems.” The #MatteiPlan reflects an important shift in international cooperation with Africa: moving from traditional donor-recipient models towards equal-to-equal partnership, shared ownership, co-investment and mutual benefit. The third annual progress report to the Italian Parliament shows how this approach is moving from vision to implementation across priority areas including agriculture, water, energy, infrastructure, education and health, with IFAD recognized among the international partners supporting this agenda. This direction is closely aligned with IFAD’s mandate. We invest with governments and rural communities to strengthen smallholder agriculture, build resilient value chains, expand access to finance and markets, and create opportunities where they are needed most. Italy and IFAD’s collaboration under the Mattei Plan is now moving from alignment to implementation: Côte d’Ivoire is partnering with Italy and IFAD to advance a major milestone through the Agro-Industrial Pole Project in the North-East. Italy’s €100 million co-financing will complement IFAD’s US$75 million investment to support climate-adaptive agriculture, strengthen value chains and improve food and nutrition security for more than 35,000 rural families, around 220,000 people. The Government of Senegal is working with Italy, IFAD, @TheOPECFund and @EIB on a US$265 million co-investment programme to support food sovereignty and reach more than one million people. With Angola, we are exploring further collaboration in the coffee value chain, drawing on Italian expertise and private sector engagement. These examples show how public investment, technical expertise and private sector partnerships can come together to deliver lasting impact at the first mile of food systems. With more than 60 per cent of IFAD’s portfolio in Africa, and with our country presence, IFAD is a strong partner of the Mattei Plan. As we look towards #IFAD14, with its focus on market integration, employment and resilience, this partnership offers a strong operational platform to scale joint investments with African countries. My thanks to the Government of Italy, Ambassadors from our African Member States, institutional partners and private sector actors for today’s important discussion and for their shared commitment to investing in rural prosperity. @ItalyMFA_int | @GruppoCDP | @Palazzo_Chigi | @SocialMasaf | @MEF_GOV

Rural development is one of the most powerful investments we can make in global prosperity, food security and stability. Small farms of up to five hectares produce around half of the world’s food. Behind this are rural women, men and young people working at the first mile of food systems — growing food, powering local economies and building resilient communities. On World Rural Development Day, we recognize their essential role. At @IFAD, we invest in the first mile of food systems — where rural people, their skills and their enterprises drive lasting change for their communities. These investments increase production, improve access to markets, strengthen value chains and build resilience to shocks. When rural communities have access to finance, technology and opportunity, incomes grow, food security improves and societies become more stable and resilient. #WorldRuralDevelopmentDay | #FinancingTheFirstMile

Private sector engagement is a decisive driver of rural transformation. When companies connect with rural areas, they bring markets, capital and innovation closer to small‑scale producers, turning local production into viable, long‑term business opportunities. Evidence from 58 impact assessments shows that projects with strong private sector engagement boosted incomes by 64%. This is nearly double the 33% increase observed when the private sector was involved in a limited way. Farmers’ organizations are critical to making this engagement work. By aggregating supply and reducing transaction costs, they help rural producers reach scale and facilitate the establishment of lasting commercial relationships. As we approach #WorldRuralDevelopmentDay under the theme #FinancingTheFirstMile, discover how IFAD investments leverage private sector engagement to drive lasting growth in rural areas, strengthening the role of small‑scale producers as economic actors across food value chains.

It was my pleasure to welcome Gulf Cooperation Countries Ambassadors to @IFAD for the first IFAD–GCC Dialogue. For nearly 50 years, IFAD and GCC countries have worked together to invest in rural people, strengthen food systems and build long-term resilience. This partnership has been central to IFAD’s story from the beginning, when GCC members contributed half of the Fund’s initial capital. Our partnership is as relevant as ever. IFAD is a strategic investment platform that turns capital into tangible results at the first mile of food systems. We invest where risk can be reduced early, where production can be strengthened, and where rural communities can build the resilience needed to sustain food systems and local economies. This is also about managing risk upstream: investing before disruption becomes crisis, strengthening supply chains and supporting more stable food systems globally. Our dialogue was an important opportunity to deepen this partnership and shape practical solutions together for food security, resilience and sustainable growth. #FinancingTheFirstMile

One year after the Sevilla Conference on Financing for Development, the focus must now be on delivery, turning the Sevilla Commitment into concrete investment, impact and resilience. The Sevilla Commitment recognized one of the central challenges of development finance: how to mobilize more and better finance for sustainable development and ensure it reaches the people and places where it can have the greatest impact. At @IFAD, we are contributing to the #FFD4 agenda by financing the first mile of food systems and ensuring investment reaches small scale farmers, rural entrepreneurs and rural communities. We are working with Member States and partners to scale up concessional finance, mobilize private investment, strengthen country led platforms and direct resources to underserved rural markets. Over 48 years, IFAD has provided more than US$24 billion in loans and grants and mobilized over US$37 billion in domestic and international cofinancing for rural transformation. Since 2022, IFAD has also raised over US$1 billion through sustainable bonds, channelling capital to underserved rural agrifood markets expected to reach more than 26 million rural people across 29 countries. This matters because rural communities are on the front line of shocks, from rising energy and fertilizer prices to climate change, conflict and market disruption. But they are also central to the solution, producing food, strengthening local economies and building resilience. In Madrid, I joined leaders from across the multilateral system at the inauguration of the new @UNWTO headquarters, an important moment to reaffirm #Spain’s leadership on international cooperation and take stock of progress since Sevilla. My thanks to the @sanchezcastejon, @jordihereub, @minturgob and UN Tourism Secretary General Shaikha Al Nuwais for bringing us together at a time when multilateral cooperation must move from commitment to implementation. #FinancingTheFirstMile

A powerful moment today in Vienna to reflect on what sustained, strategic partnership can achieve. For 50 years, @TheOPECFund has shaped global economic stability and strengthened resilience across more than 125 countries. That legacy is especially relevant today as the world grapples with an energy and economic shock with striking similarities to the 1970's energy crisis that inspired OPEC Fund's mission — as well as @IFAD's. A shared vision that in a more volatile world, resilience is not built through isolated efforts, but through long-term partnerships that invest in people, economies and systems, has served as the foundation of our institutions' robust five decades long partnership. The #OPECFundDevForum today was an opportunity to celebrate the Fund's remarkable journey and bring this vision into focus. While there, I had the opportunity to engage with partners across finance, innovation and government, including valuable discussions with @RaniaAlMashat, Executive Secretary of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (@UNESCWA), @Dalyahya, Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization (@dcorg), São Tomé and Principe President Carlos Manuel Vila Nova and Kuwait Minister of Finance Dr. Yaqoub Al-Sayed Al-Refaei. We also marked the launch of the Vulnerability to Viability (V2V) Compact — a new global partnership that aims to help the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries access more affordable finance with longer repayment rates. In my closing remarks I emphasized that value chains are the backbone of rural transformation. Investing in local processing, infrastructure and connected markets with small-scale producers at the centre is what creates jobs, raises incomes and builds resilience in rural economies. As we celebrate five decades of impact, IFAD looks forward to continuing to work alongside the OPEC Fund and partners to scale solutions that strengthen economies from the ground up and contribute to a more stable and prosperous world. #OPECFund50 #FinancingtheFirstMile #VulnerabilityToViability