الصندوق الدولي للتنمية الزراعية 🇺🇳

Japan has long been a strategic partner of @IFAD in advancing human security. During my visit to Japan, I met with senior Japanese leaders, including @moteging, Minister for Foreign Affairs @MofaJapan_en, Yoko Kamikawa, former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Special Envoy of the Prime Minister to the UN 2026 Water Conference and Members of Parliament. Our discussions focused on how Japan and IFAD can deepen cooperation around rural transformation, food security, climate resilience through investing in the first mile. These are not separate priorities. They are central to stronger economies, more stable supply chains, and long-term shared prosperity. The Japan-IFAD partnership is already moving in this direction, including through the Enhanced Linkages between the Private Sector and Small-scale Producers (ELPS) launched during Japan's #G7 Presidency in 2023. Strengthening public-private partnerships with Japanese companies can help connect small-scale producers to markets, expand innovations, and build more resilient and inclusive food systems. This model also extends to our partnership with the @jica_direct_en. In my meeting with President Akihiko Tanaka , we discussed practical ways to deepen collaboration at the country level, including through the Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment and Promotion Approach and expanding the co-finance portfolio. The approach has already supported more than 77,000 farmers across IFAD-financed projects in Africa, demonstrating how targeted investments, market access and capacity-building remain essential to creating sustainable rural livelihoods and economic opportunities. As discussions on #IFAD14 advance, Japan’s continued leadership and partnership will remain essential to #FinancingTheFirstMile. Together, we can build more resilient rural economies, stable supply chains, and long-term shared prosperity.

Today we begin #IFAD14 consultations with a clear sense of responsibility. The operating environment for rural development has changed. Growth is slowing, inflation remains persistent, fiscal space is tightening, and supply chain disruptions are reaching rural communities with speed and force. For the small-scale producers @IFAD serves, this is not a distant macroeconomic trend. It affects whether inputs can be purchased, whether produce can reach markets, whether young people can find work, and whether families can plan beyond the next season. This is why IFAD14 matters. IFAD’s role is to make long-term investment possible where it is needed most and where perceived risk too often keeps finance away. Through core contributions, loan reflows, borrowed resources, supplementary funds, cofinancing and private sector engagement, we turn public resources into a wider platform for rural investment. Our priorities for IFAD14 are deliberately focused by strengthening rural markets, productive rural employment, and resilience that can withstand repeated shocks. Together with our Member States and over the next two days, our task is to sharpen these priorities, test our assumptions and build a replenishment that matches the scale of the moment. Learn more about IFAD14: ifad.org/en/ifad14/ #FinancingTheFirstMile

Fiscal constraints across the international development system underscore the need to deploy official development assistance more strategically and catalytically. Today in Paris, I participated in a panel discussion on how to reduce fragmentation and reinforce coordination at @FinanceInCommon’s #FiCSG7 event alongside Sidi Ould Tah, President of the @AfDB_Group, Boitumelo Mosako, CEO of the @DBSA_Bank, Fahad Hamad-Al Sulaiti, DG of @qatar_fund. Our exchanges focused on how to strengthen coordination and operationalisation across the development finance ecosystem and investment flows, leveraging #PDBs and country-led platforms to deliver more coherent, long-term, and transformational outcomes. This is precisely where @IFAD adds value. In my meeting with @CaroitEleonore, Minister Delegate for Francophonie and International Partnerships, I reaffirmed IFAD’s strong support for the French Presidency’s efforts to better connect development priorities with financing solutions, an approach that is both timely and necessary in today’s global context. I am grateful for the Minister’s message of hope amidst trying times and of trust in multilateralism to enhance mutual beneficial partnerships. As a strategic partner to the #G7, IFAD operates as an international financial institution, mobilizing and deploying capital at the first mile. #IFAD14 is strategically positioned to contribute at scale to core G7 priorities, from leveraging remittances and diaspora investment as drivers of rural resilience, to tackling malnutrition and advancing school meals as among the most cost-effective investments in human capital. @francediplo_EN @francediplo #IFADImpact #FinancingTheFirstMile #G7development

Today’s 9th Joint Informal Meeting of the Rome Based Agencies underscored the need for stronger collaboration and joint results at country level, reduced duplication and greater efficiency. The RBAs, @FAO , @IFAD and @WFP , each bring distinct strengths. WFP focuses on emergency response. FAO provides data, standards and policy guidance. IFAD mobilizes long-term investment at the first mile, supporting rural transformation, market development and resilient economies. Collaboration must remain country-driven, with governments defining priorities and partnerships. IFAD offers longstanding expertise in financing rural transformation, connecting local systems to broader economic opportunities, and more coherent policy engagement. Our joint work on #SchoolMeals showcases how we are linking agriculture, nutrition and education through nationally owned systems to advance on #ZeroHunger. In #Kenya, we are connecting small-scale producers to structured markets and school feeding programmes. FAO supports policy and technical standards. WFP delivers at scale. IFAD invests in smallholder agriculture and value chains so local producers can supply these programmes. The result is stronger supply chains, improved livelihoods and more sustainable systems. We are delivering results. In a more volatile and constrained environment, the direction is evident: act earlier, work more effectively, and deliver together within a more coherent system. This is how we strengthen food security, stability and shared prosperity. #FinancingTheFirstMile #IFADImpact #IFAD14 #SchoolMeals