Philippines Highlights Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change; Seeks to Bolster Cooperation with International Fund for Agricultural Development

Ambassador and Permanent Representative Neal Imperial hands over his letter of appointment to Mr. Alvaro Lario of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) during their introductory meeting held on 15 September 2023 at the IFAD Headquarters in Rome. (Photo from IFAD website/Flavio Ianniello)

ROME 22 September 2023 - Philippine Ambassador to Italy Neal Imperial underscored the Philippine government’s priorities in agriculture, food security and climate change, and sought to bolster cooperation with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) during his meeting with its President, Mr. Alvaro Lario, at the IFAD Headquarters in Rome, Italy to hand over his letter of appointment as Philippine Permanent Representative to the IFAD.  

IFAD is a funding partner of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). 

During the meeting, the Ambassador thanked him for the IFAD’s programs and for its partnership with the Philippines through financial and technical assistance to support the Philippine government’s priorities enshrined in the current administration’s 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda and outlined in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, particularly agriculture and food security. For 2022-2024 under the Twelfth Replenishment of IFAD’s Resources, the Philippines received one of the highest allocations of funding amounting to USD 85 million for projects, which includes the Value Chain Innovation for Sustainable Transformation in Agrarian Reform Communities (VISTA) to be implemented in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). The Ambassador also welcomed possible additional grant assistance for new project proposals to complement loan financing to enhance the readiness of Philippine agriculture and rural projects. 

Since 1978, the IFAD has committed a total of USD 320.626 million in financing 17 projects related to agricultural development in the Philippines to enable the rural poor to improve their incomes and food security, and to provide better food, education and health care for their families. The IFAD's current active portfolio in the Philippines – the Rural Agro-Enterprise Partnership for Inclusive Development and Growth Project, is being implemented in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). 

Ambassador Imperial further conveyed the Philippine government's commitment to work closely with the IFAD towards the implementation of the Country Strategic Opportunities Program (COSOP) 2023-2028 for the Philippines. The COSOP is a framework for making strategic choices about the IFAD operations in countries, identifying opportunities for financing and facilitating management for results. It aims to ensure that the IFAD country operations produce a positive impact on poverty. 

The IFAD President thanked the Philippines for its strong partnership with the Fund and for its financial support since its establishment. The Philippines plays an important role in securing additional resources for the IFAD through its financial contributions. He expressed hope for further collaboration with the Philippines with the recent approval of its COSOP.  He likewise shared IFAD’s goal to integrate climate-related projects and increasing private sector engagement, in addition to focusing on youth, gender, environment and nutrition. 

IFAD is a specialized agency of the United Nations established as an international financial institution and a major outcome of the 1974 World Food Conference to finance agricultural development projects primarily for food production in the developing countries. 

The Philippines has been a member of IFAD since its creation in 1977. END

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) President Alvaro Lario welcomes Ambassador and Permanent Representative Neal Imperial during their introductory meeting at the IFAD Headquarters in Rome on 15 September 2023. (Photo from IFAD website/Flavio Ianniello)

For more information, visit https://www.romepe.dfa.gov.ph,  https://www.facebook.com/PHinItaly/  or https://twitter.com/PHinItaly.