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Collaboration between FAO, WFP and IFAD

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The current global challenges in the area of food security require the expertise of the entire United Nations, but in particular the three Rome-based UN agencies (RBAs).

Logos FAO, IFAD, WFP
Logos FAO, IFAD, WFP© UN

The respective mandates of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) complement each other and have great potential for close cooperation:

  • The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) leads international efforts to combat hunger. It is a specialized knowledge organization that provides technical expertise for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is also a forum for negotiating agreements among member states.
  • The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) focuses on eliminating hunger and malnutrition, often in the context of conflicts and natural disasters. It is the largest humanitarian organization in the world. In 2022, the WFP supported 160 million people in 120 countries.
  • The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) targets rural poverty, hunger and malnutrition among smallholder farmers and the rural poor in developing countries. It promotes an increase in productivity, income opportunities and quality of life in rural regions and mobilizes additional funds for this purpose.

In fact, RbA cooperation is needed more than ever, especially on issues of climate change, food security and the transformation of food systems.

It makes sense and is necessary to pool all efforts beyond the RBAs in the spirit of “One UN”.

The UN site in Rome is of central importance for the sustainability agenda of the United Nations with a special focus on development cooperation, humanitarian assistance, food security, sustainable agriculture and rural development, with a particular focus on smallholder farmers and gender equality.

The Committee on World Food Security (CFS) as the central inclusive and intergovernmental platform for combating world hunger and ensuring world food security is supported by all three RBAs.

FAO, WFP and IFAD signed a five-year partnership agreement in 2023 to renew cooperation at global, regional and national level and also set up thematic teams and working groups, including in the areas of

  • resilience,
  • climate change,
  • financial inclusion,
  • nutrition value chains,
  • South-South and triangular cooperation,
  • food security information,
  • gender, along with
  • food loss and waste.

The RBAs' linkages to New York and their contributions to the Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance (GCRG) and other global, regional and national initiatives contributing to the GCRG, such as the Global Alliance for Food Security (GAFS), are essential.

As of February 2024

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