IFAD in Country

IFAD in Pakistan

IFAD’s work in Pakistan aims to combat rural poverty by promoting rural development. Since it began operations in the country in 1978, IFAD has supported 25 projects and approved loans worth a total of US$511.1 million. The total cost of IFAD’s programme in Pakistan amounts to roughly US$2.2 billion.

As laid out in the 2009 country strategic opportunities programme (COSOP) report, IFAD’s overarching strategic objectives in Pakistan are, first, to connect rural people with the skills, services and technologies that will enable them to increase productivity; and, second, to build and support local capacity through the promotion of participatory development processes.

To achieve these objectives, IFAD’s strategy focuses on:

Eradicating poverty in vulnerable and remote areas
Achieving community participation
Identifying opportunities for innovation
Supporting partnerships between public and private sectors

A defining characteristic of IFAD’s strategy is its focus on people. By promoting skills enhancement, vocational training and access to financial services, the goal is to provide rural households with wider opportunities, including increased access to markets and to key partnerships with the private sector.

Some key IFAD partners in Pakistan include the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Food Programme, the Asian Development Bank, Pakistan’s provincial and national governments, the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund, civil society, non-governmental and community-based organizations and, increasingly, the private sector.

In order to ensure that its country programme has a sustained impact on rural poverty reduction, IFAD support is focused in areas that have a high incidence of poverty or that suffer from specific development problems due to their geographical locations. In coming years, greater efforts will be made to promote local innovation, policy dialogue and knowledge management.

Comprehensive assessment tools, such as the country programme evaluation and the COSOP, enable IFAD to fine-tune its efforts in Pakistan. For example, the most recent COSOP calls for a new emphasis on high-value crops, livestock development and market access, and on mitigating the effects of climate change. These report recommendations inform both current and future projects and help ensure the greatest degree of efficiency and effectiveness in IFAD’s work.

Source: IFAD

IFAD

Welcome!