Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Paolo Gentiloni met today at the Farnesina with Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the UN’s only international financial institution. In keeping with the EXPO 2015 theme, Italy considers sustainable agriculture and food security to be among its own Development Cooperation’s top priorities and assigns key importance to the UN’s Rome hub, of which IFAD is an essential component.
The meeting offered a useful opportunity for encounter between Italy and IFAD, particularly regarding relations with the foreign ministry. Topics discussed included renewal of a partnership agreement with the Directorate General for Development Cooperation and the opportunities associated with cooperation reform, especially in matters of official development aid and private sector involvement.
Other themes touched on included the Fund’s participation in EXPO 2015, the post-2015 Agenda and the Addis Ababa International Conference on Financing for Development and the International Day of Family Remittances organised by IFAD within the context of EXPO (Milan, 16 June 2015).
