30 April 2009: The 96th meeting of the International Fund for Agricultural Development’s (IFAD) Executive Board, held 29-30 April in Rome, Italy, reviewed IFAD’s procedures for environmental management and sustainable development and encouraged IFAD management to champion these rules at upcoming UNFCCC meetings.

The procedures for environmental management and sustainable development seek to integrate environmental issues in project design and policy advice. They were developed as part of IFAD’s ongoing quality enhancement process, and include a number of environmental and social impact assessment, monitoring and evaluation tools and procedures, as well as environmental clauses and covenants to be included in loan negotiations.
The procedures contribute to IFAD’s efforts to develop a framework that takes into account the changing global context focusing on addressing challenges such as climate change, desertification, the food crisis and emerging diseases. The procedures will undergo continuous updating and improvement, informed by, among other processes, the development of IFAD’s policy on environment and natural resource management strategy on climate change for implementation within its lending framework, to be completed in 2010. [Executive Board decisions] [IFAD procedures]