7 February 2011: The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has released an evaluation of projects, activities and internal performance related to gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The report, titled “Corporate-level evaluation on IFAD’s performance with regard to gender equality and women’s empowerment” describes progress by the organization, highlighting its objectives related to expanding women’s access to and control over assets, strengthening women’s agencies, and facilitating access to basic rural services and infrastructure. The report notes IFAD’s contribution to meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and highlights the importance of women in realizing the objective of sustainable agriculture.

The report lauds IFAD’s promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment in global policy and advocacy forums. It also underscores areas for improvement relating to sharing of good practices, strengthening of monitoring and reporting, and promoting innovative and scalable solutions for rural women.

According to the report, IFAD will organize a workshop with other multilateral organizations to discuss policy solutions and implementation. The workshop’s conclusions will inform the updating of IFAD’s gender policy in 2011. [Publication: Corporate-level Evaluation on IFAD’s Performance with Regard to Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment]