Rome - The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) today announced a call to its 180 Member States to nominate candidates for the Fund's next President. IFAD was created by the UN General Assembly in 1977 and is the only international financial institution exclusively focused on transforming rural economies. The President is IFAD's most senior position with responsibility for leading the organization, organizing its work and chairing its Executive Board.

Nominations for President can only be made by IFAD Member States and must be received by the Secretary of IFAD no later than 24 November 2026. Candidates for the position should meet the following criteria:

* Strategic leadership skills based on knowledge and experience of development issues;

* Strong demonstrated commitment to all the objectives of the Fund;

* Communication and advocacy skills to influence decision makers at the highest level, including ministers and heads of other development agencies;

* Ability to build and maintain a cohesive and effective top management team;

* Experience in managing substantial financial resources.

The election and appointment of the President will take place on 2 February 2027 during the 50th session of IFAD's Governing Council. The Governing Council is the Fund's principal governing body with full decision-making powers.

The President of IFAD serves a four-year term, renewable once. The newly appointed President will take office on 1 April 2027.

The President will lead IFAD at an urgent time for global development. Compounding challenges, including food insecurity, climate change, youth unemployment, and protracted conflict and economic shocks, are exposing the vulnerability of food systems worldwide and underscoring the urgent need for sustained investment in rural transformation. Strong leadership in development finance is critical at this moment to mobilize resources at scale, strengthen partnerships for innovative financial solutions and impactful co-financing, and advance resilient and inclusive rural growth.

Note to editors:

More information on nomination and appointment procedures can be found on the IFAD website at: https://webapps.ifad.org/members/governance/AppointmentofthePresident

Past and current IFAD Presidents:

1. Abdelmuhsin M. Al-Sudeary (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) - appointed in 1977, re-appointed 1980

2. Idriss Jazairy (People's Democratic Republic of Algeria) - appointed in 1984, re-appointed 1989

3. Fawzi Al-Sultan (State of Kuwait) - appointed in 1993, re-appointed 1997

4. Lennart Båge (Kingdom of Sweden) - appointed in 2001, re-appointed 2005

5. Kanayo F. Nwanze (Federal Republic of Nigeria) - appointed in 2009, re-appointed 2013

6. Gilbert F. Houngbo (Togolese Republic) - appointed in 2017, re-appointed 2021

7. Alvaro Lario (Kingdom of Spain) - appointed in 2022

Media contact: Caroline Chaumont | c.chaumont@ifad.org |

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