The 48th Session of the Governing Council (GC) of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) took place on 12 and 13 February 2025. The Malaysian delegation comprised of Dato’ Zahid, in his capacity as Alternate Governor to IFAD; Ms Farrah Felinda Hanim Razali, Principal Assistant Secretary, International Division, Ministry of Finance; and Mr Anwar Faiz Othman, First Secretary (Agriculture) of the Embassy of Malaysia, Rome.
With a theme of ‘Catalysing Investment at the 1st Mile’, this 48th GC focused on marginalised and vulnerable people living in rural areas; assembling finance; leveraging partnerships in support of rural livelihoods and prosperity; and building resilience to the root causes of fragility.
At the Annual Governors’ Roundtable on 13 February, Dato’ Zahid emphasised on the crucial role of multilateralism, global cooperation, and the policy space and institutional mandate that IFAD has to focus on long-term goals in the face of many global challenges. He also shared on the MADANI Economy Framework, Malaysia’s efforts towards agricultural and rural development, self-sufficiency of food production, and the transformative opportunities of digital agriculture technologies (DAT).
