ROME/VATICAN CITY, 15 January. - (ANA) - His Holiness Pope Leo XIV received today Alvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in a private audience at the Apostolic Palace. The meeting highlighted the strong convergence between the Holy Father’s social vision and IFAD’s mission to transform rural lives and economies for food security and more prosperity in some of the world's poorest areas.

 

President Lario expressed appreciation for Pope Leo XIV’s emphasis on human dignity, inclusion and support for vulnerable communities, priorities that mirror IFAD’s investments and programmes in rural areas, including regions affected by conflict, climate shocks and food insecurity.

 

“IFAD and the Holy See share the conviction that everyone, especially in rural areas, must be given the opportunity to lead productive lives, earn a decent income, and live in peace. These are the fundamentals for all human beings to live in dignity,” said President Lario.

 

Pope Leo XIV’s long pastoral experience in Peru was an important point of connection. IFAD’s work in the country, including a project, Avanzar Rural, which has increased rural incomes by an average of 40 per cent, demonstrating the impact of community driven development.

 

President Lario also underscored the role of rural development, especially for young people, in preventing instability and forced migration. IFAD programmes show that when rural families have access to resources, markets and resilience tools, they can grow their income, build small businesses, and access new economic opportunities. This fuels growth in rural areas and makes rural communities less vulnerable to conflicts and instability, which are drivers of displacement.

 

In Ethiopia, every 1 per cent increase in land productivity across IFAD investments was linked to a 3 per cent reduction in local conflicts. Similarly, in Mali, districts that did not receive investments experienced an 8 per cent rise in local conflicts compared to other districts that got access to financial assistance and engaged in rural advisory programmes.

 

President Lario welcomed the Holy Father’s moral leadership in encouraging global solidarity and promoting a more just and inclusive world.

 

“We are inspired by Pope Leo XIV’s call to promote the craft of peace,” said Lario. “Investing in rural people delivers lasting stability and shared prosperity.”

 

The meeting took place as IFAD prepares to launch its new three-year replenishment campaign, an effort to mobilize core resources to invest in rural people for the period 2028-2030.

 

An estimated 8.2 percent of the global population, or about 673 million people, experienced hunger in 2024, down from 8.5 percent in 2023 and 8.7 percent in 2022. Eighty per cent of the world's poorest live in the rural areas of developing countries.  

 

IFAD is an international financial institution and a United Nations specialized agency. Based in Rome – the United Nations food and agriculture hub – IFAD invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience. Since 1978, we have provided more than US$25 billion in grants and low-interest loans to fund projects in developing countries.  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/15 January 2026 - - -