IFAD

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. The Conference was organized in response to the food crises of the early 1970s that primarily affected the Sahelian countries of Africa. IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries. Working with rural poor people, governments, donors, non-governmental organizations and many other partners, IFAD focuses on country-specific solutions, which can involve increasing rural poor peoples' access to financial services, markets, technology, land, water and other natural resources.

Through low-interest loans and grants, and guided by its Strategic Framework for IFAD 2007-2010: Enabling the rural poor to overcome poverty, IFAD works with governments to develop and finance programmes and projects that enable rural poor people to overcome poverty themselves.
By essence, IFAD is dealing with rural water. Hence, MUS agenda is highly relevant to its operations.
Read more about IFAD: http://www.ifad.org/governance/index.htm
What IFAD does in the water sector: http://www.ifad.org/english/water/index.htm and http://www.ifad.org/english/water/innowat/index.htm

What IFAD does in the water sector:

• Linking water and governance
• Learning and knowledge on innovations in water and rural poverty (InnoWat)