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The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) announced today that it has now surpassed the mark of US$ one billion in sustainable bonds’ issuances since its inaugural issuance in June 2022. This was triggered by the issuance of its twelfth bond in September 2025.
The US$ one billion raised from international capital markets will reach more than twelve million rural people supporting them to increase and diversify their food production, access new technologies, markets and financial services, adopt climate resilience practices and create small agribusinesses and jobs.
Milestone highlights the success of IFAD
“This milestone highlights the success of IFAD in the ecosystem of highly rated issuers. The sustainable bonds serve our mission to build prosperous, sustainable and inclusive rural economies. They act as levers to mobilize resources for transforming agriculture and food systems. It is more relevant than ever,” said Diane Menville, Associate Vice-President of the Financial Operations Department and Chief Financial Officer at IFAD.
“Investors operating on financial markets can make a very tangible contribution to the lives of millions of people around the globe.”
Since June 2022, IFAD has issued twelve sustainable bonds through private placements to pension funds, asset managers and central banks from five countries in Europea, Africa and Asia in four currencies (US$, EUR, SEK and AUD).
IFAD sustainably financing rural development projects
IFAD’s sustainable bonds finance rural development projects and programmes in IFAD’s Member Countries.  IFAD has more than 200 active projects in 90 countries supporting 16 out of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to the 2025 report on IFAD Development Effectiveness, projects beneficiaries saw their income grow by 34 per cent on average, while their productive capacity went up by an average of 35 per cent and their access to markets improved by 34 per cent, during the IFAD12 replenishment cycle (2022-2024).
IFAD: United Nations Fund issuing sustainable bonds
IFAD is the only United Nations Fund and the only UN body and specialized agency other than the World Bank Group to issue sustainable bonds on capital markets. It has a AA+ credit rating from both S&P and Fitch. “This landmark also shows how IFAD is assiduously working to channel more private funding to vulnerable populations to turbo charge development and address the global challenges of our times,” added Menville.
Since its foundation, IFAD has turned every US$1 of donor funding into US$6 of investment on the ground by mobilizing co-financing from governments, multilateral partners, and the private sector.
The Sevilla declaration adopted by UN Member States at the Fourth Financing for Development Conference last July reaffirmed the importance of mobilizing private sectors investments at speed and scale to close the US$ 4 billion financing gap between the existing development needs and financing available, stimulate economic growth, build resilience to extreme weather events and address in particular growing inequalities, poverty and hunger.
