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As IFAD enters a new replenishment cycle and development actors navigate an increasingly fragmented global landscape, the need for strategic coherence and strong partnership has never been greater. In this interview, Max Von Bonsdorff —IFAD’s Chief Partnership Officer —reflects on the institution’s strategic direction, the evolving role of the Donor Platform, and the kind of leadership needed to drive impact in the decade ahead.
Max Von Bonsdorff
Chief Partnership Officer, Global Engagement, Partnership and Resource Mobilization, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
Michelle Tang/GDPRD Secretariat: IFAD has been transforming rural communities through periods of global crisis since its creation in the 1970s during the oil price shocks. As IFAD begins a new replenishment cycle, what is the strategic vision for the years ahead, and how is the institution adapting to today’s increasingly fragmented global landscape?
Max Von Bonsdorff/IFAD: You mentioned IFAD’s history and the context in which it was founded. Today, we are again living through global shocks and instabilities that affect food security and rural development. In many ways, the context has similarities, and it shows that investing in rural development and the first mile is as important as ever. In terms of IFAD’s strategic vision, the fundamentals remain valid: rural development, rural transformation, and investing in smallholder communities. That’s the basis.
Going forward, we are strengthening rural markets, rural employment, and the resilience of rural communities to adapt to change.
You mentioned fragmentation among donors and other players. Collaboration and partnerships have always been IFAD’s way of operating, and we aim to further strengthen this in the years ahead.
Investing in rural development and the first mile is as important as ever.
Michelle: With resources under pressure and development actors rethinking how they work together, how is IFAD turning these challenges into opportunities for more efficient and unified donor action? What kind of leadership will international development need over the next decade?
Max: Partnerships and collaboration have always been key for us. It has never been about IFAD’s impact alone. It is about how we assemble collaboration and increase impact together with partners.
The leadership we need starts from the global development challenges we face and how we, as the global community, can solve them. From IFAD’s angle, that means leadership that brings partners together based on their complementarities, not individual organizational silos.
We already see this happening. IFIs and other development actors are increasingly discussing co-financing and how we can partner better. Multi-actor initiatives such as the World Bank-initiated AgriConnect — in which IFAD is a partner — show how operational collaboration among development players is clearly gaining momentum.
It has never been about IFAD’s impact alone. It is about how we assemble collaboration and increase impact together with partners.
Michelle: IFAD has hosted the Platform Secretariat since 2020. What value does the partnership bring to both IFAD and to Platform members?
Max: The Platform has a very important role in the development space, especially on food systems and rural development. For IFAD, hosting it is both an honour and an important responsibility. It brings together donors and other actors to collaborate on key topics.
For Platform members, these spaces are essential. Collaboration needs space to grow. The Platform provides an informal space for collective discussion and strategic thinking on issues at the core of our work. It’s not so much about operational collaboration or joint programming. It is about strategic dialogue on how the broader development system can be more effective and impactful, on what we need to pay attention to, and on what kind of reform issues.
Collaboration needs space to grow.
The Platform has a very important role in the development space, especially on food systems and rural development. For IFAD, hosting it is both an honour and an important responsibility. It brings together donors and other actors to collaborate on key topics.
Michelle: Responsiveness is a key pillar of the Platform’s new strategy. How can the Platform help donors stay ahead of emerging issues, share intelligence more effectively, and coordinate earlier?
Max: The Platform’s strategy is very strong and brings added value. In recent years, it has played an important role through intellectual contributions, strategic dialogue, and collective conclusions — for example on blended finance, financing for food systems, and return on investment in agrifood systems.
These are issues at the core of donor interest today. Looking ahead, collective dialogue based on intellectual inputs is exactly how the Platform stays relevant.
Looking ahead, collective dialogue based on intellectual inputs is exactly how the Platform stays relevant.
Michelle: As the Champion for the new workstream on Multilateralism and Multi‑sector Policy Engagement (link), what is your vision for this area, and how can it help position agrifood systems across policy agendas and alliances?
Max: If you look at the past five to seven years, food systems have clearly gained elevation in global discussions, such as with the first Food Systems Summit process, launched in 2021. Going forward, it is important to ensure this remains the case.
Recent global developments — the crisis in the Middle East and Hormuz, the war in Ukraine, and others — have shown how these events impact food. Investments in food systems can therefore have strong positive economic and stabilizing impact on societies.
We cannot isolate ourselves within the development community. We need interaction across various policy spaces in the multilateral world, such as with trade and security fields The Platform has started to do this and plans to do even more.
Investments in food systems can therefore have strong positive economic and stabilizing impact on societies.
Michelle: Could you share your own career journey, plus any advice for the next generation working in international development?
Max: I have been lucky to work in development for over 30 years, across NGOs, the Government of Finland, and now IFAD. It is a very important, interesting and rewarding field.
My advice is to gain as much experience as possible and to learn from every step of the way. Even though there are many challenges, development remains a field with an important role in global collaboration.
My advice is to gain as much experience as possible and to learn from every step of the way.
Read our interviews with Donor Platform members.
