US Secretary of State Clinton and IFAD president Nwanze launched the Diaspora Investment in Agriculture initiative at the Secretary's Global Diaspora Forum in Washington DC. The initiative seeks to mobilize diaspora investment in agriculture, specifically in post-conflict countries and frage states.

Secretary Clinton’s remarks:	http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2011/05/163574.htm
President Nwanze’s remarks:	http://www.ifad.org/events/op/2011/dip.htm
IFAD press release:	http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2011/36.htm
Event website:	http://www.diasporaalliance.org/

• Diaspora Investment in Agriculture (DIA) initiative: leveraging diaspora funds to enhance food security in post-conflict countries and fragile states
• Transferring remittances in the form of groceries in Somalia
• Empowering Filipino women to save and invest in their future
• Remittances and postal networks: expanding services using existing infrastructure
• Fostering small and medium enterprise development through migrant investment in Romania
• UNCTAD’s Expert Meeting on Maximizing the Development Impact of Remittances
• The Global Forum on Remittances 2012

• Call for Proposals 2010 launched
• News from the field: despite earthquake, Haitian microfinance continues to serve rural poor
• News from RemittancesGateway.org
• RemesAmericas 2010: Remittances for the Future

Le Mécanisme de financement pour l’envoi de fonds (MFEF) oeuvre pour maximiser l’impact des transferts de fonds sur le développement et aider les ménages ruraux pauvres à progresser sur la voie de l’indépendance financière. Le Mécanisme cofinance des projets de développement en étroite collaboration avec des partenaires de la société civile et des secteurs public et privé.

El Fondo de financiación para remesas (FFR) es un fondo de múltiples donantes administrado por el Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola (FIDA), un organismo especializado de las Naciones Unidas dedicado a la erradicación de la pobreza rural. El FFR viene funcionando desde 2006 con el objetivo de aumentar los efectos de las remesas en el desarrollo y hacer posible que los hogares rurales pobres avancen en el camino hacia la independencia financiera.

The Financing Facility for Remittances (FFR) has been working since 2006 with the goal of increasing the development impact of remittances and enabling poor rural households to advance on the road to financial independence.

 

 

The FFR Update, is a quarterly newsletter aimed at providing the latest information on the activities of the Financing Facility for Remittances to its donors, partners and other interested remittance stakeholders. For further details, and in order to receive the newsletter directly by email or provide your contributions please send your request to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

This report outlines the main results of a study of regulatory issues and market competition in 50 African countries representing 90 per cent of remittance flows to the region. Additionally, the report highlights the results of a survey of people within the geographical reach of microfinance institutions (MFIs) that are members of the International Network of Alternative Financial Institutions (INAFI) in 19 countries.

This report represents a baseline in a series of regional documents aimed at highlighting the importance of the rural remittances in developing countries and their potential to stimulate local economic activity. The following worldwide remittance map seeks to quantify the overall flow of remittances and highlight the importance they may play in the development of rural areas of the developing world. It compiles the best available information on migrant populations, the percentage of migrants sending remittances, average amounts remitted annually and the average frequency of annual transfers. Central banks and other official government sources, money transfer companies, international organizations and academic institutions were used for reference support. The map covers more than 150 developing countries* – many for the first time. Together with the accompanying analysis and data tables, it provides comparative indicators to measure the relative importance of remittances among 20 subregions of the developing world.

Exceeding USD 230 billion in 2005, remittances are a critical flow of funds for low-income people in both the North and South. Accessing and affording these services, however, can be a challenge, especially in remote, rural areas. This annex to the IFAD Decision Tools for Rural Finance introduces migrant remittances in the wider context of development finance, discussing the key principles of effective service delivery and highlighting potential areas for IFAD support. Designed to give IFAD staff a solid grounding in this topic, this paper includes a review of donor activity on remittances and provides numerous references to research on remittances in specific regions.