Support to South-South cooperation (SSC) has been a high priority for IFAD and its Member States since the consultation process of the Eighth Replenishment of IFAD's Resources.

The Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE) conducted a review and analysis of IFAD's support to South-South cooperation between 2009 and 2015. SSC support by IFAD has mainly taken the form of knowledge-sharing, with the more programmatic initiatives often financed through grants.

The majority of these initiatives have supported mutual and horizontal SSC embedded in regional and subregional processes with regional/global grants, and occasionally country grants to support emerging economies in capturing and sharing knowledge. One of IFAD's advantages clearly lies in its focus on reducing poverty by investing in rural people, and its accumulated on-the-ground experience. At the same time, results orientation tends to be weak, with outputs often being the main focus of planning and reporting on activities.

There is also diverse understanding at IFAD and among Member States about what South-South cooperation is and implies for IFAD. There are opportunities for IFAD to support South-South cooperation in a more strategic, innovative and effective manner.