The purpose of the assignment is to support the production of the first main chapter of the 2008 Report on IFAD’s Development Effectiveness (RIDE). The RIDE is a comprehensive performance report that IFAD’s management presents to its Executive Board each year. The first edition was presented to the Board in December 2007. The purpose of the RIDE is to provide an account of results in three broad areas:

a)      The relevance of IFAD’s mandate and operations in the context of the changing framework of international development assistance;

b)      The development effectiveness of IFAD-financed operations in generating development results that support national and global efforts to reduce rural poverty and fulfil the first Millennium Development Goal;

c)       The organisational effectiveness and efficiency in delivering those results through improves internal performance management.