PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to invest $150 million in the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to fight poverty and climate change in rural areas.

France decided to host and organise the 13th replenishment of IFAD, and was now launching a call for contributions by making the commitment, Macron said in a video message broadcast during a charity concert organized in New York by non-profit group Global Citizen.

IFAD is a Rome-based United Nations agency working to address poverty and hunger in developing countries' rural areas.

France also committed to give 40 million euros ($43 million) to the U.N.'s global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, Education Cannot Wait (ECW), during 2023-2026, French Secretary of State for Development and International Partnerships Chrysoula Zacharopoulou said.

  - Reuters