Photo: Thai Rice GCF Project / GIZ Thailand

Renewed partnership will link research and implementation to support sustainable, low-emission and inclusive rice-based agri-food systems.

Bangkok, Thailand, 14 October 2026 – Today, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen and expand their long-standing partnership.

The MoU establishes an institution-wide framework for collaboration across countries, programmes and projects. It brings together IRRI’s scientific and technical expertise in rice-based agri-food systems with GIZ’s implementation experience, country-level networks and policy advisory capacity. The partners intend to use the framework to identify shared priorities and turn research and innovation into practical, scalable solutions shaped by country needs.

“Transforming agri-food systems requires more than innovative ideas. It requires strong institutions and partnerships capable of connecting science, policy, finance and implementation,” said Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven, Managing Director of GIZ. “Through this framework, GIZ and IRRI combine their complementary strengths to help move promising solutions from research into practice and achieve impact at scale.”

"Low emission rice has to be workable for farmers, deliver credible climate benefits, and make sense for those investing in the transition. That requires sound science, accessible finance, effective implementation, and supportive policies," said Dr. Yvonne Pinto, Director General of IRRI. "Through our collaboration with GIZ, we can accelerate the journey from research to impact."

The partners will explore joint research and innovation, develop and implement programmes and projects, and strengthen policy dialogue and capacity development. Their cooperation may also support sustainable value chains, responsible private-sector engagement and resource mobilisation, including through climate- and carbon-finance mechanisms. The MoU builds on a long history of collaboration between GIZ and IRRI. Previous cooperation has included joint research, capacity development and project-based initiatives relating to climate-smart and low-emission rice production, greenhouse-gas measurement, carbon-finance approaches and the scaling of rice-sector innovations.

The signing took place on the sidelines of the 2026 IMF–World Bank Group Annual Meetings in Bangkok, during the Executive Roundtable “Climate Finance for Resilient Food Systems – Lessons from Thailand’s Rice Sector and Driving Scale.” The event convened high-level representatives from governments, international organisations, research, finance and the private sector to explore how climate finance can support resilient food systems and low-emission agriculture.

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