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Top global development groups in Rome: A primer

By Eliza Villarino on 15 December 2011

A view of Rome, Italy's largest and most populated city. The city is also home to many international development organizations. Photo by: Stefano Constantini / RomeCabs / CC BY-SA

When it comes to fighting global hunger, many roads lead to Rome.

Three members of the United Nations family – the Food and Agriculture Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development and World Food Program – are among the Eternal City’s prominent residents. As such, many international conferences on food security, like the July 2011 emergency summit to address the Horn of Africa drought, have taken place here.

Rome is also the base for a number of development NGOs and networks. One of these nonprofits, the Christian charity Community of Sant’Egidio, was founded by Italy’s first minister for international cooperation and integration, Andrea Riccardi.

Ricardi’s Cabinet-level department is expected to take over the functions of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Directorate General for Development Cooperation.

Here are some of the humanitarian and development organizations in the Italian capital and the Vatican. Learn more about career opportunities by visiting the Devex jobs board.

ARS Progetti

Type: consultancy
Founded: 1992
CEO: Daniele Fanciullacci

ARS Progetti is an ISO 9001:2000-certified firm that provides a wide array of consulting services in the areas of culture and cultural heritage; architecture, infrastructure and environment; and institutional strengthening, governance and civil society. Aside from DGCS, the company’s roster of clients includes EuropeAid, United Nations agencies and multilateral development banks. It had a total staff of 80 (30 on a permanent basis) in 2010, and boasts a “comprehensive and well-structured” database of 10,000 experts covering various fields, languages and geographical regions.

Bioversity International

Type: international agricultural research organization
Founded: 1974
Director-general: Emile Frison

Bioversity forms part of the 15-member CGIAR Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers. It examines how the conservation and use of agricultural biodiversity can lead to better nutrition and livelihoods for smallholders as well as foster agricultural sustainability. It has around 350 employees at headquarters and abroad and works with some 300 partners worldwide, including individuals, organizations, networks, and international organizations and programs to improve its expertise, capacities and resources.

Caritas Internationalis

Type: international religious charity confederation
Founded: 1897
Secretary-general: Michel Roy

Caritas comprises 165 Catholic relief, development and social service organizations working in more than 200 countries and territories. It focuses on six areas: climate change, economic justice, emergencies, HIV and AIDS, peace and reconciliation, and women and migration. Caritas gained public canonical legal status with the Vatican in 2004, bringing the confederation under the authority of the Holy See.

Coordinamento di Iniziative Popolari di Solidarietà Internazionale

Type: NGO network
Founded: 1985
President: Guido Barbera

CIPSI brings together 50 development NGOs working in 91 countries across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. It partners with 185 local groups on 200 projects that benefit more than 6 million people.

Food and Agriculture Organization

Type: U.N. specialized agency
Founded: 1945
Director-general (starting Jan. 1, 2012): José Graziano da Silva

FAO leads global efforts to combat hunger. It serves as a knowledge network and a neutral forum to debate and forge agreements on major food and agriculture issues. FAO also offers its expertise to countries in formulating policies and strategies on hunger alleviation and rural development and spearheads thousands of field projects to improve agricultural productivity and the lives of people in rural areas worldwide. As of April 1, 2011, the U.N. agency had 3,691 employees (1,835 in professional category and 1,856 support staff), 53 percent of whom were based at headquarters.

International Committee for the Development of Peoples

Type: NGO
Founded: 1983
Managing director: Paolo Dieci

CISP, an acronym for its full name in Italian, is active in more than 30 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East and South America. It has implemented more than 600 humanitarian, rehabilitation and development projects over the last 24 years.

International Development Law Organization

Type: intergovernmental body
Founded: 1983
Acting director-general: Jeffrey Waldron

IDLO provides resources, tools and professional expertise to strengthen the rule of law and good governance in developing transitional countries. It holds U.N. observer status and, being an intergovernmental body, has access to government leaders and multilateral aid agencies. Its alumni network includes more than 20,000 legal professionals in 175 countries and 46 independent alumni associations. IDLO’s core staff totals 63.

International Fund for Agricultural Development

Type: U.N. specialized agency and multilateral financing institution
Founded: 1977
President: Kanayo F. Nwanze

IFAD’s mission is to reduce rural poverty worldwide. It employs a mix of low-interest loans and grants to support projects that aim to increase food production and incomes of women and men smallholder farmers, landless workers, artisanal fishers, nomadic pastoralists, forest communities and indigenous peoples in the developing world. Since its inception, IFAD has invested around $12.9 billion and mobilized nearly $19.6 billion in cofinancing and domestic funding for agriculture and rural development programs. It currently has 496 employees (260 in professional and higher categories and 236 general service staff).

Italian Ministry for International Cooperation and Integration

Type: bilateral donor
Founded: 2011
Italian minister for international cooperation and integration: Andrea Riccardi

The ministry was born following the change in Italy’s national leadership in mid-November 2011. The formal transfer of powers from the foreign ministry to the new Cabinet entity is ongoing.

Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Directorate General for Development Cooperation

Type: bilateral donor
Founded: 1987
Director-general: Elisabetta Belloni

DGCS has been implementing Italy’s aid policies since 1987 and will continue to do so until the transfer of powers to the new Italian Ministry for International Cooperation and Integration becomes final. It handles around 28 percent of Italy’s official development assistance.

World Food Program

Type: U.N. program
Founded: 1963
Executive director: Josette Sheeran

The world’s largest humanitarian group focusing on hunger is entirely funded by voluntary contributions. About 10,200 work for WFP, 90 percent of whom are in the field delivering and monitoring the use of food aid. In 2011, WFP’s food assistance was expected to reach more than 90 million in more than 70 countries.

Other notable humanitarian and development organizations in Rome:

Read more Italian aid news:

More on aid and relief careers in Italy:

More on getting a job with Italian aid groups:

More on Italian aid organizations:

Did we forget any major aid organization in Rome? Please let us know by placing your comments below. Also check our lists of top aid groups in other global development hubs such as London, New York, Paris and Washington.

Eliza Villarino
Eliza Villarino is a senior news producer for Devex. After joining the company in 2004, Eliza helped to grow our global newsroom and spearhead some of the leading online publications for the international development community today, including the Development Newswire and GDB. As an editor and writer, Eliza now focuses on hot-button issues and trends in international development.