IWF interim President Ursula Garza Papandrea said the agreement, called Strengthening the World, was a "logical step".

Jorge Moreno, head of World Para Powerlifting, described it as an "historic moment".

Through the MoU, the IWF said the two organisations would be looking to "transfer expertise and key learnings", "explore synergies and cost efficiencies" and "collectively fight for strong and clean sport".

According to the IWF, the three key areas of collaboration are competition, education and anti-doping strategy, with topics including "the development of a dual technical official pathway" to offer opportunities in both sports, the "sharing of accessibility standards" and "anti-doping joint initiatives" to raise awareness within weightlifting and Para powerlifting.

"Building a working relationship with the World Para Powerlifting organisation is a logical step as we look to collaborate with our Paralympic cousins and see commonalities between our organisations especially at major Games events," said Papandrea.

"We thank [World Para Powerlifting] and the International Paralympic Committee for their collaboration and look forward to an outstanding working relationship going forward."

The IWF added the MoU intends to be of benefit of current and future organising committees for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and other multi-sport events, as well as regional and World Championships.

"This agreement represents a historic moment for Para powerlifting, as it will allow us to intensify our cooperation with a crucial partner for the development of our sport," Moreno said.

"We have a long friendship with IWF, an organisation World Para Powerlifting share common values and similar goals with.

"I would like to thank the IWF for their support, as I am sure that, together, we will be strengthening the world."