Transcript Document

Results Focus in MDBs:
Where Are We?
Philibert Afrika, AfDB
February 4, 2004
Content
I. Background and Context
II. The Results Agenda in MDBs
III. Convergence and Differences
IV. Going Forward
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I. Background and Context
Global Context for Results
• “Monterrey Consensus” on a new partnership:
 Better policies and institutions in developing countries
 More and better aid, plus action on trade and debt by
developed countries
• Based on three strands of development dialogue:
 country-led development
 aid effectiveness
 results-based management
• Requires a global partnership on managing for development results.
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Managing for Results
• What do we mean by “results”?
 Ultimately the goal is sustained improvement in country
development outcomes
(e.g. families lifted out of poverty)
• How do MDBs maximize their results?
 By contributing to country development processes.
Success requires :
 build on the substantive relationships that drive country outcomes
 top quality inputs and outputs
 derive our inputs and outputs from the desired outcomes,
in line with our respective comparative advantages
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Results: When and Where?
• MDBs need to focus on results throughout the development cycle:
 at the beginning for strategic planning
 during implementation for day-to-day management
 near the end for evaluation and feedback
• MDBs need to take action for results at three levels:
 in countries, where results are achieved
 within the Banks, to be more effective agencies
 across agencies, for impact through coordinated action
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II. The Results Agenda in MDBs
Three Pillars of Results Agenda
Pillar I:
Strengthen Country Capacity to Manage for Results
Pillar II:
Results-focus of Bank Strategies and Instruments
Pillar III:
Global Partnership for Results
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Pillar I:
Country Capacity to Manage for Results
MDBs have important comparative advantage for helping countries to
build their capacity to manage for development results. Three areas
in particular:
• Knowledge: MDB research  what policies and actions work and
what don’t work
• Capacity: improving their public sector management, evaluation,
and accountability frameworks
• Numbers: improving statistical and monitoring capacities in
central, sectoral, and thematic ministries/agencies
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Pillar I:
Country Capacity to Manage for Results
Examples of MDB Actions to Help:
• AfDB: capacity building programs
• AsDB: widely acclaimed Asia Policy Forum focused on urgent policy issues
• EBRD: knowledge transfer activities focused on business skills
• IADB: new Institutional Development Sector Facility
• World Bank: assists in design of results-based PRSPs, build evaluation capacity,
and design statistical master plans
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Pillar II:
MDB Strategies and Instruments
• The MDBs do not achieve development outcomes directly
through their individual actions.
• For MDBs (and other agencies), success depends on
effectively deploying assistance in high-quality ways in
countries and in programs.
• Critical instruments are country strategies, sector
strategies, loans and credits, and analytic work.
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Pillar II:
MDB Strategies and Instruments
Examples of MDB Actions:
• AfDB: country strategy papers aligned with PRSPs;
independent evaluations of strategies’ results on completion
• AsDB: results focus of portfolio management - economic, technical, and sector
work.
• EBRD: new Transition Impact Monitoring System
• IADB: upgraded project quality at entry, supervision, and portfolio
management and ex-post evaluations
• World Bank: piloting “results-based Country Assistance Strategy”
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Pillar III:
Global Partnership on Results
• MDBs cannot maximize their own impact without strategic alignment
with countries’ national strategies (PRSPs where appropriate). This
cannot be done without involving others, either. Not just among MDBs,
but with all partners.
• At the level of individual operations, there is a need for harmonization
of results reporting in order to reduce the costs of delivering aid,
including monitoring and evaluating its impact. Not just among MDBs,
but with all partners.
• Equally, in terms of capacity building programs – statistical and
evaluation, and PSM – also need coordination. Not just among MDBs,
but with all partners.
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III. Convergence and Differences
Points of Convergence
• Common early steps:
 focus on quality – leading indicator of results
 attention to capacity building – shift to country model
 linkage between project and country outcomes
• Current common focus:
 results-based institutional frameworks and assistance strategies
 results measurement systems
 strengthening independent evaluation
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Points of Differences
Unique features arising from individual MDB mandates, shareholders,
and clients need to be taken into account. These include:
• AfDB- Africa: Capacity constraints, aggravated by the HIV-AIDS pandemic
• AsDB- Asia: regional environmental and other issues in Asia; need for multicountry approach by the AsDB
• EBRD- Europe: private sector focus on transition impact and capacity building
• IADB- Latin America/ Caribbean : particular interest of IADB clients in
utilizing a RBM for public expenditure management
• World Bank: centrality of the PRSP to the country assistance strategies for
low-income countries, in partnership with IMF and MDB partners
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Risks We Must Manage
• Oversimplifying our assumptions, such as:
 internal change is sufficient and rapid
 everything is measurable and attributable
• Overcomplicating our efforts:
 measuring and monitoring too much at too high a cost
 attempting to attribute collective results to individual Banks
• Overemphasizing ourselves at the expense of our clients, and
the need for:
 strengthening statistical and monitoring systems
 harmonizing reporting requirements among donors
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IV. Going Forward
Marrakech Roundtable:
Expected Results
Improvement in the effectiveness of aid, through:
• Enhanced relevance and evaluability of agency country
strategies
• Improved coordination/support for strengthening country
capacity to manage for results
• Strengthened commitment to harmonization of results
reporting
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