The five major multilateral development banks (MDBs) are making good progress in implementing a results-oriented management approach, according to a new joint report released today by the MDBs.
Published by the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank, the report focuses on the MDBs’ implementation of managing for development results. MfDR, as it is known, aims to improve the planning and implementation of operations to achieve the intended development results. It is the first such report produced jointly by the MDBs.
“The data show that all MDBs have made good progress in implementing MfDR. The awareness of results is increasing; frameworks, systems, and procedures are being put in place; and the independent evaluation function is being strengthened,” says Bruce Purdue, chair of the MDB working group and head of results management at the Asian Development Bank.
The report also shows, however, that the degree of application of the MfDR approach varies among MDBs. It necessarily takes time to design, approve, and implement new procedures and systems. A common challenge is to go beyond systems and procedures and to actually use results information for learning and decision making.
The report, based on an innovative Common Performance Assessment System (COMPAS) devised by the MDBs, is a new systematic framework for collecting consistent and comparable information. It aims to provide managers and shareholders of the MDBs with a common source of information on how MDBs are contributing to development results.
The report intends to contribute to transparency, accountability, and learning, satisfying increased demand from both management and shareholders of MDBs for information on the effective use of resources.
The report is used as input to the 2006 Global Monitoring Report, coordinated by World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. With annual updates, it will also serve as a tool for monitoring progress over time.