Home

The Regional Public Goods (RPG) Initiative of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is based on the premise that the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) share numerous development challenges and opportunities that can be addressed more effectively and efficiently through regional collective action and cooperation.

The Initiative defines regional public goods (RPGs) as goods, services or resources that are produced and consumed collectively by the public sector and, if appropriate, the private, non-profit sector in a minimum of three borrowing member countries of the IDB. The Initiative focuses on RPGs that have the potential to generate significant shared benefits and positive spillover effects. Spillover effects can be expressed in terms of scope (benefits extend beyond the originally targeted sector in each country) and/or scale (benefits extend beyond the original group of countries).

The RPG Initiative seeks to finance specific regional coordination products that can then be implemented at the national level by the participating countries and other interested countries that could not participate in the original project. This type of products can be, for example, regional regulatory frameworks, harmonized legislation and common agreements or standards among countries; regional sectoral strategies and action plans; diagnoses and studies in support of investment decisions or projects at the regional level; and methodologies and instruments of regional application.

Each year, the IDB solicits proposals from the region to finance projects that promote RPGs by means of collective action.

Key features

Each year, the Initiative provides non-reimbursable resources (grants) for proposals that have been selected as a result of a call for proposals (CFP).

DEMAND-DRIVEN

The Initiative finances proposals that have been prepared or are endorsed by and benefit a minimum of three (3) and exceptionally two (2) borrowing member countries of the IDB.

COLLECTIVE ACTION

The RPG needs to be produced collectively. This means that the partner countries and institutions decide together their goal, how to achieve it, including their work plan, the agenda and the mechanisms of their governance and regional cooperation. All participating countries should have equal access to the products generated collectively.

THEMATIC FOCUS

Alignment with the IDB’s goals, objectives and priorities is a selection criterion. The RPG Initiative will finance proposals that collectively tackle one or more of the following four (4) priority areas: (i) education and health to tackle poverty and inequality; (ii) food security, including access, production, and trade aspects; (iii) climate change mitigation and adaptation, and support to meeting LAC countries’ Paris Agreement goals; (iv) regional integration in terms of sustainable physical and digital infrastructure to boost trade and productivity. Proposals, that, in addition to aligning with one or more of the aforementioned priorities involve a gender and diversity focus will be positively valued.