World Bank: taking a new approach

Looking at the World Bank Group’s approach and support for countries hosting forcibly displaced populations and providing lessons learned.

World Bank: taking a new approach

Looking at the World Bank Group’s approach and support for countries hosting forcibly displaced populations and providing lessons learned.

Contact details 

Submitted by

Ann Flanagan, Senior Economist, Human Development & Corporate Programs

Javier Lanza, Communications Coordinator

Email:

[email protected]

[email protected]  

Websitehttps://ieg.worldbankgroup.org/evaluations/forced-displacement

Social:

Twitter: @WorldBank_IEG

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndependentEvaluationGroup/

 

Introduction to the project

Location

Global

Duration

2000-2017

The World Bank Group will now work to carry out the recommendations contained in the Independent Evaluation Group’s report. Recommendations will feed into the Bank’s new strategy for fragility, violent and conflict settings, among other initiatives.

Partners

  • World Bank Group, including the International Finance Corporation
  • The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency. 

Description

The World Bank Group’s Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) undertook an evaluation to assess the World Bank Group’s approach and support for countries hosting forcibly displaced populations—refugees and internally displaced people —and provided lessons for the Bank Group’s (and its partners) future role in this area.

Core parts of the World Bank Group’s development approach are aligned with the objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees:

Objective 1 (Ease the pressures on host countries): 

  • Measures to address the negative effects forced displacement imposes on host countries and host communities. An influx of forcibly displaced people presents a risk to progress towards poverty reduction and shared prosperity. The Bank Group’s potential role includes building social cohesion and supporting economic opportunities to make the most of opportunities.
  • Broad partnerships with government, other partners, the private sector and civil society, especially in areas where the World Bank Group does not have a comparative advantage

Objective 2 (Enhance refugee self-reliance): 

  • Tailored approaches and special interventions to address the specific vulnerabilities associated with forced displacement to reduce poverty among the forcibly displaced.
  • Medium- to-long-term: Institutions and policies to promote economic opportunities.

Resources used

IEG constructed the evaluation’s theory of change—a visualization of the development approach to situations of forced displacement since 2016—based on Bank Group reports, a review of Bank Group support for forcibly displaced people and host communities, and the broader literature on forced displacement.

Challenges and how they are being addressed:

The evaluation identifies areas where the World Bank Group has not fully leveraged its comparative advantages and, therefore, there is potential to improve.

The report includes lessons on:

  • The evolution of the World Bank Group’s approach to situations of forced displacement (strategies, advisory services, and financing;
  • The Bank Group’s Policy Dialogue and Strategic Partnerships; and
  • Removing impediments to the World Bank Group’s development approach to situations of forced displacement.

Results of the Good Practice 

At a global level, the World Bank Group (jointly with partners) has undertaken efforts to support:

  • Complex engagement and coordination with humanitarian organizations at various levels to tackle forced displacement.
  • Initiation of dialogue on policy to carry out institutional reforms towards self-reliance to address the vulnerabilities of forcibly displaced people.
  • Promoting the private sector’s role in situations of conflict-induced forced displacement

Next steps

Insights and lessons contained in our recent evaluation work will be relevant to a wide range of delegates (government policymakers, NGOs, UN system organizations and development partners) currently working to provide support in conflict-induced displacement. IEG’s report on forced displacement offers actionable and relevant messages for a variety of participants operating beyond the scope of the World Bank.