World Bank Engagement in Situations of Conflict
                                    An Evaluation of FY10-20 Experience

                                       Report to the Board from the
                                   Committee on Development Effectiveness ∗


                                             Meeting of September 27, 2021

        The Committee on Development Effectiveness (CODE) met to consider the Independent
Evaluation Group (IEG) evaluation entitled World Bank Engagement in Situations of Conflict. An
Evaluation of FY10–20 Experience (CODE2021-0052) and Draft World Bank Management Response
(CODE2021-0055).

         The Committee welcomed the evaluation and Management’s constructive response, noting that
while the evaluation did not assess the effectiveness of the WBG Fragility, Conflict and Violence Strategy
(FCV Strategy) the timely report provided valuable insights to inform the early implementation of the FCV
Strategy and the IDA20 replenishment deliberations. Members appreciated Management’s broad agreement
with the evaluation’s findings and recommendations and were pleased to learn that the WB was making a
substantial progress in adapting the way it works in situations of conflict to achieve its corporate goals.
They encouraged Management to rethink what success looks like in conflict-affected countries, as
recommended by the evaluation, and looked forward to being briefed on work being done in this regard.
The Committee welcomed Management’s acknowledgment of the importance of leveraging UN and
humanitarian implementation partnerships to enable the WB to deliver critical services to conflict-affected
populations where the Bank may not have presence on the ground and encouraged Management to work
out a pragmatic approach with UN agencies and other partners to overcome their differences in procurement
and financial management and security protocols, when problems arise at the country level, to improve
results on the ground.

         Members asked for more clarity on the measures to address the institutional and operational issues
that are discouraging staff from engaging effectively in conflict situations to enable the Board to monitor
and track their progress. They welcomed Management’s commitment to continue strengthening diagnostic
tools, including RRAs, and integrating them into country strategies and operations. Members appreciated
Management’s ongoing efforts to rethink what development success looks like in conflict-affected
countries, moving away from an overreliance on quantitative metrics, attribution, and short timeframes.
They looked forward to Management’s note on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) in FCV contexts and
the updated guidance on implementation completion reports in FCV contexts, as committed by
Management in the measures to implement the FCV Strategy. Some members expressed concern on the
report’s finding that the number of projects that consider conflict dynamics in conflict-affected areas
remained low in Agriculture, Energy and Extractives, and Transport. They encouraged the Bank to increase
efforts in gathering knowledge and building expertise to strengthen analysis and enhance the conflict
sensitivity of WB engagement.




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    This report is not an approved record.