In the face of multiple crises, the availability of development finance for developing countries is declining, even as their financing needs to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals are increasing. The Pact for the Future has recently called for eligible countries to channel half of their 2021 allocations of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to developing economies, including through multilateral development banks (MDBs). (mehr …)
The World Bank’s current reform efforts are approaching a critical point during the Annual Meetings in Marrakech, Morocco, from October 9 to 15, 2023. The Bank should use this moment to adopt meaningful changes that enable it to tackle the twin challenges of global development and climate change and reflect voices of stakeholders from around the world. The recent consultations conducted by the World Bank, including the regional ones conducted in Africa in July, represent a significant step forward. But they also spotlight crucial issues that demand an unwavering attention by all stakeholders.
During these consultations, the World Bank gathered input from a wide range of stakeholders from the Global South, including civil society, academia, foundations, think tanks, the private sector, and other development partners. It is imperative for the upcoming Annual Meetings to ensure the integration of critical insights derived from these consultations into the final reform document.
The report of the World Bank‘s Development Committee (DC) unveiled during the Spring Meetings in April represents a substantial improvement over the previous Evolution Roadmap and had already addressed some of the serious concerns voiced during the consultations. Notably, the DC’s report unequivocally underscores that the Bank’s enhanced mission must be accompanied by an increase in its financial capacity, although the concrete measures proposed still fall far short of the substantial firepower required for the expanded mission. Moreover, the DC’s report also reiterates that addressing the challenges of climate change should not come at the expense of poverty reduction. Additionally, the previous shift of focus from low-income countries (LICs) toward middle-income countries (MICs), a notable feature of the Evolution Roadmap, has significantly diminished in the DC’s report. The World Bank’s proposed mission “to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity by fostering sustainable, resilient, and inclusive development” also puts reducing inequality and fostering inclusion –two key demands from the consultations –at its core.
It is imperative to underscore that the effective execution of these commitments is inextricably linked to the Bank’s capacity to augment its lending prowess. Therefore, shareholders must promptly undertake resolute measures to bolster the Bank’s financial strength. In this context, the announcement by Chancellor Olaf Scholz that his government would invest in hybrid capital is an important step in the right direction. This investment can unlock up to $2 billion in additional lending capacity. Looking ahead, this has the potential to significantly boost the World Bank’s lending capacity, particularly if the German government engages in diplomatic efforts to persuade other stakeholders to do the same. In addition to the aforementioned concerns, these consultations have highlighted crucial issues that merit the World Bank’s focus at the upcoming Annual Meetings, and by gauging their frequency of mention, we have pinpointed three pivotal areas that should be integrated into a revised World Bank reform document.
In sum, the World Bank’s ongoing reform process is commendable for providing a platform for multiple voices from around the world, including from African countries. The concerns from around the world must be met with a strong commitment to proactively combat corruption, improve governance, engage CSOs and support SMEs. In addition, the Bank’s financing capacity needs to be strengthened through capital increases from shareholders and through other bold changes that better leverage the Bank’s balance sheet to unlock additional financial resources. The German government can play a key role by trying to convince other stakeholders to join in investing in hybrid capital as a way to mobilise additional resources for sustainable development.
In September, the UN General Assembly’s High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development met to discuss how to fund the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – four years after the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was set. The world community already acknowledged the role of non-traditional funding, namely South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation in Busan in 2011. With the new ambitious 2030 Agenda, funding became ever more crucial. The UN estimates that the funding gap for achieving the SDGs amounts to 2.5 trillion USD every year. The 2015 Addis Ababa Action Agenda therefore called not only for increasing Official Development Assistance (ODA) but also for mobilizing other public and private resources that go beyond ODA. To build a picture of the total funds channeled for development assistance, in 2014, the OECD started developing a new international measurement framework to cover a more comprehensive range of development finance, the “Total Official Support for Sustainable Development” (TOSSD) measure. TOSSD is due to be finalized next year. Now is the time to make sure that TOSSD can fulfil its potential to provide a more complete picture of development finance from all contributors not only from the Global North but also from the Global South. (mehr …)
France and China have officially established a cooperation agreement on third-country investment in November 2016. Its flagship programme is a joint investment fund. This blog argues that one essential precondition for a successful cooperation is a good understanding of third country’s domestic needs and the identification of complementarities of Sino-French joint Investments in Africa. I take Morocco as an example to illustrate that France and China may have comparative advantages that can contribute to accelerating Morocco’s implementation of renewable energy, a national objective that requires substantial financial support.