International Development Association’s Twentieth Replenishment Mid-Term Review - Note on Operational Definition of Crisis Preparedness - And a Crisis Preparedness Financing Tracking Indicator

Jul 19, 2026

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This note supports the IDA20 mid-term review by proposing an operational definition and taxonomy for crisis preparedness. It focuses on ex-ante activities that anticipate, prepare for, and manage crises, strengthening resilience to future shocks. Management pilots the taxonomy on FY23 IDA operations and finds that crisis preparedness is cross-cutting, making binary financial coding unsuitable. The note assesses a dedicated financing tracking indicator and proposes aligning IDA reporting with the World Bank Group Corporate Scorecard’s output and outcome-oriented approach.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

Introduction

Background on IDA20 crisis preparedness as a cross-cutting issue

Purpose and structure of the note

Operational Definition of Crisis Preparedness

Scope, shock types, and taxonomy focus

Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION’S TWENTIENTH REPLENISHMENT MID-TERM REVIEW: NOTE ON OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF CRISIS PREPAREDNESS AND A CRISIS PREPAREDNESS FINANCING TRACKING INDICATOR IDA Deputies requested that Management develop a definition of crisis preparedness to monitor the IDA20 policy commitment and propose a crisis preparedness financing tracking indicator asa deliverable for the IDA20 Midterm Review. The operational definition of crisis preparedness (and corresponding taxonomy) focuses on ex-ante activities that aim to better anticipate, prepare for, and manage crises when they hit and build resilience to future crises. To test the feasibility of a crisis preparedness financing tracking indicator and to determine the scope of operations that the indicator could cover, Management undertook a pilot coding exercise that applied the proposed definition and taxonomy of crisis preparedness interventions to IDA operations approved in FY23. The operational definition and taxonomy offered a conceptual foundation to identify IDA financed activities that support crisis preparedness, in line with the IDA20 standalone policy commitment. However, the pilot coding exercise revealed that given its cross-cutting nature, crisis preparedness does not lend itself to binary and mutually exclusive coding decisions required for accurate financial reporting. Also, as an input-focused indicator, it is not well aligned with the new directions for corporate reporting, which emphasizes tracking outcomes. The new proposed World Bank Group (WBG) Corporate Scorecard includes preliminary output and outcomeoriented indicators (examples include health and environmental resilience, as well as beneficiaries from investments in food security systems and social safety net programs) that are well aligned with the IDA20 policy commitment on crisis preparedness. As part of the Mid-term Review exercise, Management proposes to organize a technical briefing and discussion to reflect with IDA Deputies and Borrower Representatives on ways to adopt and adapt the new WBG Corporate Scorecard approach to IDA’s Result Management System (RMS), including on better capturing WBG support for crisis preparedness. I. INTRODUCTION 1. IDA20 incorporated Crisis Preparedness as a new cross-cutting issue, resulting in new Policy Commitments (PCs) and an expanded set of indicators in the IDA Results Measurement System (RMS). The introduction of this new cross-cutting issue underscored the need for IDA countries to build resilience and strengthen their capacity to prepare for and manage crises in an increasingly volatile world. A suite of IDA PCs address crisis preparedness needs under each of IDA20’s Special Themes. In addition, a new standalone IDA PC requires crisis preparedness diagnostics as well as financing support for crisis preparedness in all IDA countries. 1 1 To support these new commitments, IDA20 enhanced IDA’s crisis toolkit. Analytics, including Crisis Preparedness Gap Analyses (CPGAs), help clients understand crisis risks and vulnerabilities and inform programming choices. Additionally, a suite of enhanced instruments strengthens incentives for crisis preparedness by systematizing the use of Contingent Emergency Response Components (CERCs), increasing the maximum sum of funds that can be pre-allocated to CERCs. The Crisis Response Toolkit proposed under the World Bank Group Evolution includes new actions to help countries respond quickly and effectively to crises. The thematic emphasis on crisis preparedness was incorporated in the IDA RMS through a combination of new and existing indicators.2 The expanded IDA RMS indicators, along with the seven relevant policy commitments included in IDA20’s policy package, provide a multidimensional view of IDA financed activities helping countries better anticipate, prepare for, and manage crises with a long-term goal of building resilience. T

FAQs

What is the purpose of this IDA20 mid-term review note?

It provides an operational definition and taxonomy of crisis preparedness and considers an indicator to track IDA financial commitments for crisis preparedness, supporting the IDA20 policy commitment during the mid-term review.

How does the operational definition of crisis preparedness describe the relevant activities?

It centers on ex-ante actions intended to better anticipate, prepare for, and manage crises when they occur, while building resilience to future crises.

Why was a binary, mutually exclusive coding approach found to be problematic in the pilot exercise?

Because crisis preparedness is cross-cutting, it does not lend itself to binary decisions required for accurate financial reporting.

Jul 19, 2026

Upload by Himbo