World Bank Engagement in Situations of Conflict - An Evaluation of FY10-20 Experience - Report to the Board from the Committee on Development Effectiveness

Jul 19, 2026

Committee on Development Effectiveness (CODE) reviewed the Independent Evaluation Group report on World Bank engagement in situations of conflict covering FY10–20 and considered management’s draft response. CODE noted the evaluation did not assess the FCV Strategy effectiveness, yet it offered insights for early FCV Strategy implementation and IDA20 replenishment discussions. Members urged clearer success measures in conflict-affected countries, stronger diagnostic tools integration, improved monitoring and evaluation guidance, and more conflict-sensitive project work across key sectors.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

Overview of CODE review

Focus and scope of the evaluation

Management response and requested actions

Monitoring, evaluation, and diagnostic tools

Sectoral gaps and recommended next steps

Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized World Bank Engagement in Situations of Conflict An Evaluation ofFY10-20 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 ofthe 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 workout 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 thereport’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. ∗ This report is not an approved record.

FAQs

What did CODE review in this meeting?

CODE considered the IEG evaluation titled World Bank Engagement in Situations of Conflict - An Evaluation of FY10–20 Experience, along with a draft World Bank Management response.

How did CODE view the relationship to the FCV Strategy?

CODE noted the evaluation did not assess the effectiveness of the WBG Fragility, Conflict and Violence Strategy, but found it timely and useful for informing early FCV Strategy implementation and IDA20 deliberations.

What areas did CODE ask for more clarity or improvement?

CODE requested clearer measures for institutional and operational issues discouraging staff engagement in conflict situations, and emphasized the need for progress tracking by the Board.

Jul 19, 2026

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