Country Engagement

The World Bank Group’s Country Partnership Framework (CPF) aims to make our country-driven model more systematic, evidence-based, selective, and focused on the Bank’s twin goals of ending extreme poverty and increasing shared prosperity in a sustainable manner. The CPF replaces the Country Assistance Strategy (CAS). Used in conjunction with a Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD),  the CPF guides the World Bank Group's (WBG) support to a member country.

A Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) informs each new CPF. The aim of the SCD is to identify the most important challenges and opportunities a country faces in advancing towards the twin goals. This is derived from a thorough analysis, and informed by consultations with a range of stakeholders.

View the World Bank Group Directive and Guidance on Country Engagement.

Steps in our Country Engagement:

Step 1: What are the biggest constraints to reducing poverty and increasing shared prosperity in a sustainable way?  SCDs are built on an analysis of data and existing studies by the WBG and external partners, and aim at identifying the most critical constraints to, and opportunities for, reducing poverty and building shared prosperity sustainably. The SCD’s findings take into account the views of a broad set of stakeholders, including the private sector.

Step 2: What are the most important contributions the World Bank Group can make? The CPF lays out the main country development goals that WBG aims to help the country achieve, and proposes a selective program of indicative WBG interventions for this purpose. Derived from these country development goals are more specific CPF objectives against which the program is monitored during and evaluated at the end of the CPF cycle. CPF objectives are selected to reflect Government priorities, main constraints identified by the SCD, and the WBG’s comparative advantage.

Step 3: How are we doing? Performance and Learning Reviews (PLRs) are prepared mid-way through the CPF cycle. PLRs identify and capture lessons, and determine midcourse corrections in the CPF objectives and program of interventions. They also contribute to and help build the WBG’s knowledge base, into the SCD and CPF.

Step 4: What did we learn? Completion and Learning Reviews (CLR) identify and capture end-of-cycle learning to contribute to the WBG’s knowledge base, including on how to integrate inclusion and sustainability dimensions into WBG programs. CLR findings are an important input to the preparation of a new CPF.