Annual Review of Development Effectiveness 2009 : Achieving Sustainable Development

This year's annual review of development effectiveness (ARDE) is being written against the backdrop of a global financial crisis, declining growth, and massive fiscal stimulus efforts to revitalize markets. Demand for greater development support from the World Bank has grown, along with concerns that resources be used effectively and efficiently to achieve their development objectives. This ARDE focuses on the Bank's performance record in getting results from its projects and country programs and, as is customary, examines in depth one topic relating to development effectiveness. The focus of this ARDE is on the Bank's support for environmental sustainability, in response to a Board request for a synthesis of findings from recent Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) reports on the environment. This year's special focus getting results for sustainable development reflects the vital role of sound environmental stewardship for development and the grave threat that inaction poses of reversing gains in growth and poverty reduction. The Bank's record in implementing the 2001 environment strategy and advancing the results agenda is quite mixed. New sources of financing, including resources for global efforts, have helped lending and support for the environment to recover from the lows of the early 2000s; analytic work has fostered innovative approaches and enhanced environmental awareness; and direct support for environmental projects is showing improved performance, with tangible results. But implementation of the strategy in mainstream environmental work across sectors has been weak and must be strengthened. Project performance shows a clear improving trend.