The unanticipated spike in international food prices in 2007 – 08 hit developing countries hard. The World Bank Group (WBG) organized rapidly for support in the crisis, launching a fast-track program of loans and grants, called the Global Food Crisis Response Program. This evaluation assesses the effectiveness of the WBG response in addressing the impacts of the food price crisis.

This Biennial Report on Operations Evaluation is an evaluation of the monitoring and evaluation systems of IFC and MIGA. It takes stock of the strengths and weaknesses of the development results frameworks in place for IFC services and MIGA guarantees, and offers recommendations for improvements.  

The IFC introduced the Global Trade Finance Program in 2005 to "support the extension of trade finance to underserved clients globally." The program has since expanded rapidly, and its authorized exposure ceiling was increased in three stages from $500 million in 2005 to $5 billion in 2012. In FY12, the program accounted for 39% of total IFC commitments.

IEG hosted its sixth Evaluation Week on March 18 – 21. The purpose of this event is to share knowledge on evaluation best practices and lessons among a variety of audiences. This year featured multiple "how to" learning sessions, panel discussions, debates, and the IEG Good Practice Awards Ceremony. Videos and presentations from the event are now available online. 

Over the past decade, the World Bank, IFC and MIGA have committed about $50 billion for operations or guarantees in the transport sector; yet inadequate operations and maintenance has remained a concern. This evaluation assesses the effectiveness of World Bank Group support to countries in sustaining the provision of transport infrastructure and services and distills lessons on the factors contributing to sustained transport.

The 1990s and early 2000s saw considerable progress in poverty reduction in developing countries. Today, the Bank Group faces the challenge of helping its client countries sustain such gains in the face of uncertain global growth. This report draws attention to the their achievements, including the Bank’s response to the 2008–09 economic crisis, stability in IFC’s investment performance despite a challenging environment, and MIGA's reduced concentration of guarantees in the financial sector.

A decade ago, the World Bank Group shifted its approach in the forest sector by putting poverty alleviation and sustainable economic development on equal footing with conservation. It was a bold move given the risks and trade-offs involved in balancing these three aims. After a decade of implementation, IEG has evaluated the progress made and results of this approach.

Under President Jim Kim, the World Bank Group has launched a sweeping change management agenda. To design and implement a change agenda effectively, it is critical to build on lessons from previous experiences. IEG has been contributing to this agenda by distilling lessons learned from IEG evaluations that cover World Bank operations, knowledge, and corporate strategy and processes. Learn more about IEG's findings.

What are some challenges that require immediate attention? What do we need to do to solve today's global challenges to have a better tomorrow? This video features lessons from evaluations of World Bank Group's work in climate change, agriculture and agribusiness, water, and food security.