The Committee on Development Effectiveness met to consider the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) report An Evaluation of World Bank and International Finance Corporation Engagement for Gender Equality over the Past 10 Years and the draft management response.

Members welcomed the evaluation as valuable in informing the development of the implementation plan for the new World Bank Group 2024–30 gender strategy. Members expressed support for IEG’s recommendations and noted management’s agreement and commitment to implementing them. They commended the Bank Group for the progress made toward gender equality and empowerment and called for scaled-up efforts (to enhance strategic country engagement, focus on outcomes, and realign incentives) and resources. Members also underscored the need for the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation to consider the One World Bank Group approach for outcome-oriented engagements.

Members urged management to ensure that the recommendations from IEG’s evaluation are well reflected in the implementation plan of the new gender strategy. They welcomed management’s proposal to strengthen gender architecture, including through developing the World Bank’s operational model that encompasses building regional capacity and gender expertise. Furthermore, members expressed interest in understanding how management plans to refresh the gender tag and the gender flag to deepen the integration of gender equality in operational implementation. They also sought clarity on how the results of IEG’s evaluation and the overall emphasis on outcome orientation would be reflected in the Corporate Scorecard indicator methodology.

Members underscored the importance of strengthening collaboration and coordination efforts with development partners, the private sector, and other stakeholders in reinforcing the Bank Group’s country-driven engagement model. They called for the One World Bank Group approach to advance the gender equality agenda and supported the unified approach of the new gender strategy.