The Committee on Development Effectiveness met to discuss The World Bank Group in Ethiopia, Fiscal Years 2013–23 and the World Bank Group management response.

Members and nonmembers alike welcomed the discussion Ethiopia’s Country Program Evaluation for FY 2013–23 as it provides useful lessons and insights for shaping the future Ethiopia Country Partnership Framework and the development of the upcoming fragility, conflict, and violence strategy. They acknowledged the challenges of working in a fragile and conflict-affected environment, as well as the overlapping crises Ethiopia faced during the assessment period—including macroeconomic decline, the COVID-19 pandemic, historic droughts, and locust infestations. Members and nonmembers expressed appreciation for the Independent Evaluation Group’s honest review of the Bank Group’s program successes and shortcomings and commended the Bank Group team’s resilience and their delivery of significant results.

Concerns were raised about the Bank Group’s rapidly increased support to Ethiopia, noting insufficient strategic adjustments amid conflict and economic challenges. Weak third-party implementation and monitoring, unclear instrument choices, and limited access to analytics and macroeconomic updates were highlighted as issues diminishing the World Bank’s policy influence in fragile contexts. Members and nonmembers urged management to embed more adaptive management and improved risk calibration in Country Partnership Frameworks, as well as stronger protocols for third-party implementation and monitoring, and maintaining timely public analytics, including on sensitive topics. They emphasized the need for clearer accountability, enhanced quality assurance, and prioritizing impactful actions over incentivizing volume.