July 2017: Resources to assist development practitioners in incorporating results-based approaches into their projects have been produced by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), World Bank, and UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).

The OECD has organized a number of resources on a web page focused on ‘Results in development co-operation,’ which highlights the importance of impact for development cooperation. These resources highlight that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development offers two distinct yet integrated challenges: the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets provide a framework for development results and for the results of development cooperation, while the theme “leave no one behind” has no targets, deadlines, indicators, or data.

An OCED paper identifies six challenges that providers encounter when managing for results in development cooperation, including challenges related to linking results to development goals, defining the purpose of results systems and building and embedding a results culture.

Discussion papers and case studies related to results-based management released by the OECD in July include ‘Strengthening the results chain: Synthesis of case studies of results-based management by providers: Discussion Paper’ as well as specific case studies involving the World Bank and Canada. The synthesis paper draws from seven case studies of results-based management by development cooperation providers and finds that development cooperation results have become detached from development results. The paper identifies six challenges that providers encounter when managing for results in development cooperation: linking results to development goals; ensuring the purpose of results systems is well-defined; weighing the benefits of aggregating and attributing results from standard indicators; enabling country ownership; using performance information alongside results information; and building and embedding a results culture. [Publication: Strengthening the Results Chain: Synthesis of Case Studies of Results-based Management by Providers]

The OECD Development Co-operation Directorate (DCD) on behalf of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) supports an informal ‘Results Community’ network dedicated to results-based management for effective development cooperation. The next bi-annual workshop for the Results Community will convene from 9-10 October 2017, in Paris, France, and will focus on the following themes: Challenges of results-based management (including enabling country ownership); Leave No one behind – through results frameworks; Using SDG targets and indicators in results frameworks; and Communicating results- looking to the future. [OECD Results in Development Cooperation resources]

Another results-based approach to development cooperation is results-based financing (RBF). A recent World Bank study on results-based climate financing (RBCF) explains that, broadly defined, RBF is a “financing modality under which funds are disbursed by an investor or donor to a recipient upon the achievement of a pre-agreed set of results.” Achievement of these results is subject to independent verification. In its review of 74 RBCF programs implemented in developing countries, the World Bank notes that RBCF is especially suitable for financing climate mitigation because it focuses on carbon emissions. The paper highlights that RBCF “facilitates carbon pricing and market building, supports host countries’ policy processes to achieve their NDCs, and leverages private sector activity and financing.” [Publication: Results-Based Climate Finance In Practice: Delivering Climate Finance For Low-Carbon Development]

On results-based management (RBM), DESA is supporting the development of a curriculum to build national capacity in RBM to support implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The curriculum builds on the RBM approach, with attention to how RBM can be scaled to the national level and incorporated into national level monitoring planning for implementing the 2030 Agenda. The curriculum highlights the central role of indicators in RBM and in monitoring the SDGs, while noting that national planners also need to incorporate the challenge of leaving no one behind into their SDG implementation strategies and recognize that RBM approaches cannot rely exclusively on aggregate statistics. Following an expert group meeting that reviewed the curriculum in May 2017, DESA used the materials in a training in Belize. [Presentation on curriculum development] [IISD Sources]