6 July 2012: Presentations from a learning event organized by the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) of the World Bank have been made available. The aim of the event was to share lessons from the use of results-based approaches, or Payment by Results, in sectors such as water and sanitation, health, roads, and information and communication technology (ICT).

The learning event took place on 7 May 2012, in Washington, DC, US, during the annual Knowledge Exchange Forum. “Payment by Results” refers to development assistance provided in response to verified results. It can also include funding provided from donors or development organizations to governments for results achieved at the national level (“results-based aid”) and for the delivery of basic services such as health, water and energy by private sector companies, community organizations and public providers (“results-based financing”).

Participants in the learning event included World Bank staff, representatives from ESMAP donor and client countries, and civil society organizations. Discussions focused on policy and programme innovations, and challenges and successful outcomes associated with these programmes. According to ESMAP, participants reflected on why adoption of these approaches in the energy sector has been slow, with discussions centering on key challenges and opportunities in the move towards testing out and subsequently scaling up results-based approaches.

Presentations focused on results-based financing in the health sector; performance-based contracting in the road sector; results-based approaches in the ICT sector; and results-based financing in the water and sanitation sector. [Event Summary] [Event Presentations] [Webpage of Knowledge Exchange Forum]