Thematic networks

Poverty reduction

Gender

People

NGO participation

Social development

Environment agenda

Rural development

Finance, private sector
& infrastructure

Private capital flows

Public governance

The HD network, for example, automatically includes all staff working on education; health, nutrition, and population; and social protection. These communities of professionals working in the same field help staff work together across organization boundaries, and, equally important, with partners outside the Bank. The networks help draw lessons across countries and regions and bring global best practices to bear in meeting country-specific needs in four ways:

• applying "knowledge management," the process of systematically collecting knowledge on development issues from inside and outside the Bank and disseminating it--both inside and outside of the Bank;

• setting common strategies for regional and central units;

• ensuring that skills are deployed effectively by putting together strong task teams to deliver higher-quality products to clients; and

• helping enhance staff skills.

The PREM network, the last of the Bank's thematic networks to be established, is illustrative. It brings together staff working on countrywide economic policy and cross-cutting issues organized in four sector boards: economic policy, gender and development, poverty reduction, and public sector.

PREM is contributing to the Bank's knowledge management system and to ongoing efforts to strengthen the institution's professional skills base by identifying gaps, and subsequently filling them through training and recruitment. It is also helping to strengthen country assistance strategies (CASs), by ensuring that (i) they adequately address the most significant development issues facing each country; (ii) effectively approach the core issues of poverty reduction and economic management; and (iii) include mechanisms to evaluate the Bank's role and responsiveness to client needs. In fiscal 1998 the network contributed to development of Bank strategies toward corruption and the financial sector and is revisiting the poverty reduction strategy.

PREM's work with partners

The PREM network is the Bank's focal point for relations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the World Trade Organization (WTO) and is ensuring that these important partnerships are productive and mutually beneficial. Key examples of partnership activities in fiscal 1998 include the Integrated Program for Least Developed Countries and work on development goals and indicators.

Integrated Program for Least Developed Countries. The 1996 WTO Ministerial Declaration called for a plan of action to improve the capacity of the least developed countries to respond to opportunities offered by the trading system. The WTO suggested a special program for these countries because they are the poorest and, without such a program, the multilateral process of trade reform was likely to pass them by. The program, prepared jointly by UNCTAD, WTO, and the World Bank, was endorsed at an international conference in October 1997. It has two components:

• creating autonomous commitments by WTO member countries to provide enhanced market access for least developed country exports; and

• organizing an integrated program among the international financial institutions, including the World Bank, and aid agencies to provide trade-related assistance.

Countries themselves will drive the program while the multilateral agencies are pledged to help them implement initiatives. The agencies will prepare the integrated response and a concrete plan of trade related assistance for endorsement by country consultative groups or roundtables.