The IEG Conference on the Development Effectiveness of the World Bank's Approach to Global Programs is scheduled to take place on Thursday April 14th, 2005 from 1:30 -  5:30pm in the Preston Auditorium at World Bank Headquarters, 1818 H. Street N.W., Washington, DC. The conference will be immediately followed by a reception.

The Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) of the World Bank Group is organizing a conference to share cross-cutting lessons with senior policy-makers and Bank staff about the design, implementation and evaluation of global programs. Based on IEG 's independent evaluation report entitled, Addressing the Challenges of Globalization, the conference will provide a forum to discuss the Bank's current and future role in global program partnerships.

The Conference will be arranged into two plenary sessions: The first session will be on the broad theme of The Development Effectiveness of World Bank Support for Global Programming. Global programs are an important and growing line of business for the Bank, yet IEG 's review raises questions about how to bridge the gap between global priorities and country needs. How can the Bank assist in building consensus for a global strategy and commitment for the financing of global public goods that ensures sustained broad-based growth that benefits the poor?

The second plenary will focus on the Bank's Global Health Programs and Partnerships. Effective advocacy campaigns in the health sector have prompted increased expenditures on global health programming, but again, IEG 's review raises questions about the constellation of small and modestly funded global health programs. Are the current drug and vaccine delivery approaches promoted by the global programs sustainable? Are current efforts averting attention and resources away from health system capacity building in developing countries? Should the current mix of global programs be replaced by a few high-priority programs with long-term, consistent, and predictable funding strategies?

If you are interested in attending IEG 's conference, please send your inquiry to Lauren Kelly at lkelly@worldbank.org with copy to Maisha Hyman at Mhyman@worldbank.org.

The Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) is an independent unit within the World Bank; it reports directly to the Bank's Board of Executive Directors. The goals of IEG 's evaluations are to draw lessons from Bank experience, and to provide an objective basis for assessing the results of the Bank's work.