Introduction
The World Bank Group (WBG) is renewing its approach for Civic and Citizen Engagement (CCE), an initiative that is crucial in the current context of multiple global crises. This new approach emphasizes a systems-oriented and partnership-based approach to address the climate emergency, persistent poverty, exclusion, conflict, and fragility, in line with our goal to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity on a livable planet.
A strategic review conducted in FY24 has shown that while the Bank has met the minimal corporate requirements outlined in the 2014 Strategic Framework for Mainstreaming Citizen Engagement, a stronger and more strategic approach is necessary. The new approach and strategic framework will focus on:
- Improving the quality and outcomes of project-level CCE;
- Strengthening country systems for CCE;
- Supporting enabling conditions for CCE; and,
- Ensuring an institutional support system for CCE that is fit-for-purpose.
The WBG's Renewed CCE Agenda
The new CCE Strategic Framework is currently under development. Based on consultations with internal and external stakeholders, it will be completed by June 2025. The new Framework will provide guidance to WBG teams on integrating CCE corporate commitments into the country partnership model and enhancing the quality of operational-level CCE.
As referenced in the IDA21 Replenishment Report, the WBG is also introducing a new "Quality of Civic/Citizen Engagement" monitoring indicator, as part of its renewed Corporate Scorecard. The proposed indicator measures how meaningfully citizens and civil society actors are engaged and to what extent their voices are reflected in development decision-making and oversight. Unlike the previous indicator, which operated solely at the project level, this composite indicator, will measure the quality and results of the Bank's performance in CCE at both the project and country portfolio levels. Rather than a compliance-based approach with a minimal requirement at design of specific projects, the new approach will aim to incentivize more meaningful and impactful engagement with stakeholders, citizens, and civil society organizations (CSOs) by focusing on quality and results, highlighting good practices, and identifying areas where more attention and support is needed for overall country portfolios. The methodology for the new indicator (attached for reference) has been piloted with a random sample of 21 countries, three from each region, and the results used to refine the methodology to ensure its effectiveness and scalability. The indicator will be rolled out next fiscal year (starting during the 2025 Annual Meetings, planned for Sept/Oct 2025).
In parallel, the WBG is also launching CIVIC: The Civil Society and Social Innovation Alliance in 2025 as a dedicated fund and global program. CIVIC will support CSOs and social innovators addressing global development challenges, advancing our mission to end poverty on a livable planet. CIVIC will leverage solutions and approaches from CSOs that can help enable and deliver strengthened civic and citizen engagement in collaboration with governments and World Bank programs and will be made available to country teams to strengthen their operational engagements. This program will be rolled out together with the new CCE Strategic Framework and the new CCE monitoring indicator.
CCE Consultation
Between February and March 2025, the World Bank’s Citizen and Civil Society Engagement (CCE) Global team conducted a series of virtual consultation sessions with multilingual interpretation to ensure broad, inclusive participation. These sessions were designed to inform stakeholders about the new CCE Strategic Framework and composite CCE Indicator, gather feedback to shape their development, and strengthen collaboration between internal teams and external partners. In parallel, written feedback was collected through an online form open from January 16 to April 14, 2025.
What We Heard
During the external virtual consultations on the World Bank’s renewed CCE Strategic Framework, stakeholders raised a wide array of thoughtful questions and recommendations reflecting diverse contexts and operational realities.
Key concerns centered on how the Bank will move beyond compliance to foster meaningful, system-wide civic engagement, particularly in country contexts with limited enabling environment for CCE. Participants emphasized the need for sustained co-creation with civil society, including marginalized groups, and asked how the Framework will ensure inclusion, transparency, and accountability. Specific questions addressed implementation challenges, such as limited capacity and funding for project teams, integration with country systems, and risks of superficial engagement due to compressed timelines or streamlined documentation. Others called for clarity on incentives for meaningful participation, mechanisms for stakeholder selection, and how the composite indicator will reflect varying country contexts.
Civil society actors also requested operational guidance, inclusion in feedback loops, and stronger links between local-level engagement and broader policy outcomes. Across the board, there was a strong demand for deeper partnerships, more contextualized approaches, and concrete pathways to institutionalize participation as a core element of development effectiveness.
This summary report captures the key insights from the CCE consultations, along with the Bank team’s responses on how the new CCE Strategy will address the issues raised, to the extent possible. The Bank team is grateful to all participants who generously shared their time and perspectives during the consultations, and looks forward to continued collaboration with stakeholders in implementing the renewed CCE agenda.
Contact Information
For any inquiries or for more information, please contact us via email:
Aly Rahim, Global Lead for Citizen Engagement
Mariana T. Felicio, Senior Social Development Specialist
Yuri Park, Social Development Specialist