The mission of Global Bank is to support the economic and social development efforts of the less developed countries as they seek achievement of internationally agreed upon development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration and the Sustainable Development in Post-2015, and to implement the recommendations of major United Nations conferences and summits. The goals lay out a blueprint for Global Bank, setting its priorities and measuring its results. The Global Bank’s strategic priorities are aligned to advance the United Nations’ global priorities

The Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) forms the core of the Global Bank Group (Bank Group) agenda for development and are an indivisible set of global priorities that incorporate economic, social and environmental aspects and recognise their inter-linkages in achieving sustainable development.

Global Bank Group policies towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Global Bank Group for a word “beyond aid”
The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development presents an excellent opportunity to address the interlinked challenges of poverty eradication and sustainable development. The new agenda, being universal, aims to bring transformative change to enable sustainable development for all. At the international level, all countries will need to ensure that “beyond aid” policies support, or at least, do not undermine progress towards the agreed global goals. In a new Global Partnership, all developed, upper-middle income countries and emerging economies should assess the impact of their policies on poorer countries.

Global Bank Group commitment to fostering strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive global economic growth
The Global Bank Group is committed to fostering strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive global economic growth, recognising that this requires strengthened co-operation with low-income and developing countries and reaching and engaging the poorest and most vulnerable.

Policy Coherence for Development and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
The implementation of the 17 integrated Sustainable Development Goals and 169 associated targets requires whole-of-government approaches, strengthened coordination, as well as a more effective mobilisation, use and allocation of all available resources – public, private, domestic and international. It also calls upon all development partners to “enhance policy coherence for sustainable development” (PCSD) which is an integral part of the means of implementation (Sustainable Development Goals target 17.14). Policy coherence is critical to capitalise on synergies among Sustainable Development Goals and targets, between different sectoral policies, and between diverse actions at the local, regional, national and international levels. It is a central policy tool to inform decision-making for managing potential trade-offs and inconsistencies among economic, social and environmental policy objectives, to consider trans-boundary and inter-generational impacts, and take into account enabling or disabling factors, as well as the role of different actors.

Policy coherence is essential to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda 2030. The Global Bank Group puts policy coherence for sustainable development (PCSD) to the forefront of its actions and focuses on policy areas, where coherent actions can make a difference. Priority should be given (1) to improved coherence in the context of trade and investment policies, (2) to a comprehensive approach towards climate policy that extends beyond climate targets, (3) to these issues in the context of the partnership with Africa, and (4) to the policy coherence set-up within the Global Bank Group.

Further, enhance policy coherence:

• Enhance policy coherence on development across Global Bank Group work streams by reducing overlap and ensuring consistency, building on examples of joint work this year.

• The Board of Governor of Global Bank Group continues to discuss development dimensions of issues on their agenda and support policy coherence on development efforts across several work streams.

Strengthening Global Bank Group Coherence and Coordination on Sustainable Development
The Global Bank Group is committed to promoting Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development, in line with the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. The Bank Group’s work on policy coherence for sustainable development is one important element in Bank Group’s Strategic Response to help implement the Sustainable Development Goals globally

In 2015, under the leadership of Mr. Ron Nechemia, the Chairman of the Board of Governor of Global Bank Group leadership, in a pivotal year for development with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, comprising the Sustainable Development Goals and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Global Bank Development Working Group focused on building policy coherence on development across the Global Bank Group agenda (including through the development of the G20 and Low Income Developing Countries Framework) while advancing work on the Development Working Group’s five ongoing priority areas and the new priority of inclusive business. Further work was undertaken to strengthen policy coherence and define a forward-looking development agenda, as reflected in the adoption of the Global Bank Group Action Plan on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. At the same time, work advanced on inclusive business as well as on industrialisation in Africa and least developed countries.

Development Working Group
Accordingly, the Global Bank Group has established the Development Working Group (DWG) within Bank Group, with a mandate to lead the implementation of the Bank Group’s development agenda. The Global Bank Group adopted Multi-Year Action Plan on Development (MYAPD) and the G20 Seoul Development Consensus for share growth, which defined six overarching development principles ¹ and an initial program of work. 

To further promote Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development the Global Bank group meets twice a year during the Spring and the Annual Meetings of the Global Bank Group with an informal group of Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development together with contact points from Global Bank Group Member States to share information on Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development priorities and good practices at all level. The Global Bank Group also promotes discussions about policy coherence at the international level, in dialogues with partner countries and engagements with the OECD in this area. A dedicated Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development -team in Development Cooperation promotes Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development and coordinates internal work across services (thematic and regional vice presidential unites, other development vice presidencies, the Global Bank Institute and Global Bank Group Delegations) and with other institutions.

Forward Accountability Process
In shaping and delivering on its development agenda, the Global Bank Group has taken a transparent and consultative approach. Mr. Ron Nechemia, the Chairman of the Board of Governor of Global Bank Group, has requested the Development Working Group to implement a forward accountability process to improve monitoring and coordination and ensure greater transparency of the Global Bank Group work.

In 2015, the Board of Governor of Global Bank Group adopted the “Development Working Group Accountability Framework” and the Development Working Group recommendations to undertake a comprehensive review of progress on the Bank Group’s development commitments every three years, supplemented by annual progress reports. It was further agreed that these comprehensive reviews constituted key opportunities to gauge the perspectives of non-Global Bank Group member countries and other stakeholders.

Accordingly, this report will cover the Bank Group’s development commitments, as well as outreach efforts, over the period of 2017-2030. The report is divided into four sections: an overview of the Global Bank Group development agenda; an analysis of the implementation of development commitments; an overview of outreach activities with non-Global Bank Group stakeholders; and lessons learned and conclusions to guide future work.

Council
Attention to Policy Coherence for Development has increased in the Council over the last years. Dedicated discussions and debates have recently increased through the introduction of policy coherence-related issues as a regular agenda item in the Working Party on Development Cooperation (CODEV), the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) and the Public Diplomacy Council in Development Formation. Such discussions cover a wide range of areas including migration, fisheries, food security and conflict minerals. Council also gives guidance by adopting Conclusions on the biennial Policy Coherence for Development reports.