UNITED NATIONS, WORLD BANK STRENGTHEN PARTNERSHIP ON CRISIS, POST-CRISIS ASSISTANCE

 

The United Nations and the World Bank today agreed to strengthen their cooperation in crisis and post-crisis situations.  United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank President Robert Zoellick signed a partnership framework which affirms their commitment to work together more effectively in countries affected by conflict and or natural disasters.

The United Nations-World Bank partnership framework for crisis and post-crisis situations formally recognizes the critical and complementary support the two institutions offer, as well as the importance of integrated political, security and development frameworks in support of countries in crisis.  It provides common guiding principles for working with national authorities and partners to support crisis prevention, stabilization and recovery strategies while being cognizant of humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence.  It also calls on the World Bank Group and United Nations system organizations to improve inter-agency communications, strengthen joint planning, increase collaboration on funding mechanisms and foster a culture of greater collaboration through joint training, evaluation and research.

The principles set out in the United Nations-World Bank partnership framework will be operationalized through, among others, a United Nations Development Group-World Bank operational annex that establishes concrete operational commitments by the World Bank Group and the United Nations Development Group to strengthen their collaboration, particularly with regard to post-crisis needs assessments and multi-donor trust funds; and a fiduciary principles accord, developed by the World Bank and a number of United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, aimed at facilitating timely transfer of financial resources under trust funds administered by either the World Bank or the United Nations Development Group in support of crisis and emergency response activities implemented by the other.  The objective of both the United Nations Development Group–World Bank operational annex and the fiduciary principles accord is to deliver results more quickly.

The partnership framework, the United Nations Development Group-World Bank operational annex and the fiduciary principles accord are aimed at reducing transaction costs for partner countries and increasing the coherence and impact of the assistance that the United Nations and the World Bank provide.

By working together more effectively, the World Bank and the United Nations believe they can do more to help countries consolidate peace and become more resilient to crises, help people recover from conflict and crisis situations, and strengthen national institutions’ capacity for prevention, response and recovery.

For more information, please contact Michael Kovrig, Strategic Communications Specialist, United Nations Development Operations Coordination Office, tel: +1 212 906 5053, cell: +1 646 633 3620, e-mail: michael.kovrig@undg.org.

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For information media • not an official record