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In December 2015, the World Bank Board of Executive Directors endorsed a new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Egypt. The CPF is a collaborative strategy between the World Bank Group (WBG) and the client government which defines the development priorities on which the WBG will build and mobilize their support to Egypt for the period 2015- 2019. The preparation of the CPF included consultation meetings with different stakeholders as key participants in development. The process involved the government, private sector, civil society organizations (CSOs), youth, academics, and donors. The consultation meetings included sessions in Cairo, Aswan and Alexandria.
CPF Consultations in Cairo. Photo: © World Bank
The CPF aims to support the transformational changes Egypt is witnessing in both economic and social sectors. It is built on the government’s medium-term strategy, national priorities, and the recently presented sustainable development strategy, “Egypt’s vision for the year 2030”, and takes into consideration the significant challenges Egypt is facing. The CPF is focused around the three pillars of improving governance, private sector job creation, and improving social inclusion. The CPF also establishes the WBG’s financial commitment to the country over the 2015-2019 period. Over the course of these five years, the World Bank Group plans to provide $6 billion USD in funding through its public sector arm, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), in addition to $2 billion USD in financing through its private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
While consultations were held to seek input from civil society and external stakeholders, a number of CSOs have criticized the Bank’s process of gathering input. They participated in initial rounds of consultations, and presented inputs to be considered in the final version of the strategy. However, CSOs were disappointed in the lack of follow-up after initial phases, and in the lack of an additional round of consultations on the final version of the document.