World Bank Financing for Statistics

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• World Bank Financing for Statistics

Neil Fantom Development Data Group, World Bank
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Main options for World Bank financing

• Lending products
• Concessional lending and grants to low income
  countries (IDA)
• Lending at competitive market rates to middle
  income countries (IBRD)
• Trust Funds and other grants
• Other e.g. Analytic and Advisory Activities

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Standard lending products can be used for
statistical capacity improvement

• Stand alone statistics project
• Statistical component in a wider or
  sector-specific lending operation
• Statistical capacity improvement in a
  development policy loan (for example those used
  to support implementation of PRSPs)

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STATCAP a specific World Bank financial product
for statistics

• Designed for NSDS implementation
• Streamlined preparation and internal approval
  process
• Five countries so far
• Burkina Faso (10m), Kenya (20.5m), Russia
  (10m), Tajikistan (1m), Ukraine (32m)
• Pipeline
• Bangladesh, Bolivia, Indonesia, India,
  Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia

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Key STATCAP requirements

• Commitment to good statistical practice
• Existence of statistical development strategy
• Part of World Bank Country Assistance Strategy
  (as any lending operation)

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Some examples of STATCAP-style projects using
standard financial instruments

• Statistical capacity building as part of a wider
  project
• Nigeria (18m), The Gambia (3.4m), Sri Lanka
  (13m), Vietnam (14m)
• Incorporated into support for PRSP
• Uganda
• Census support
• Sudan (large, part of a Multi-Donor Trust Fund),
  Mozambique (some financing from a sectoral
  project)

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STATCAP in Burkina Faso
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Trust Funds and other grants

• Trust Fund for Statistical Capacity Building
  (TFSCB)
• Special fund for statistical work
• Complementary to PARIS21
• Multi-donor
• Institutional Development Fund
• May provide small grants for institutional
  capacity building
• Special trust funds for specific projects
• E.g. GDDS social statistics in Anglophone Africa
  (DFID)

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TFSCB a closer look

• Donors currently United Kingdom, Netherlands,
  Switzerland, Canada, Germany, France
• Can fund development of NSDS
• Other non-NSDS projects up to 400,000
• NSDS window non-competitive, fast approval
• Non-NSDS two competitive windows each year
• 41 active projects with value 7.2m
• 19 new projects in FY07 (7 rejections)

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Analytic and Advisory Activities (AAA)

• An agreed part of World Bank operations in all
  countries
• Some activities rely heavily on statistical data
• Poverty Assessments, Public Expenditure Reviews
  and others
• May present an opportunity
• To fund specific activities (surveys)
• Or more general statistical work (e.g.
  statistical capacity or data quality assessments)

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Some things worth knowing (country projects)

• Most World Bank investment projects are
  country-executed
• Projects often require Ministry of Finance
  approval, including signature of a loan or grant
  agreement
• Some large projects may need parliamentary
  ratification
• Most projects are supervised by the World Bank
  regional/country office (though they may to use
  staff from HQ)

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World Bank investment in partnership activities

• Development Grant Facility, 100m per year for
  partnership activities
• From 2006 7.5m per year of this for supporting
  the Marrakech Action Plan for Statistics
• Current recipients are PARIS21 (including IHSN
  and ADP), UN Statistics Division (Census), UNESCO
  Institute for Statistics, UNECE, UN Habitat
• External Advisory Board provides advice on MAPS
  implementation

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Some practical suggestions
The ICP and PPPs

• Realistic and prioritized plans, that are part of
  wider planning processes (like PRSPs), have a
  better chance of attracting investment
• Show willing e.g. improve data access and
  dissemination, demonstrate commitment to good
  statistical practice
• Donor coordination and information sharing
  mechanisms are useful
• Include Ministry of Finance in dialogue