An Evaluation of the World Bank's Trust Fund Portfolio

Appendix G: World Bank Operational Policy onTrust Funds (OP 14.40)These policies were prepared for use by World Bank staff and are notnecessarily a complete treatment of the subject.OP 14.40July, 2008Note: This operational policy statement replaces the statement dated February 1997, and the Operational Memorandum: Use ofTied Trust Funds and Contacts with Trust Fund Donors, dated June 16, 1998. It applies to all Trust Fund Proposals (TFPs) thatare submitted to Concessional Finance and Global Partnerships (CFP) on or after July 1, 2008. This statement does not apply toreimbursable arrangements, externally-financed outputs (EFOs), arrangements under which the Bank provides administrativeservices but does not receive funds in trust, IDA grants, grants under the Bank’s Institutional Development Fund, or grantsunder the Bank’s Development Grant Facility.1. A trust fund is a financing arrangement set up with contributions from one or more donors and, insome cases, from the World Bank Group. 1 The Bank 2 establishes and administers trust funds as acomplement to IDA and IBRD financing to promote development and aid effectiveness by leveraging itscapacity and development knowledge. The Bank encourages trust funds that draw on its operationalrole, include contributions from more than one donor, reinforce country capacity and ownership, andpromote harmonization and alignment of donor aid modalities. Selectively, the Bank also providesspecific administrative and financial services to the international community for trust funds that supportwork on issues of global importance and where the Bank may not perform an operational role.2. The Bank accepts contributions from both sovereign and non-sovereign donors, and from the WorldBank Group, provided that they meet criteria set out below. Trust funds do not extend any unfairadvantages or benefits to the donor.3. For each intended trust fund, the Bank decides whether to accept the role or responsibilitiesproposed, based on the following criteria:(a) Consistency with the Bank’s Purposes and Mandate. Activities financed from the trust fundare in keeping with the IBRD and IDA Articles of Agreement.(b) Strategic Relevance. Activities financed from the trust fund are aligned with the Bank’sstrategies.(c) Risk Management and Controls. The risks arising from the trust fund, including those arisingfrom any conflicts of interest or any restrictions on its use, are explicitly considered and are judged tobe acceptable and manageable by the Bank.(d) Governance. The Bank has decision-making authority in the use of the funds adequate tofulfill its roles in administering the specific type of trust fund. 3(e) Nationality Restrictions on Procurement. The Bank does not accept any contribution to atrust fund that imposes nationality restrictions on procurement (as distinct from nationality restrictionson recruitment, which may still be accepted 4 ).(f) Operational Efficiency and Sustainability. Trust funds are of a sufficient size 5 to ensureefficient administration, and preferably are programmatic 6 in design. The Bank recovers the costsof performing agreed roles in administering a trust fund, taking into account benefits associated withsuch funding.117