This paper focuses on Mali’s Request for a Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility. Mali’s economic situation improved in 2003, in spite of a difficult regional environment. The IMF staff considers that the government’s medium-term program, which is aligned to the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) policy agenda, offers a strong framework for Mali to implement its poverty reduction strategy, pursue fiscal consolidation, and continue the reform process. The IMF staff also notes the progress made in implementing the PRSP, as indicated in the first annual progress report.

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African countries need to improve the performance of their public sectors if they are going to achieve their goals of growth, poverty reduction, and the provision of better services for their citizens. Between 1995 and 2004, the Bank provided some $9 billion in lending and close to $900 million in grants and administrative budget to support public sector capacity building in Africa. This evaluation assesses Bank support for public sector capacity building in Africa over these past 10 years. It is based on six country studies, assessments of country strategies and operations across the Region, and review of the work of the World Bank Institute, the Institutional Development Fund, and the Bank-supported African Capacity Building Foundation.

This paper reviews some early interim and full PRSPs for countries with which the authors worked during 1999-2000 (Uganda, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Mozambique, Mali and The Gambia). The purpose of the review is to compare and contrast how the PRSP process was established there. It finds that rapid progress was made in implementing the initiative in all the countries, increasing commitment to poverty reduction amongst government and donors and encouraging broader participation in the policy dialogue. However, there was considerable variation between the cases, reflecting different local contexts and capacities.

Mali’s Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategic Paper provides a comprehensive framework for implementing an ambitious growth and poverty reduction agenda. Executive Directors approve the elaboration of GPRSP-3, which will guide the country in its efforts to sustainably reduce poverty. The strategy is both comprehensive and ambitious, and the approach to integrate short-term crisis-related programs within the medium term GPRSP-3 framework is commended. However, the successful implementation hinges critically on full political support and commitment to address key shortcomings.

Increasing pressure from economic development and population growth has resulted in the degradation of ecosystems around the world and the loss of the essential services that they provide. Understanding the linkages between ecosystem service provisioning and human well-being is crucial for the establishment of effective environmental and economic development policy. Presenting new insights into the relationship between ecosystem services and livelihoods in developing countries, this book takes up the challenge of assessing these links to demonstrate their importance in policy development. It pays special attention to innovative management opportunities that improve local livelihoods and alleviate poverty while enhancing ecosystem protection. Based on eighteen studies in more than twenty developing countries, the authors explore the role of biodiversity-, marine-, forest-, water- and land-related ecosystem services, making this an invaluable contribution to research on the role of ecosystems in supporting the livelihoods of the poor around the world.

Originally published in French and updated here for the first time in English, the book emphasises three main innovations brought about by the fight against poverty by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

This paper presents the Joint Staff Assessment of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) for Mali. The PRSP finalized by the Malian authorities in May 2002 presents a credible policy framework to reduce poverty. The PRSP acknowledges the need for further work to systematize participation and consensus building in the management of public affairs and to strengthen and sustain the consultation process with the poor. The authorities have started addressing these needs by reorienting the working groups and other institutional structures that prepared the PRSP.