Country strategies – an initial review

In 2015, the EBRD Board and Management agreed that strengthened country strategies are central to operational focus and to accomplishing demonstrable results at the country level. Management committed to develop and apply a results framework for country strategies, producing numerous new strategies over 18 months using the Country Strategy Results Framework (CSRF). The CSRF “represents an explicit articulation, through clear and measurable indicators, of the transition results expected from the Bank’s activities in a country during the strategy period,” providing a logical link from transition challenges to strategic priorities and expected results. The Board has expressed broad support for this direction, making it a priority.

The Evaluation Department (EvD) prepared an initial review to assess the evaluability of early CSRF examples, contribute feedback, and build evaluation methods. Commissioning an external assessment of eight strategies, the review found improvements in evaluability and prioritization, but highlighted weaknesses in stakeholder engagement, resource discussion, and intervention logic, recommending further refinement for greater impact.