Publications
Summary of publication
The Australia-World Bank Growth and Prosperity in the Philippines (AGaP) Trust Fund Independent Midterm Review was conducted to assess the Trust Fund’s performance and gauge its effectiveness and relevance. It sought to assess whether the AGaP Trust Fund fulfilled its mandate, with a dual focus on accountability and learning, as well as the effectiveness of World Bank and DFAT’s partnership under AGaP. This review will help inform the World Bank and DFAT on options for future directions of the AGaP Trust Fund, including possible adjustments to the results framework, areas of focus and the activities to be supported. The review covered AGaP’s activities from its set-up in March 2019 to the end of December 2021.
In summary, the period covered by the review was a challenging operating environment, with the Philippines one of the countries hit hardest by COVID-19 in the East Asia and Pacific region. Nevertheless, the review found that the single-donor trust fund was an effective and flexible mechanism that enabled DFAT and the World Bank to be highly responsive to the needs of the Philippine Government and the challenges presented by the pandemic and resulting economic contraction in the Philippines. The rationale for the Trust Fund was to be an efficient model for implementation, reducing administration and overheads, and promoting flexibility and responsiveness. The Review confirmed this and found that this enabled AGaP to respond quickly to emerging opportunities. Based on the AGaP’s performance, the development priorities of the Philippine Government, and the country programs of World Bank and DFAT, the Review recommended that DFAT continue to support AGaP beyond its current end date as a single donor programmatic instrument, a modality that balances the effectiveness of the Bank’s delivery with the benefits of a bilateral mechanism.
- AGaP Trust Fund Independent Midterm Review [DOCX 202 KB]
- AGaP Trust Fund Independent Midterm Review [PDF 1 MB]
DFAT Management response
DFAT thanks the World Bank Office in Manila for commissioning the Independent Midterm Review of the Australia-World Bank Growth and Prosperity in the Philippines (AGaP). The evaluation findings revolved around improving the governance and implementation of the Trust Fund, and recommendation for DFAT continue to support AGaP beyond its current end date as a single donor programmatic instrument.
DFAT will continue working with the World Bank in improving the implementation of the Trust Fund as it endeavours to revise the AGaP Operational Manual to provide more clarity and guidance on expectations in terms of quality and financial reporting, narrative on priority policies (e.g., GEDSI) as well as on communications. DFAT agrees in principle that continuing AGaP as a single donor programmatic Trust Fund will provide the flexibility needed to achieve AGaP’s intended outcomes. Decisions on the future of AGaP will be made in the context of the upcoming review of all partnerships under the Advancing Multilateral Partnerships for Economic Development (AMPED) investment and within the context of broader priorities for Australia’s engagement in the Philippines. Results of the AMPED Review will be discussed with the World Bank.