| Background The Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) is the most important World Bank country document. It is tailored to the needs and circumstances of each country and lays down the World Bank Group's development priorities, as well as the level and type of assistance the Bank will provide for a period of three years. The CAS preparation is a participatory process. Before the adoption, key elements of the strategy are discussed with government representatives; and to ensure the widest possible involvement, public dialogues are also held, with Internet-based discussions taking place in many countries.
However, the CAS is not a negotiated document. Any differences between the country's own agenda and the Bank's strategy are highlighted in the CAS document. A progress report is issued in the intervening year.   Èthiopia - Country Assistance Strategy, 2008 - 2011
The Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for the for the period FY 2008- 2011 aims to help sustain the ‘dual take-off’ of growth and basic services by supporting the implementation of key elements of the Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development to End Poverty  (PASDEP) framework. The CAS is structured to support Ethiopia in sustaining high levels of investments in key areas (both physical and human capital as well as institutional capacity building), while addressing priority policy issues to maximize the impact of such spending.  Specifically, the CAS seeks to support Ethiopia in achieving four main strategic objectives, consistent with PASDEP: (i) fostering economic growth , in order to sustain the emerging economic ‘take-off’; (ii) improving access to and quality of basic service delivery , in order to sustain the emerging basic service “take-off’; (iii) reducing Ethiopia’s vulnerability to help improve prospects for sustainability; and (iv) fostering improved governance to support progress on the previous three objectives and empower citizens, building on the framework set forth in the 2006 Interim Country Assistance Strategy (ICAS).   After eight years of absence, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) plans to increase its role in helping growth become more private sector-led by reestablishing its presence on the ground and beginning more active engagement in key sectors. The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)  is also exploring new opportunities to support investment in Ethiopia.  The Bank’s analytical agenda will address the fundamental policy issues which Ethiopia, along with its development partners, will need to unlock to successfully move the development and poverty agendas forward. Key studies and reports that will be undertaken during the CAS period include the Institutional and Rural Investment Climate Assessment , the Joint Governance Assessment and Measurement (JGAM), Strategic Review of Road Sector Development, an Investment Climate Assessment survey update, a study on Decentralized Service Delivery, an assessment of Eastern Nile Strategic Basin and a Gender and Poverty Study.
  Èthiopia - Interim Country Assistance Strategy, 2006 - 2007  The 2006-07 Interim Country Assistance Strategy (ICAS) for Ethiopia centered on  good governance and growth as the central underpinning of the Bank's support to Ethiopia. Under ICAS, the Bank  strengthened good governance and accelerated growth in the following areas: (i) core governance-public administration, decentralization, and public financial management; (ii) the provision of basic services in a fair and accountable way, (iii) the promotion of free enterprise, (iv) improved agricultural productivity; and (v) the development of infrastructure to nurture the growth o f small towns and growth corridors.   Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for Ethiopia, 2003 - 2005 In March 2003, the World Bank finalized its CAS for Ethiopia covering FY 2003-2005.  Its objectives were to:   |
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