Lifting People out of Poverty
The International Development Association, IDA, is the World Bank’s Fund for the Poorest Countries. One of the world’s largest sources of aid, IDA provides support for health and education, infrastructure and agriculture, and economic and institutional development to the 81 least developed countries—39 of them in Africa. These countries are home to 2.5 billion people, 1.5 billion of whom survive on $2 a day or less.
About one-fifth of IDA funding is provided as grants; the rest is in the form of interest-free, long-term credits.
IDA is replenished every three years by both developed and developing country donors, as well as two other World Bank organizations—the IBRD and IFC.
52 countries contributed to the last IDA replenishment of $49.3 billion. Former IDA recipients like China, Egypt, Korea and Turkey are now IDA donors.
As one of the world’s largest external funders of health, education, infrastructure, and disaster reconstruction and recovery, IDA is critical to achievement of 2015 Millennium Development Goals.
IDA helps maximize scarce aid resources. Every $1 of IDA aid leverages, on average, another $2.
Last year, IDA commitments rose to nearly $16.3 billion, a record level, for health, education, agriculture programs, as well as to build transport, energy, water and Information Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure.
IDA is an investment in global growth, creating jobs and new opportunities in developed and developing countries.
What makes IDA unique?
Today, IDA is recognized as a global institution which serves as a platform for effective delivery of aid. IDA is unique because it:
· IDA supports country-led development with funds that are predictable and not “earmarked,” meaning more sustainable results.
· Provides a vital platform to help countries coordinate and target their scarce bilateral and multilateral aid resources across multiple sectors.
· IDA is ever improving its rigorous results measurement system, in place since 2002.
· IDA is a global leader in transparency and undergoes the toughest independent evaluations of any international organization.
· IDA puts a premium on efficiency and effectiveness and was rated “best performer” in terms of aid transparency and ranked first out of 58 donors in the 2011 Aid Transparency Index. IDA is overseen by its 170 shareholder countries, creating opportunities for transfer of knowledge and expertise and ensuring a focus on results.
· IDA has staff on the ground in nearly all IDA countries, ensuring that support is targeted and well monitored.
· IDA overheads are low; it is self-financed by a small service charge to clients.
IDA delivers
During the period 2000-2010:
· IDA provided more than 47 million people with access to a basic package of health, nutrition or population services; immunized more than 310 million children; and provided antenatal care for more than 2.5 million pregnant women.
· IDA financing helped provide over 113 million people with access to an improved water source.
· IDA trained more than 3 million teachers and provided more than 105 million children with new or rehabilitated classrooms. IDA financing has supported one of the largest schooling expansions in history, including greatly improved girls’ enrollment.
· As part of reconstruction efforts following the Haiti earthquake, 210,000 children receive daily meals through IDA.
Updated May 2012
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