Pre-Workshop Clinics

For a list of pre-workshop clinics that have taken place, see World Bank/IMF Staff Training.
For more information on the PRSP Clinics, contact Jeni Klugman (jklugman@worldbank.org).

What is a pre-workshop PRSP Clinic?

A pre-workshop PRSP clinic is a session in which Bank and Fund staff working on content and process aspects of PRSPs can:  (a) become more familiar with the PRSP process and the rules of the game; and/or (b) obtain guidance on technical aspects of designing a poverty reduction strategy, based on chapters of the Sourcebook for Poverty Reduction Strategies, e.g., the ABCs of monitoring poverty, selecting targets and indicators, poverty diagnostics, supporting a participatory process etc.; and/or (c) think through specific country issues (e.g., the Kyrgyz country team used a pre-workshop PRSP clinic to discuss how to link health sector reforms to poverty outcomes and ways to appraise proposals from the government).

The content of a clinic will be shaped by country team requests.

Please note that if there is demand there can be more than one clinic per team. For example, customized clinics can be organized for a country team when the team is preparing an I-PRSP mission and afterwards when the country is preparing the full PRSP. In the first case, a pre-workshop clinic might focus more on process aspects and Bank/Fund expectations, while in the second case, country team members might want a clinic focusing on specific sectoral issues.

In addition to these pre-workshop clinics, there will be occasional thematic workshops on PRSP topics and general seminars on the PRSP process.

Organization and Clinic Costs

The clinics are organized by World Bank PREM staff, working with other network and Fund colleagues, PRSP lead advisers, and interested members of the country team. A minimum attendance of 8-10 country team members (Bank and Fund) is required. The intended audience for the clinics includes staff who are traveling on PRSP missions specifically to assist in the development and strengthening of poverty reduction strategies; at the same time, the participation of sectoral colleagues working in human development, private sector and infrastructure (PSI), rural development, etc., is strongly encouraged. Typical duration is 2-3 hours, with three or so technical topics being covered; however the number of topics and depth of coverage can be adapted to demand.

The clinics are free to World Bank staff country teams.

Guidelines for Requests

If you are interested in a pre-workshop clinic for your country team, contact Jeni Klugman (jklugman@worldbank.org) and the PRSP Lead Advisor for your country. In order to gather appropriate resources and suitably tailor presentations according to specific country team needs, we suggest that you make your request at least 7 to 10 days in advance. Please be as specific as possible with regard to what topics you would like covered, individual country concerns with regard to each topic, and the optimal duration you would like for your clinic.

What is the Poverty Reduction Strategy Sourcebook?

The Sourcebook is a resource to assist countries and country teams in the development and strengthening of poverty reduction strategies. It is a collection of broad policy advice, examples of international best practice, and technical notes for the more technically oriented users. It seeks to provide guidance on the process aspects of developing an effective poverty reduction strategy and on substantive aspects of poverty diagnostics, specific sectoral challenges with respect to poverty reduction objectives, etc.

Sample agenda (from the Kyrgyz pre-workshop Clinic):

Pre-workshop Clinic for the Kyrgyz Country Team 
Agenda for Thursday, September 14