The Road to the SDGs

– Performance management systems that allow countries to assess how well they are doing in their SSTrC engagements and find ways to continuously improve. X One of the advantages of supporting MCs to establish or strengthen their national SSTrC ecosystems is that the depth and breadth of cooperation in sharing perspectives and experiences in economic development will deepen and improve, not only through an increased inflow of SSTrC (beneficiaries) but also from the outflow (providers) of such sharing of expertise. X MCs that have strong national ecosystem pillars in place will become providers to other countries that require capacity development. By facilitating the exchange of institutional capacity and expertise on SSTrC among MCs as well as those from the Global South, the framework will contribute to IsDB’s goal of being a “Bank of Development and Developers”. X In order to operationalise the framework of national SSTrC ecosystems to the benefit of MCs, IsDB has formulated the Capacity Development Programme for Enhancing MCs’ National SSTrC Ecosystems, which was approved in December 2019. The programme will be implemented using the RL modality as a key mechanism of implementation. X Under this programme, IsDB will carry out the following main activities for each beneficiary country including: – Assessing the capacity gaps of the national SSTrC ecosystem, identifying weaknesses as well as priority areas of intervention, and developing an action plan through a participatory approach with the national stakeholders – Designing a comprehensive capacity development solution to enhance the national SSTrC ecosystem and implementing it with the technical partners of the programme. ACHIEVEMENTS X Through the development of this framework, IsDB contributed to the content of the Outcome Document of the Second High-level United Nations Conference on SSC (BAPA+40), which calls for the strengthening of national institutional arrangements in the countries of the Global South in order to develop their capacities to engage in SSTrC effectively. X This framework is recognised as IsDB’s contribution to the global body of knowledge of SSTrC and has been praised globally by various development partners such as the OECD, the UNOSSC, and the African Union Development Agency. X In 2019, under this framework, IsDB initiated interventions that have started to yield tangible results. For instance, it established a partnership between the Tunisian Technical Cooperation Agency (ATCT) and the Guinean Technical Cooperation Agency (AGCT). Through RL, IsDB financed the recruitment of two Tunisian experts to develop the capacity of the AGCT. This partnership led to the preparation and adoption of key deliverables such as AGCT statutes, an organisation chart, administrative and finance manuals and AGCT three-year action plan and operational tools. The statutes of AGCT, prepared thanks to IsDB’s support, were approved during the Council of Ministers meeting in June 2020. X In 2020, IsDB developed the Assessment Framework for National SSTrC Ecosystems, which is designed as a comprehensive tool that will be used to identify specific capacity gaps in the existing national ecosystems in MCs. These assessments will be conducted by IsDB in cooperation with other development partners or indirectly by commissioning experts to apply the assessment framework. In all cases, the country assessments will be endorsed and owned by the MCs themselves through the relevant authorities of their respective governments. The country assessments will then be used in the formulation of capacity development interventions for strengthening MCs’ national SSTrC ecosystems. INVESTMENT X The Capacity Development Programme for Enhancing National SSTrC Ecosystems is set to provide US$ 20 million in grants with a contribution of US$ 3 million from IsDB to MCs, with the aim of strengthening their national SSTrC ecosystems. The remainder of the funds will be raised from MCs and development partners. All beneficiary countries will be requested to financially contribute to interventions undertaken in their countries as a sign of commitment and ownership. P R O G R A M M E F O R E N H A N C I N G N A T I O N A L S S T r C E C O S Y S T E M S Approved with a total budget of US$20 million as a grant, including a US$3 million contribution from IsDB [ 81 ] T H E R O A D T O T H E S D G s | P R O G R E S S A N D A C H I E V E M E N T S