In 2024, the Office of Independent Evaluation (OIE) moved from being a small, largely external-facing function to a genuine engine of learning within the Bank. The Peer Review by Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and World Bank (WB) experts presented an honest mirror, and action was taken: a revised Evaluation Policy, a new Lessons Learned database, a Power BI dashboard tracking every recommendation in real time, and Gender-Responsive Evaluation Guidelines - all developed in 2024. Evaluations tackled the issues that matter most to the Caribbean: water security, climate resilience, poverty reduction, and how the Caribbean Development Bank's (CDB's) flagship concessional fund - the Special Development Fund - is performing on the ground. A first-ever Synthesis Study pulled together lessons from five country evaluations to sharpen future strategy. Expanding global reach, OIE represented the CDB at evaluation forums in China, Guatemala, and The Bahamas, advocating for evaluation approaches built for Small Island Developing States - not just adapted from elsewhere.
Multicycle Evaluation of the Unified Special Development Fund (SDF) Eighth and Ninth Cycles (2013–16 and 2017–20)
Evaluation Report
Corporate
Complete
Regional
Summary
This report presents the findings, conclusions, and recommendations from the Multicycle Evaluation of the Unified Special Development Fund (SDF), specifically focusing on the Eighth and Ninth Cycles (SDF 8 and SDF 9). It was commissioned by the Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) Office of Independent Evaluation (OIE) and conducted by Technopolis Group. The evaluation aimed to identify achievements, challenges, and recommendations to improve future SDF cycles, particularly SDF 11, the replenishment phase of which is scheduled to begin in March 2024. To this end, the evaluation addresses five key criteria: Relevance, Coherence, Efficiency, Effectiveness, and sustainability, following OECD DAC guidelines.SDF 8 (2013–2016) aimed to address development challenges, focusing on inclusive and sustainable growth, environmental sustainability and climate change, citizen security, and regional cooperation and integration (RCI). The overall programme level was USD$348 million.SDF 9 (2017–2020) aligned with new international development frameworks, emphasising support for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets, climate resilience, and regional cooperation. Major cross-cutting areas included good governance, environmental sustainability, and gender equality. The programme level for SDF 9 was USD355 million.Key differences between SDF 8 and 9 include the full incorporation of SDGs into SDF 9’s poverty-reduction principles, structural reforms in the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF), and initiatives such as the opening of the Haiti Country Office and the regional focal point for RCI initiatives.
