The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is the leading provider of multilateral development finance and technical assistance for the Latin American and the Caribbean region (LAC). Established in 1959, the Bank currently comprises 48 member countries of which 26 are borrowing member countries and 22 are non-borrowing members. In 2020, the Bank approved 82 sovereign guaranteed loan operations with total financing of US$12.6 billion.
Given the increasing interest from the development community towards IDB’s operations, DevelopmentAid is proud to announce a thematic webinar on 10 February 2022 to explore the Bank’s procurement guidelines and best practices for successful collaboration along with the bank’s procurement specialist, Adriana Salazar Cota.
IDB profile
The IDB’s main mission in the LAC region is to reduce poverty and inequality. It strives to improve the health, education, and infrastructure sectors through sustainable practices. Achieving this mission becomes increasingly important taking into consideration that about 31% of the LAC population is currently living in poverty. The region was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic which pushed 52 million people out of the middle class and contributed to the loss of over 39 million full-time jobs in 2020 alone.
In February 2021, the IDB released its ‘Vision 2025’ roadmap which highlights the Bank’s strategy for the 2021-2025 period. During this timeframe, the Bank aims to provide a sound COVID-19 response in the LAC region that involves ensuring equitable access to vaccines, economic growth rates of at least 3% per year, and higher levels of formal employment. The ‘Vision 2025’ strategy focuses on five priorities for investment which concern:
- Regional integration
- The digital economy
- Support for SMEs
- Gender and diversity
- Climate change
- Operational overview
During its activities, IDB uses various tools and instruments such as loans, guarantees, and grants. The majority of the Bank’s projects and technical cooperation programs are financed through loans. In 2020, for example, the value of the loans and guarantees provided amounted to US$13.9 billion which is almost 1 billion more than the previous year. In terms of grants, those can be financed by IDB’s financial resources or from third-party funds. The IDB Lab, the bank’s ‘innovation laboratory’ for instance, supports small-scale, targeted interventions that pilot new approaches and act as a catalyst for larger reforms.
In 2020, the Bank approved 82 sovereign guaranteed loan operations worth US$12.6 billion. The current pipeline includes 150 projects of which 66 are sovereign guaranteed, six are non-sovereign guaranteed, 71 are non-reimbursable (grants) and seven projects are part of other programs or credit lines. The IDB’s response to the pandemic has now reached US$7.94 billion.
Fig.1. Projects finance by IDB in the last five years (Projects, US$ billions).
Source: IDB Project Statistics: last 5 yrs. approvals.
Invitation to a Webinar
DevelopmentAid invites you to attend a thematic webinar on “Doing business with the IDB: procurement guidelines and best practices” that will take place on 10 February 2022 at 4 pm (Brussels) / 10 am (Washington DC).
Speaker: Adriana Salazar Cota – Procurement Specialist at the Operations Financial Management and Procurement Services Office;
Adriana has 16 years of experience in the analysis, design, and implementation of public policy with expertise on public investment, project economic appraisal, energy infrastructure, social policy, public procurement, and sustainability. Prior to the IDB, she collaborated with the Mexican Federal Government as Director of Economic Studies at the Public Procurement Unit. She was also Deputy Director of investment projects in energy as an expert on socio-economic evaluation and Deputy Director of Public-Private Partnerships for energy infrastructure in the Ministry of Finance. Adriana graduated with honors in economics from the Monterrey Technologic Institute in Mexico with complementary studies in Örebro University in Sweden and Yale University in the United States as well as specialization courses in Harvard Extension School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She holds a master’s in Public Administration and Social Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Host: Ion Ilasco, External Relations & Events at DevelopmentAid.
During the webinar, attendees will learn about IDB’s profile, operations, portfolio, and procurement framework. Our speaker will also offer several tips in the subject of how to prepare properly for upcoming bids and how to be successful in landing individual assignments.
