The Heads of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) met over the weekend to assess progress on joint initiatives and outline priorities for the coming year, reaffirming their commitment to deeper collaboration and greater development impact.
The meeting, chaired this year by the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), brought together leaders of major MDBs, including the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), to evaluate achievements under the 2024 Viewpoint Note and the G20 Roadmap towards “Better, Bigger, and More Effective MDBs.”
The group reported several key milestones, including the submission of a joint report to the G20, detailing how MDBs are expanding lending capacity, mobilizing private capital, and improving operational cooperation. They also unveiled the first “MDB Comparison Report,” developed by the Global Risk and Finance Forum (GRaFF), which aims to increase transparency and comparability of MDBs’ financial positions.
Other recent outputs include the “Joint Annual MDB Water Security Financing Report,” launched at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla, and a joint report on social infrastructure, showcasing MDBs’ role in supporting investment in health, education, housing, and water.
The MDB Heads also highlighted ongoing work in areas such as scaling up financial innovation, promoting originate-to-share models, and mobilizing private capital through initiatives like the Global Emerging Markets Risk Database (GEMs). They reaffirmed their commitment to helping client countries advance sustainable development goals, particularly ahead of COP30, set for November 2025 in Belém, Brazil.
After the main session, the MDB leaders held an exchange with Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to discuss trends in civil nuclear energy and its potential role in the global energy transition.
The CEB’s Governor, Carlo Monticelli, who has chaired the MDB Heads Group throughout 2025, will hand over leadership to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in December. Participants thanked him for his leadership and efforts to strengthen coordination among MDBs.
The MDB Heads meet periodically to align institutional priorities, improve development effectiveness, and report on system-wide progress.
