IDB's Response to Key Challenges in Citizen Security, 1998-2012

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB, or the Bank) has been involved in citizen security projects for almost two decades. Since 1999, strategic Bank documents have highlighted the importance of citizen security for the continued development of the region. Over the past 15 years the Bank has approved 17 citizen security loans for $481 million, operating in a clear framework that prohibits the use of Bank financing for activities related to drug and arms trafficking. In light of the Bank's increased focus on citizen security, IDB's Office of Evaluation and Oversight (OVE) has undertaken a two-part evaluation of citizen security at the Bank. The first part of the evaluation, completed in 2013, was an in-depth comparative evaluation of five citizen security projects, intended to give a better understanding of the elements of design and supervision that led to successful implementation. This second part of the evaluation is meant to complement the findings of the indepth project review by looking more broadly at the Bank's engagement in the citizen security sector. It focuses on the Bank's work from 1998 to 2012 and addresses two questions: How has the Bank's engagement in citizen security evolved, as measured through its formal strategy and citizen security portfolio? What particular challenges characterize citizen security, and how has the Bank responded to these challenges?