ABSTRACT
The concept of development aid has changed over time, as described in Chapter 1. The United Nations (UN) and the World Bank have played a leading role in developing aid concepts and in streamlining procedures for preparation and monitoring development aid activities. In recent years, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have expanded their economic reform programmes to include debt relief and to request recipient countries to formulate poverty reduction strategy papers (PRSPs). These provide a common operational framework for addressing poverty reduction and for achieving the internationally accepted 'Millennium Development Goals' (see Chapter 1) by 2015.
