Political leaders from six countries announced they were forming an unusual network to share knowledge about what works, and what doesn’t, in delivering government services to citizens. Albania, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Malawi, and Senega, decided to start this joint effort after meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last week.

The countries, while facing a wide variety of issues, share a common desire to improve the delivery of services, ranging from improving education in classrooms to increasing vaccination rates of children to building bridges.

The group, called the Global Network of Delivery Leaders, was formed following a meeting with World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. The leaders met with Kim and Blair during the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting. The World Bank Group and the Office of Tony Blair will provide technical support to the network and its members. Details are still being worked out with the countries.

Several of the leaders said the process of improving delivery would not come easily.

"There is resistance in bureaucracies to implement change," said Haiti’s Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe. "We have examples of middle managers in government who sit on projects for two or three months or more. There is a culture of inaction. We need to make it very clear as leaders that we need our bureaucracies to implement our programs efficiently and successfully." Lamothe said he has set up a system in which managers will receive a couple of emails a week reminding them about project deadlines. He said it has unlocked several bottlenecks.

The World Bank’s Kim said he was inspired by the determination of the six leaders to make delivery a priority.

"Often, people think that if you have a good policy, you are done, that’s it. But these six leaders, and many others, know differently," Kim said. "Delivery is difficult. But if leaders get delivery right, they will make a major impact on people’s lives. We need to help create a network that will capture both successes and failures in delivery, and make that information instantly available to country leaders. When that happens, children will learn more in schools, mothers will receive better health care, and cities will build more effective public transportation systems, among many other things."

Blair agreed with Kim and said that leaders need to turn their visions into reality, "and this is perhaps the greatest challenge for the new leaders of today. How do you govern effectively ? How do you get the right policy? How do you get it implemented and make sure you get the right results ?" adding "It’s why the Global Network of Delivery Leaders can be transformative. We’ll bring together political leaders to share experience, and to learn about building effective government and successful implementation. We’ll equip people with those skills they need to really make a difference."

HL/ HaitiLibre