The IPG has catalyzed a diversity of experiences - with respect to country and city conditions, sectoral focus, and the scale and nature of intervention. Participating countries include a spectrum of developing, emerging and transitional economies in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe. Conditions within the participating small to medium sized cities vary similarly. The sectoral focus of IPG projects has also varied, from the wider national programmes, to more targeted individual projects.
Sectorally, in addition to the three National Programmes where often multiple sectors were involved, IPG projects focused on:
o Five projects on solid waste management and recycling
o Three projects on improved environmental governance of services and conditions
o Two projects on water provision within poor communities
o One project on household energy
Regarding the scale and nature of interventions, IPG projects have included the three national programmes addressing the national environment as well as projects in multiple participating municipalities. They have also included smaller scale projects which have focused on PPPs in particular sectors and local areas, in some cases but not always connected to national level processes. Some projects have been more focused on establishing tangible PPP project arrangements, while others have concerned building general awareness and capacity as a basis for more practical PPP work to follow.
The spread of countries, cities and sectoral projects supported by the IPG means that the lessons learned are relevant for a similarly broad range for countries, cities and sectors. In addition, the differences in the scale and nature of intervention provide insight into the strengths and weaknesses of such interventions in future. Importantly, the guiding factor maintaining coherence across the relatively diverse conditions and approaches encountered during this phase of the IPGs has been to explore and expand experience in addressing the needs of the urban poor through local level partnerships. In this sense, the lessons learned are particularly valuable.