2016 External Review of the World Resources Institute

The 2016 External Review concludes that the World Resources Institute (WRI) is making strong progress in implementing its 2014-2017 Strategic Plan, with 89 of 96 specific statements of intent rated as 'on track' or 'achieved'. The review highlights WRI's success as a global 'think and do' tank, particularly in its research excellence, the development of open-data platforms like Global Forest Watch and Aqueduct, and its influence on the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals. While WRI has successfully expanded its global footprint with offices in Brazil, China, India, and Indonesia, the review identifies challenges in securing unrestricted funding, strengthening internal communications, and fully integrating poverty and gender perspectives into programmatic design. It also notes the effectiveness of WRI's matrix management structure, though it suggests further investment in management training to reduce transaction costs and improve coordination.

• WRI has demonstrated significant progress in executing its 2014-2017 Strategic Plan, with 89 out of 96 specific statements of intent from its Programs, Centers, International Offices, and Core Functions categorized as 'on track' or 'achieved'.
• The Global Forest Watch (GFW) platform has transformed global forest monitoring and transparency, recording over one million users and forging partnerships with over 90 organizations, including governments and major companies like Unilever and Cargill.
• WRI played a significant role in the 2015 Paris Agreement, with proposals from the Agreement for Climate Transformation 2015 (ACT 2015) consortium being largely incorporated into the final text.
• The Food Program successfully launched the Food Loss & Waste Accounting and Reporting Standard (FLW) in June 2016, acting as the Secretariat for a global steering committee including the FAO and UNEP.
• WRI's budget has grown substantially from $47.7 million in 2013 to $77.2 million in 2015, with an expected increase to over $88.2 million in 2016.
• Despite overall budget growth, WRI struggles to secure unrestricted funding, with only $2.35 million raised in FY15 against a target of $5 million for FY17.
• The adoption of a matrix management structure has been crucial for delivering the Strategic Plan, though it has introduced higher transaction costs and some confusion among mid-level staff regarding priorities.
• WRI has expanded its global presence with offices in Brazil, China, India, and Indonesia, and is in the process of establishing a Regional Office for Africa in Ethiopia.
• While WRI has made efforts to integrate poverty and gender into its work, the review found that the poverty dimension is not always explicitly articulated in program strategies and could be more visible.
• WRI maintains a high reputation for research excellence, consistently ranking as a top environmental think tank in the 'Global Go To Think Tank Index Report' from 2012 to 2015.

APA

Sewell, L., Malleson, R., & Poulson, C. (2016). 2016 External Review of the World Resources Institute. World Resources Institute. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/2016_WRI_External_Review_Final_Report.pdf

Chicago

Sewell, Laurence, Ruth Malleson, and Clarissa Poulson. 2016 External Review of the World Resources Institute. World Resources Institute, 2016. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/2016_WRI_External_Review_Final_Report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sewell |first1=Laurence |last2=Malleson |first2=Ruth |last3=Poulson |first3=Clarissa |title=2016 External Review of the World Resources Institute |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=September 2016 |url=https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/2016_WRI_External_Review_Final_Report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sewell20162016, author = {Sewell, Laurence and Malleson, Ruth and Poulson, Clarissa}, title = {{2016 External Review of the World Resources Institute}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2016}, month = sep, url = {https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/2016_WRI_External_Review_Final_Report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }