The Parliamentary Network
on the World Bank
A global action-oriented organization of parliamentarians advocating for transparency and accountability in international development.
News
World Bank updates PNoWB Board on IDA 16
On 2 March 2010, World Bank Vice-President Axel Van Trotsenburg updated PNoWB’s Board on the IDA replenishment process ahead of the first IDA deputies meeting in Paris. Possibilities for cooperation between the Bank and PNoWB on the Network’s upcoming IDA 16 and Aid Effectiveness campaign were identified.
India reviews World Bank projects
India will review WB-assisted projects in the country from 24 to 25 February in Orissa. The review – the first to be held outside New Delhi -- will be lead by India’s Joint Secretary in Dept. of Economic Affairs, Dr Anup K. Pujari. WB Country Director for India, Mr. Roberto Zagha, as well as WB staff from New Delhi and Washington DC will participate, in addition to project directors, state government officers and ministry representatives. India is the largest borrower of WB funds and is currently implementing $US 19.4 bn in associated projects.
World Bank President and French MPs
On 18 February 2010, Robert B. Zoellick, World Bank President, and Jean-Michel Severino, AFD Director General, invited French MPs and PNoWB members for a working-lunch in Paris. Ambroise Fayolle, WB and IMF Executive Director for France, was among the participants too. This was a unique opportunity for Mr. Zoellick to receive insights and comments from French legislators prior to his meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and just before the launch of the IDA-16 replenishment cycle. Read the report from Senator Michel Guerry in French.
JPO appointed at PNoWB Secretariat
Gergana Ivanova joins PNoWB in the role of Junior Programme Officer. She previously worked in European affairs in Brussels.
Creation of the Nordic-Baltic Chapter
Parliamentarians from Nordic and Baltic countries discussed development cooperation and participated in consultations with the World Bank in the Danish Folketinget on 25 January 2010. Anna Brandt, Executive Director of the World Bank, Ulla Tornaes, Danish Minister for Development Cooperation, Helgi Hjörvar, President of the Nordic Council, Marion Pedersen, Chair of the Danish Foreign Affairs Committee, and Jeppe Kofod from PNoWB Board acknowledged the creation of a new PNoWB Nordic-Baltic Chapter.
PNoWB Field Visits 2009
The second and third field visits in 2009 took place in Mongolia (26-30 October) and Burkina Faso (30 November - 4 December) respectively. Check the mission reports in the publications section.
Policy officer appointed at PNoWB Secretariat
Amy Dietterich joins PNoWB in the role of Policy Officer. She is a public health specialist with a focus on policy change and programme evaluation.
PNoWB at World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings
A delegation from the Board was in Istanbul from 2 to 7 October 2009. This provided an opportunity to discuss some of the central issues in the international agenda.
Field visit to Mongolia 26-30 October 2009
Mongolia was selected for the second field visit in 2009, based on the strong interest from the Mongolia Parliament – the Great Hural - in exchanging experiences with MPs from other countries, and the importance the World Bank country office in Ulaanbaatar attaches to the role of parliamentarians in developing the country.
Featured Resources
AGORA, an online information resource on parliamentary development, was launched to allow for more efficient planning, reduce the risk of duplication, and reinforce the sharing of expertise and experience.
Environment Strategy Consultation
As part of the elaboration of its Environment Strategy 2010, the World Bank held a first phase consultation with civil society on 25 February 2010 in Paris.
P&D series: IDA15 Mid-Term Review
The third issue of PNoWB’s P&D series presents some of the progress and challenges up to date from the IDA15 Mid-Term Review.
OECD High-Level Parliamentary Seminar
OECD and parliamentarians on 18 February 2010 discussed how to sustain the global economic recovery. They discussed the economic outlook, the social impact of the crisis, transparency and integrity in the public and corporate sector and green growth during the seminar, which takes place twice annually in Paris.
The World Bank holds a series of 3-hour sessions to sollicit input on its future Energy Strategy, which will update the existing 2001 strategy. On 16 February 2010, the Paris consultation was attended by 60 representatives from international organizations, French ministries, the private sector, civil society, academia and think tanks.
The Government, supported by the World Bank, takes emergency measures, while the Parliament will have to address longer-term issues, including pasture and livestock management.
Afghanistan: The London conference
Leaders from more than 70 nations met in London on 28 January 2010 to discuss how to support Afghanistan as it seeks to rebuild a stable and secure state.
International Financial Institutions increase their support to Haiti in the aftermath of the 12 January 2010 earthquake. The World Bank, IMF and IDB have pledged a combined US$290 million in recovery and reconstruction funds.
P&D series: Extrative Industries Transparency Initiative
For this second issue of our P&D series, PNoWB presents the role of parliamentarians in EITI, which recently published a Guide for Legislators.
Inter-parliamentary meeting in Copenhagen
PNoWB participated in the inter-parliamentary conference organized by the IPU and Danish Parliament on 16 December 2009 on the occasion of the UN Climate Change Conference.
Joint parliamentary statement at COP-15
AWEPA, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, GLOBE and PNoWB issued a joint parliamentary statement on 15 December 2009 to emphasize the importance of reaching a fair and equitable global agreement on climate change with effective compliance mechanisms and safeguards.
Network News n°5: World Bank President addresses PNoWB members
Our quarterly review is available in English and French. It includes contributions from Robert B. Zoellick, Michel Kazatchkine, Helmut Reisen, Johannes Linn, Michel Guerry, Corina Cretu, Laode Ida, Ndeye Fatou Toure and Hugh Bayley.