The Parliamentary Network
on the World Bank
A global action-oriented organization of parliamentarians advocating for transparency and accountability in international development.
News
OECD High-level Parliamentary Seminar
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will hold a High-level Parliamentary Seminar on “Enhancing the growth potential”, which will take place at the OECD Conference Centre on 2 November 2010 in Paris. The Seminar will focus on repairing the damage wrought by the downturn and getting economies back onto the path of strong, sustainable and balanced growth.
IMF/WB support DRC debt relief
The IMF and the World Bank announced their decision to support US$12.3bn in debt relief to the DR Congo. MP and PNoWB member Serge Amuri in the DRC welcomed the decision as it will free up funds for social development. At the same time, he called on the local government to increase efforts to entirely erase the country’s remaining debt while respecting principles of good governance in order to maximize the good use of national resources. (en français)
Mali Parliamentary Visit focuses on IDA
PNoWB members and secretariat participated in a field visit to Mali from 20 to 23 June 2010, co-sponsored by the World Bank and the Francophone Parliamentary Assembly. During this visit, participants from donor and partner countries visited an IDA-sponsored project in the energy sector. A mission report will soon be available online.
PNoWB participates in the Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics (ABCDE) in Stockholm
PNoWB from May 31 to June 2 participated in ABCDE, which was co-sponsored by the World Bank and the Swedish Government. The three-day conference examined development challenges in a post-crisis world and featured seven Nobel prize-winning economists, top academics and intellectual leaders in development economics research. Topics included reforming aid allocation, making aid more effective, the political economy of fragile states, globalization and its impact on developing economies, and the economics of climate change.
World Bank forgives Haiti’s remaining debt
The World Bank has decided to forgive Haiti’s remaining debt of US$36 million. The debt was owed to the International Development Association (IDA). Haiti can now use the funds for reconstruction efforts following the devastating earthquake at the beginning of 2010. Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland provided the necessary funding to forgive the debt.
PNOWB at OECD Forum 2010
PNoWB on May 26 and 27 joined some of the world’s most pre-eminent economists, leaders, civil society representatives, academics and journalists at the OECD Forum 2010. The forum -- which focused on innovation, jobs and clean growth during the global economic recovery -- included a special session with Ms. Christina Romer, Chair of the U.S. Council of Economic Advisers. Other notable speakers included Giulio Tremonti, Italy’s Minister of Economy and Finance; José Mariano Gago, Portugal’s Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education; and Tim Groser, New Zealand’s Minister of Trade.
Indonesia’s Finance Minister appointed new WB Managing Director
The President of the World Bank, Robert B. Zoellick, announced on 4 May 2010 the appointment of Sri Mulyani Indrawati as Managing Director of the World Bank Group. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Indrawati served as Indonesia’s Minister of Finance for five years. Between 2002 - 2004, she was an Executive Director on the Board of the International Monetary Fund.
WB capital increase and reform
At the conclusion of its 2010 Spring Meetings, the World Bank announced a US$86bn capital increase as well as a shift in voting power to developing countries.
PNoWB delegation to Washington
The Network was represented in the Spring Meetings of the World Bank and IMF. The delegation participated in the CSO policy forum as well as specific meetings with development experts and donors. The Spring Meetings were followed by a training program for parliamentarians organized by the Bank on 26-27 April 2010.
European Parliament dialogue with IFIs
A couple of days after Robert Zoellick and Jerzy Buzek met in Brussels, Corina Cretu invited European Representatives of International Financial Institutions for an informal lunch with Members of the European Parliament. The first in a series.
World Bank President meets the Danish Foreign Affairs Committee
Chaired by PNoWB Board member Jeppe Kofod, the meeting focused on IDA16 replenishment, WB capital increase and the change of the WBG governing structure.
Financing for Development
The UN General Assembly convened the Fourth High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development to discuss progress on the Monterrey Consensus and Doha Declaration.
At this year’s annual meeting, the IDB decided to cancel Haiti’s debt and issue an additional US$2bn in aid over the next 10 years. It also decided to increase its capital by US$70bn.
The French Business Confederation – MEDEF – organized a meeting on Anti-Corruption with M. Djordjija Petkoski, Head of the Business, Competitiveness and Development Team at the World Bank Institute.
European Parliament Hearing on Palestine
The Development Committee held a hearing with Tony Blair on ‘Bridge Building and Development in Palestine' to exchange views on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Sierra Leone EITI submits payment report
SLEITI completed its first report covering payments made to the Government by six industrial mining companies, two large exporters/dealers and national and sub-national institutions from January 2006 to December 2007.
MEDEF: World Bank in Colombia and MexicoThe French Business Confederation (MEDEF) organized a meeting with Ms. Gloria Grandolini, World Bank Director for Mexico and Colombia.
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.
Aid Effectiveness Campaign
PNoWB and AWEPA call on the World Bank to deepen its commitment to aid effectiveness throughout the IDA 16 replenishment and implementation cycle. By focusing on four key areas (country ownership, strengthening statistical systems, peer review and leading by example in population, health and nutrition programs) as well as increasing their engagement with donor and partner country parliamentarians, IDA 16 can help bring the world closer to meeting the MDGs in 2015. Click here for campaign page. Ongoing Consultations The World Bank regularly holds public consultations for all stakeholders concerned with its strategies. Parliamentarians can participate either by filling out the online questionnaires or by attending consultation meetings in their country/region. The links below provide more information on ongoing consultations: Africa Action Plan, May 2010 - Jan. 2011
Education Strategy, Feb. 2010 - Jan. 2011
Environment Strategy, Oct. 2009 - Oct. 2010
Featured Resources
Join the WB education consultation
The World Bank is currently consulting with stakeholders on its new 10-year Education Strategy (2010-2020). PNoWB participated in the meeting organized on 10 June 2010 in Paris. Parliamentarians are encouraged to participate online.
TEDx on climate change, agriculture, water and gender
The World Bank Group organised a TEDx event during the Spring Meetings 2010. TED is a series of events inviting the world’s leading thinkers and activists to share ideas on their areas of work. TEDx is a program of local, self-organised events that bring people together for in-depth discussion in a small group to share a TED-like experience. The videos from the event have been made available on the TEDxWorldBankGroup website.
World Bank reviews its Africa Strategy
In view of changes in the global economy and in Africa, the World Bank is carrying out a stakeholder consultation to review its Africa Action Plan (APP) and to see how it can better support the continent. Contributions can be submitted through the Consultation website. The first phase of the consultation will run from June to July 2010, including various regional meetings. PNoWB will attend any consultation meetings in Paris and PNoWB's Board will contribute to the online consultation.
A recent report by the European Commission finds a positive correlation between four MDGs and the amount of budget support received by a country.
African Economic Outlook 2010 launched at AfDB Annual Meetings
The AEO 2010, launched on 24 May 2010 at the Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the African Development Bank Group, forecasts varied economic growth in Africa for 2010-2011.
New World Bank Voting Structure
According to the Bank, developing and transition countries will gain an additional 3.13% of the voting shares at the IBRD, for a cumulative total of 47.19% representing a total shift of 4.59% since 2008.
The second OECD seminar of the Perspectives on Global Development project (formerly Global Development Outlook (GDO)) reflected on what the 'shifting wealth' phenomenon means for the way we think about development.
World Bank Global Monitoring Report 2010: The MDGs after the Crisis
The report finds that the financial and economic crisis has resulted in a severe deterioration of human development and estimates that 53mn more people will remain in extreme poverty by 2015 than otherwise would have.
Illicit Financial Flows from Africa
Global Financial Integrity (GFI) on 26 March 2010 released its analytic report on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa: Hidden Resource for Development.
Parliament and the MDGs in the Context of Changing Aid Architecture
AWEPA and the Parliament of Spain on February 25 and 26 hosted a seminar titled Parliament and Accountability: Prioritizing South-South Cooperation in the New Aid Architecture on the occasion of the Spanish Presidency of the EU.
Shifting Wealth: The New Shape of the World Economy
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on 15 March 2010 organised the ‘Shifting Wealth: The New Shape of the World Economy’ seminar as part of the Global Development Outlook (GDO) project.
Marketplace for innovative financial solutions for development
The Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank co-hosted the an event on March 4-5, 2010 in Paris, which sought to bring together new ideas on financial solutions for development, including innovative financial mechanisms for better mobilizing and using funds.
Launch of the AGORA Portal for Parliamentary Development
The French National Assembly hosted on 2 March 2010 the inauguration of the first virtual platform for knowledge sharing on parliamentary development – AGORA.