Since 2001, the Parliamentarians in the Field program gives MPs unique access to a World Bank country office and its development programs and key partners (including the host country’s parliament). During visits, delegates are briefed by World Bank country representatives on the Bank’s in-country activities. Visiting MPs also meet with host-country parliamentarians to discuss the country’s development priorities. Participants then visit programs and projects and engage with local staff. Delegates also have the opportunity to meet with other key development stakeholders including NGOs, civil society organizations and small business owners. At the conclusion of a visit, the delegation shares its observations and recommendations on the host country’s development program in a comprehensive report. More than 175 MPs from 50 countries have participated in visits to Albania, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Kenya, Laos, Madagascar, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Rwanda, Serbia, Montenegro, Uganda, Vietnam and Yemen. For donor-country parliamentarians, the program represents an opportunity to see development cooperation in practice. Borrowing-country MPs can use field visits as benchmarking exercises and opportunities to exchange views and experiences. Parliamentarians in the Field is jointly organized by the Parliamentary Network and the World Bank and was supported by a grant from the government of Finland until 2010.

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