IFTI Watch
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9 September 2011
Public Interest Appeals to World Bank Unsuccessful
Appeals to the World Bank to release information “in the public interest” that otherwise is deemed confidential under Bank policies have been unsuccessful so far, according to Bank reports. However, in a recent appeal case, the Bank’s Access to Information Committee decided to use its own prerogative to release otherwise exempt materials. The decision came […]
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9 August 2011
GTI Submits Comments to African Development Bank
The Global Transparency Initiative Aug. 9 provided comments to the African Development Bank on its proposed new policy on access to information. GTI welcomed the commitment by the Bank to move to a proper presumption of disclosure and to establish both internal and external appeals mechanisms to review refusals to provide access. At the same […]
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5 August 2011
EBRD Issues New Public Information Policy
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has posted its new Public Information Policy. The site also includes Report on Public Consultations, which is a 16-page table of public comments and EBRD responses. The policy is to be effective Nov. 1. The Russian version of the Public Information Policy will be available on the EBRD website […]
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2 August 2011
IFC Issues New Policies, Including on Disclosure
The World Bank’s private sector lending arm, the International Finance Corporation, has issued a new disclosure policy. The policy, approved May 12 and effective Jan. 1, 2012, is part of a larger package known as the “Sustainability Framework.” The Sustainability Framework revises IFC policies on many topics – including environmental and social polices – and […]
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29 July 2011
Groups Urge World Bank to Reinvigorate B-SPAN
Several organizations have written to World Bank President Robert Zoellick urging him to expand funding for B-SPAN, the Bank’s internet-based webcasting system. The issue was highlighted in an article by David Wheeler of the Center for Global Development, a Washington think-tank on development issues, and mentioned in a July 2 New York Times article. Begun […]
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22 July 2011
GTI Challenges ADB to Improve Disclosure Plan
The Global Transparency Initiative is urging the Asian Development Bank to improve its draft Public Communications Policy (PCP), saying it “now has a chance to jump ahead of the World Bank.” Addressing issues raised by GTI “would place the ADB at the forefront of IFIs in terms of adhering to the international standards regarding the […]
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22 July 2011
World Bank Posts Data on Finances, Urges Exploration
The World Bank has posted data online on its own finances. “The goal of this website is to make data related to the Bank’s financials available to everybody in a social, interactive, visually compelling, and machine readable format,” according to the website. The data covers “portions of the Bank’s investments, assets it manages on behalf […]
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24 June 2011
Detailed Reports Finds Weakneses in AfDB Policy
Obtaining information from the African Development Bank can be frustrating, according to researchers who visited the Bank’s website and went to Bank local offices. Their experiences informed a detailed study, the results of which have just been released. It was conducted for the Global Transparency Initiative by Idasa, an Africa democracy institute based in South Africa. […]
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10 June 2011
Aid Transparency Group Launches Petition Drive
A coalition of over 50 civil society groups from 20 countries June 8 launched a campaign Make Aid Transparent, which calls on governments and other aid donors to publish more and better information about the money they give. The effort includes a petition drive and an explanatory animation. “Providing more and better information about aid […]
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10 June 2011
EBRD Disclosure Proposal Criticized as Insufficient
The revised Public Information Policy of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development “is excessively referential to confidentiality, to the detriment to its openness principles,” according to comments made recently by the CEE Bankwatch Network and Article 19 on behalf of the Global Transparency Initiative. The revised EBRD PIP adopts few of the proposals submitted […]
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27 May 2011
AfDB Posts Draft Access Rules on Website
Without fanfare, the African Development Bank May 25 posted on its website a proposal to redo its access to information rules. The draft will be the subject of consultations with civil society on June 10 in Portugal at the AfDB annual meting, according to information from Bank officials. However, the AfDB has not yet described a […]
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4 May 2011
AfDB Agrees to Consult on New Disclosure Policy
The African Development Bank Board of Directors has decided to seek public input on a proposal to revise its 2005 disclosure policy, according sources close to the process and a May 2 letter from AfDB President Donald Kaberuka to the Global Transparency Initiative. The decision to hold consultations came at an informal meeting of the AfDB board […]
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28 April 2011
AfDB Aims for Fast Action on Draft Disclosure Policy
The African Development Bank has developed a draft disclosure policy and appears to be on a fast-track to adopt it, without a consultation period. The Global Transparency Initiative April 27 urged the Bank to establish a public consultation process for a yet-unreleased proposal. The Board was scheduled to discuss the policy April 29 and possibly […]
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22 April 2011
World Bank Issues Annexes to Access Handbook
The World Bank has released “attachments” to the staff handbook on how to follow the new access to information policy, after having resisted their release for months on the grounds that they concerned “Corporate Administrative Matters.” The Bank voluntarily released the attachments “A” and “C” after having persuaded the internal Access to Information Committee to […]
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21 April 2011
U.S. Delays Disclosures by Extractive Industries
A U.S. regulatory agency has announced a 4-8 month delay in its development of rules for corporate disclosures relating to “conflict minerals.” Creation of the rules was mandated by Congress, and the Securities and Exchange Commission was told to issue a rule in April, but now is looking at an August to December time frame. The […]
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15 April 2011
World Bank Names Winners of Apps Contest
The World Bank April 14 named the winners of a contest to develop digital apps using the Bank’s data. The three winning apps “all feature unique approaches to pressing development challenges,” according to the Bank release which listed the winners: First Prize Winner – StatPlanet World Bank (Australia): With this powerful app, you can visualize […]
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7 April 2011
Zoellick Says Work Bank Promoting Transparency
World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick April 6 lauded the Bank’s work on making itself more transparent and helping national governments become more transparent, and noted the revival of interest in freedom of information in Egypt and Tunisia. His comments came in a speech to the Peterson Institute for International Economics about the Middle East and […]
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4 March 2011
Six More Countries Considered EITI Compliant
Six more countries were designated as being in compliance with the standards of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), the global standard for transparency in the oil, gas and mining sectors. Added to the list during a conference in Paris were: The Central African Republic, The Kyrgyz Republic, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, and Yemen, for a […]
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4 March 2011
Focus Aid Transparency on Recipients, Barder Says
Aid transparency activist Owen Barder stresses the need to focus on the needs of aid recipients, such as transparency of spending execution, in an extensive blog post in which he consolidates lessons he has learned. Although hinting at an upcoming “new role,” Owen Barder is a Visiting Fellow at the Center for Global Development in […]
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11 February 2011
IATI Donors Set Standards for Reporting Aid Data
The 18 donors of the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) agreed Feb. 8 on the final details of a new global standard for publishing aid information. “The new aid transparency standard provides a common language and format and a single way that donor countries can share information on the aid they are spending,” according to an […]