Inter-American Development Bank
Requests: Send requests to the External Relations Advisor at IADB headquarters, or to country offices. No specific contact point is specified there. General information on contacting the IADB is available on its website. Public information requests may be directed here:
Public Information Center in Washington, D.C.
Tel (202) 623-2096
Fax (202) 623-1928
Email pic@iadb.org
Procedures: No deadlines are in place. Normally no fees will apply. Any request for a final determination regarding access to information under this policy should be addressed to the External Relations Advisor. The page on the transparency policy is quite general.
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21 July 2015
By Jeffrey Gutman The author is a Senior Fellow in the Global Economy and Development. He is the former vice president of Operations Policy and Country Services at the World Bank and has held various other operational positions during his 30-plus-year career at the Bank. His research focuses on issues of infrastructure, urban development and […]
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15 July 2015
A major weakness of transparency policies at the World Bank and other aid agencies is the lack of information about the implementation of projects, according to a Brookings Institute report. “What is evident is that there remains a critical gap, especially when it comes to the timely and accessible disclosure of information during project Implementation,” […]
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26 October 2012
International financial institutions fared poorly in the “freedom of information” category of the recently issued ratings by Publish What Your Fund. Although the development banks ranked high overall on the 43 factors used, their scores in the access to information category merited red dots. The red dots signified “poor legislation” in the category, just one […]
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6 January 2012
International financial institutions (IFIs) have “overbroad regimes of exceptions” in their transparency policies, according to a report issued by the Centre for Law and Democracy. Particularly troublesome are the exceptions relating to internal deliberations and third-party commercial information, according to the CLD report, prepared as a member of the Global Transparency Initiative, an international coalition advocating […]
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13 May 2010
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) May 12 approved a new “Access to Information Policy” likely to increase the level of transparency at the institution. The changes largely track reforms recently adopted by the World Bank. The IDB set an international speed record for writing and approving the new disclosure policy, rushing it through as part […]
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4 May 2010
The Inter-American Development Bank has released a proposed disclosure policy and is on a fast track to approve it in mid-May. The unexpected speed, shortchanging plans for a public consultation period, was motivated by a desire to bolster its case for a capital increase. The Board of Governors in March set a number of conditions on […]
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1 April 2010
The Board of Governors of the Inter-American Development Bank on March 21 made several commitments to improve transparency at the IDB. The Board’s statements go slightly beyond those contained in a recently proposed outline of potential changes to the disclosure policy. Just before the Board meeting in Cancun, Mexico, the IDB released a “Policy Profile” that …
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19 March 2010
The Inter-American Development Bank March 16 quietly announced a “comprehensive review” of its information disclosure policy. The Bank invited public comments on a 15-page “policy profile” that outlines a proposed new policy…
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24 February 2010
In advance of a key March meeting of the Board of Governors for the Inter-American Development Bank, more than 100 civil society organizations have called for more transparency and other reforms. The calls for transparency begin with a demand that the IDB disclose its proposal for recapitalization, saying the lack of disclosure and consultation “implies a violation…
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19 April 2007
The Inter-American Development Bank has received $4.9 million from the government of Norway to conduct projects concerning transparency and anticorruption efforts. According to a Feb. 26 memorandum of understanding, the IDB will establish a new trust fund, the Anticorruption Activities Fund, "to strengthen IDB member countries’ institutional capacity in order to improve overall governance as […]
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19 April 2007
The Inter-American Development Bank is moving toward the start of a review of its disclosure policy, according to officials at the institution. First, a paper is being drafted by the Office of External Relations about issues and potential remedies. That paper is scheduled for completion by mid-May, at which point it will go to senior […]
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21 July 2004
The protection of whistleblowers at four major multilateral development banks is deficient, according to a report by The Government Accounting Project. Using a 24-point checklist, the Washington-based nongovernmental organization said none of the four institutions merited a passing grade. Out of a total of 100 possible points, the World Bank rated 60, the Asian Development […]
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5 December 2003
The Inter-American Development Bank and Plan Puebla-Panama Journalist Wendy Call reports on the controversy over the IDB’s multi-billion-dollar development plan for southern Mexico and Central America, with specific attention to information access, public consultation, and participation of stakeholders (and the lack thereof). On September 17, 2003, a representative of the Inter-American Development Bank in Guatemala, […]
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1 December 2003
The Inter-American Development Bank on November 26 agreed to publish the minutes of its executive board meetings, the first development bank to do so. The disclosure of minutes was the main advance made as the IDB board revised its entire disclosure policy. The IDB board decided to continue giving governments and private sector partners effective […]
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1 August 2003
The Inter-American Development Bank Aug. 4 modified its proposal for a new disclosure policy, making changes that appear to cut in both directions. The bank’s revised 14-page draft is available at: http://www.iadb.org/exr/pic/consultation.htm On the positive side, the IADB appears to adopt stronger, clearer language for the disclosure of drafts of operational policies, sector policies, sector […]
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1 April 2003
Evidence of the collaboration between development policy NGOs and FOIA-oriented groups is seen in letters sent to the Inter-American Development Bank about its proposed new information disclosure policy. The IDB has extended the comment period until April 15. A series of consultations also are being planned. Extensive comments were generated by the Bank Information Center. […]
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1 January 2003
The Inter-American Development Bank Jan. 14 announced a public “electronic consultation” on a major rewrite of its Policy on Information Disclosure. The Bank issued a 16-page description of its proposed policies, the first significant revision since 1994. The changes “would considerably broaden the scope of the kinds of information that Bank management would regularly make […]
