IFTI Watch
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30 April 2009
IMF Holds Consultation on Transparency Policy
Article IV Reports Source of Tension Ana Quiros from Nicaragua had a very direct message for the International Monetary Fund. We would like to see what you are discussing with Nicaragua, and not just in a press note, said Quiros, who works for the Information Center & Advisory Services in Health (Centro de Informacion y […]
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21 April 2009
Yemeni Group Says Lack of Translation Inhibited Transparency
On April 13, 2009, the Yemen Observatory for Human Rights, a civil society organization based in Sana’a, officially submitted their case regarding the World Bank’s translation framework to the World Bank Inspection Panel. The forthcoming case is the culmination of the Bank’s rejection of repeated requests by Yemeni civil society groups to translate a key […]
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21 April 2009
Disclosure Allegations about the West African Gas Pipeline Project
In 2006, a case was brought to the Inspections Panel over the controversial West African Gas Pipeline Project. The list of disclosure-related allegations was extensive. According to the complainants, although West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo) periodically consulted landowners, other stakeholders were wrongly excluded and the overwhelming majority of our people were not consulted during […]
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10 April 2009
Signs and Smokesignals
Asked by e-mail about the fund, Alejandra Videos, a Senior Communications Officer with the World Bank replied, We dont have anything new to report on the Facility. Well let you know if anything comes up. Another Bank official explained that no disclosure about the funds expenditures is necessary under Bank rules because it is bank-executed […]
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8 April 2009
World Bank Consultation Plan Slow Developing
Weeks after announcing plans for consultations on a proposed new disclosure policy, the World Bank April 6 provided dates for the first nine of 30 planned world-wide consultations sessions, giving a week’s notice for the first one. The first meeting is planned for April 13 in Russia, followed by April 14 sessions in Indonesia and […]
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31 March 2009
IMF Begins Delayed Review of Transparency Policy
The International Monetary Fund on March 25 requested public comment on its transparency policy. The IMF asked for comments by April 30 and offered questionnaires for three different types of potential respondents: "civil society organizations," "financial market participants," and "think tanks, academics and other stakeholders." Questionnaires Questionnaire for Civil Society Organizations Questionnaire for Financial Markets […]
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17 March 2009
International Donors Engage Vietnam on Press Freedom
International donors are encouraging the Vietnamese government to improve the environment for the media there after a widely condemned year of repression. Whether the unusual behind-the-scenes pressure makes a difference remains to be seen, but the coordinated action may be a precursor to further international pressure on this front, long considered highly sensitive. International donors […]
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17 March 2009
Hello, Hello: Calling the World Bank
Finding the World Bank’s front door in order to ask for nonpublic information isn’t easy. Here’s the right answer: pic@worldbank.org Value that answer; getting it took a while. Here’s my saga. Actually, I started in the right place and then got more and more confused. When I first wrote pic@worldbank.org I asked simply if they […]
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17 March 2009
World Bank Rejects Disclosure of Aide Memoires
The World Bank has rejected a request by a civil society group for a key document about a major water project in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The denial is not unexpected — it follows the letter of the Bank’s disclosure policy — but is very frustrating to Mushtaq Gaadi, who works with an […]
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16 March 2009
Reasons for Reform Cited
The World Bank March 13 announced plans to review its disclosure policy, unveiling an “Approach Paper” that moves in the direction of more transparency. Significantly, the Bank’s proposal includes a “paradigm shift,” meaning that the “presumption of disclosure” will be judged against a set of exemptions. This approach has long been advocated by […]
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27 January 2009
World Bank Expands Disclosures on Debarments
The World Bank has expanded its policy of disclosing the names of firms and individuals banned from doing business with the Bank. In a Jan. 11 announcement, the Bank said it will reveal the names of firms and individuals barred from providing goods and services directly to the institution. Under existing policy, the Bank discloses […]