The World Bank has decided to publish online all the decisions by the internal body that rules on access to information appeals, eliminating a delay caused by the current system.
The decisions by the Access to Information Committee have been published in quarterly and annual reports, but now will be posted on the AI website “contemporaneously,” a Bank official said, responding to a FreedomInfo.org inquiry.
Once the necessary technical modifications have been made to the Bank’s website, which should be “fairly soon,” the decisions on appeals and policy interpretations will be publicly posted on the AI page.
The change will prevent a potentially long gap between decisions being handed down by the AI Committee and their public release. The last time the Bank summarized AI Committee decisions was in a one year report on the AI policy issued in March 2012 (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.) The next annual report, covering the period of July 2011 to June 2012, is expected out by the end of the year.
In addition, an 18-month review of the 2010 AI policy is coming out “shortly,” the official said.
The first “progress report” covered the period from implementation in July 2010 through September was issued in December 2010 as part of a larger annual report. (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.) The second report was for the period from October 2011 to the end of the year and was posted in March of 2011. (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.) A third report covering the period January to March, was issued in July 2011. (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.)
The official also noted that a selection process is underway for new AI Board members. The three-person independent board created in 2010 has been called on to issue an opinion so far.
Filed under: IFTI Watch