Over 50 organizations endorse statement calling for more democracy in World Bank president selection process

15 February 2005

The IFI Democracy Coalition demands a transparent and accountable process, open to candidates from all countries.

On February 10, 2005, the IFI Democracy Coalition, a group of civil society organizations committed to improving governance at the International Financial Institutions, sent a signed statement to the Governors of the World Bank demanding transparency and accountability in selecting the organization’s president. Over 60 civil society organizations and individuals from developing and developed countries have signed on to this statement which calls for a process based on “explicit [selection] criteria, including the commitment to a genuine democratization of the institution.” The statement also insists that the process “be open to candidates from all countries,” since the current tradition has it that the World Bank president is an appointee of the US government. The Coalition sees a transparent selection process as a step forward in minimizing the democratic deficit apparent in the Bretton Woods Institutions.

To read the full statement, click on the link below:

• Democratizing the World Bank and IMF: Statement of the IFI Democracy Coalition , February 10, 2005 (Acrobat pdf 154 KB)

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