IDB Releases Disclosure Policy Implementation Plan
11 March 2004
On January 12th, the Inter-American Development Bank released an Information Disclosure Policy Implementation Plan, outlining the phased implementation of their new disclosure requirements.
January 12th, 2004 -- The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has followed-up the release of their new Information Disclosure Policy (November, 2003) with an Implementation Plan that outlines the steps to be taken and key dates in the phasing-in of the new disclosure requirements. The Implementation Plan contains information on the responsibilities of the various IDB departments, a list of instructional manuals and publications to be produced for IDB staff and the general public, staff training that will take place at country offices and headquarters, outreach seminars to be conducted with civil society, new disclosure requirements for specific documents and material from IDB intranet databases, and the evaluation of the Information Disclosure Policy.
Of particular interest to civil society and the public is the creation of an Information Disclosure Handbook and a ‘flow chart’ that will depict which documents are available to the public at each stage of the project cycle. Both of these publications will be made available in hardcopy and on the Internet in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. Between January and December 2004, the IDB’s Office of the External Relations Officer Advisor (EXR) will carry-out a series of four seminars throughout the IDB’s sphere of influence based on the Information Disclosure Handbook and a fifth seminar in either Paris or Washington aimed at international civil society organizations.
Since January 5th—the effective date of the new Information Disclosure Policy—the full text of Environmental Assessments should be made available in electronic format on the Internet. Documents that will be newly disclosed under the Policy include Project Completion Reports, Tranche Disbursement Memoranda; HIPC Initiative-related documents, and PRSPs. A number of reports from the IDB’s databases will also be newly disclosed, such as Information on Loan Disbursement Status, Information on Loan repayments (by July 1, 2004) Board of Executive Directors’ work programs and Board Committee Chairmen’s reports (by April 1, 2004).
The Implementation Plan requires that IDB management complete annual evaluations of the Information Disclosure Policy and that all of the products required to be disclosed be made available by July 1, 2004.
For more information on the IDB’s Information Disclosure Policy and the Implementation Plan, see the Bank’s Policy on Information Disclosure webpage.