People have the right to know what is being planned for their communities in order to make informed decisions about development processes that affect their lives. Concerned citizens can access information about the World Bank through several sources: the World Bank itself, their government, and civil society organizations.
Getting Info:
- Information Disclosure
- World Bank website
- Public Information Centers
- Country Offices
- Annual & Spring Meetings
Information Disclosure Policy
The World Bank first adopted an Information Disclosure Policy in 1994, and has updated it several times since. The Policy details: principles of disclosure; exceptions to disclosure; routine disclosure; ad request-driven disclosure. See BIC's Transparency at the World Bank webpage for more details on information disclosure policies and practices at the World Bank Group.
World Bank website
Much of the information about World Bank Group operations is routinely available through the World Bank, IFC and MIGA websites: www.worldbank.org, www.ifc.org and www.miga.org.
Some useful World Bank webpages:
- The Projects Database links visitors to information on over 9000 World Bank projects, including relevant project documents.
- The Document Database links visitors to approximately 27,000 World Bank public documents.
- World Bank Country Pages provide information on current projects and priorities in borrowing countries, and link visitors to relevant country and project documents.
- The World Bank's Monthly Operational Summary includes brief information on projects in preparation.
- The Infoshop's New Documents webpage lists newly released operational documents.
- Visit the World Bank's newsletter sign-up page to begin receiving updates on a number of issues.
Public Information Centers
The World Bank has a Public Information Center (PIC) in almost every borrowing country. PICs are places for the public to access information about World Bank operations. A full list of PICs can be found on the World Bank website
PICs should provide the following:
- Direction on how to acquire information on Bank activities and Bank documents in local languages
- Publicly available Bank documents and publications, including those regarding projects in that country
- Adequate and accessible facilities with at least one computer with internet access
- Many PICs also provide a reference library with government and NGO publications on economic, statistical, and development topics, and conduct outreach programs to raise awareness about Bank operations and to disseminate information locally.
If you have trouble locating or accessing your country’s PIC, contact the Bank’s , the Country Director or your Executive Director.
Making requests to the InfoShop:
The WBG’s main Public Information Center is called the Infoshop, and it is located in Washington, DC. Any information not available through the World Bank, IFC or MIGA website can be requested through the Infoshop by email, fax, telephone or mail, at the addresses listed below. Information about the IFC operations may also be requested from the IFC’s Corporate Relations Unit at the addresses listed below.
- World Bank Group InfoShop
1818 H Street, NW
MSN J1-100
Washington, DC 20433 USA
Tel.: +1-202-458 5454
Fax.: +1-202-522 1500
Email:
- International Finance Corporation
Corporate Relations Unit
2121 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC, 20433 USA
Tel.: +1-202-476-3800
Fax.: +1-202-974-4384
Email addresses listed at: www.ifc.org/contacts
Tips on making a request:
- Be specific
- Start local. Contact the Bank office in your country first.
- Put your request for information in writing.
- If your request is denied, ask for a written explanation.
- Be persistent
To request information that’s more than 10 years old, contact the
Country Offices
The World Bank has many Country Offices. Find contact information for each Country Office at the World Bank website
Annual & Spring Meetings
The Board of Governors of the World Bank and the IMF hold an Annual Meeting of their member governments in the fall of each year. The joint Bank-IMF Development Committee and the IMF's International Monetary and Financial Committee are also officially convened. The meetings are held at the headquarters in Washington, DC, two of every three years; every third year they are hosted by another member country.
Each spring, the joint Bank-IMF Development Committee and the IMF's International Monetary and Financial Committee hold meetings to discuss progress on the work of the Bank and Fund. More information on Spring Meetings and Annual Meetings from 1996-2006 can be accessed through the World Bank’s website at: Annual and Spring Meetings (WB website)
- 2008 Spring Meetings (World Bank website) will be held on April 12-13, 2008 in Washington, DC.
- 2007 Annual Meetings were held on October 20-22, 2007 in Washington, DC.
- 2007 Spring Meetings (World Bank website) were held on April 14-15 2007 in Washington, DC.
- 2006 Annual Meetings were held on September 19-20, 2006 in Singapore.
- 2006 Spring Meetings were held on April 23-23, 2006 in Washington, DC.
- 2005 Annual Meetings were held on September 24-25, 2005, in Washington, DC.
- 2004 Annual Meetings were held on October 3, 2004 in Washington, DC.
- 2003 Annual Meetings were held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates - September 23-24 - Bretton Woods Project summary of the 2003 annual meetings (BWP website).
- 2002 Annual Meetings were held in Washington, DC - Summary Report of WB/IMF 2002 Annual Meetings, Heinrich Boell Foundation North America (Boell website).
- 2000 Annual Meetings were held in Prague, Czech Republic - Information from IMF website
- 1999 Annual Meetings were held in Washington, DC - Information from IMF website
See www.ifiwatchnet.org for a calendar of civil society events leading up to past and upcoming meetings.
Externals
Connect to other networks working on these issues through the links below.
IFI Transparency Resource
Global Transparency Initiative
ARTICLE 19: Global Campaign for Free Expression
Transparency International