The World Bank was the first of the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to establish an information disclosure policy in 1993. However, after six years of implementation, the Bank was confronted with increasing public demand for greater access to information. Therefore, in the fall of 2000, the Bank announced that it would begin a public review of its Disclosure Policy.During the World Bank’s Policy review, a more comprehensive concept of what transparency should look like at the MDBs began to take shape. The Bank entered the review prepared to discuss enhanced disclosure of policy and project documentation, which is an essential element of transparency. But citizens consulted during the review also expressed a concern in how that information is disseminated, in what form and language, and questions arose as to how the Bank itself will remain accountable to the principles and requirements stated in the Policy. (For more information on civil society recommendations to the World Bank during the 2001 review, see:
In August 2001, the World Bank’s Board approved a new Policy on Disclosure of Information (WB website). Despite the Bank’s failure to directly address all requests made by civil society during the Disclosure Policy review, the Board of Executive Directors at that time instructed Bank Management to report back in one year on Policy implementation. The Chairman’s Concluding Remarks from that meeting states, “…Directors in their interventions all attached great importance to the effective implementation of the proposals and to the need to keep the policy under review. To this end, and as suggested during the discussion, management will provide a progress report to the Board in one year’s time.” The Board also directed Management to prepare separate strategies on the availability and dissemination of information in borrowing countries as well as the translation of documents.
On January 28, 2003, the Board of the World Bank met to discuss a Strategy to Strengthen Public Information Centers (WB website). The PIC Strategy, although formally approved at the January meeting, was later modestly revised to reflect recommendations from the Board and to propose a more detailed budget. Over US$5 million has been approved to implement this strategy.
Under the 2003 PIC Strategy, regions and countries will develop communication strategies that specific identify how enhanced and targeted information can be better disseminated to a broader public. No longer will the PIC only serve those that “seek out information” but the offices now have the mandate to proactively outreach to communities to increase awareness of World Bank projects in their country.
Much of the new strategy focuses on increased training of PIC staff so that they can serve as in country experts on information disclosure. They will be trained to have, “a broad understanding of Bank policies, procedures, and lending instruments, and knowledge of the information management systems of the Bank, the Bank’s disclosure policy, and appropriate dissemination strategies.” PIC staff will be required to “promote compliance with the disclosure policy as it relates to projects and monitor the prompt release of all disclosed documents” and will help maintain and develop a country website where possible in the national language.
These officers have both internal and external objectives. Internally, they will 1) guide Bank staff on the implementation of the Bank’s Disclosure Policy and monitor compliance; 2) provide library and information services to staff and; 3) advise on what documents need to be translated in nation and local languages. Externally, the PICs officers will be in-country experts on information disclosure at the World Bank. They will develop outreach programs to raise awareness of Bank operational activities and disseminate information locally as well as build partnerships with local IFC and MIGA offices, other donors, NGOs and universities to enhance cooperation in delivering information on the Bank group and other development activities in the country.
Further, resources will be provided to enhance the facilities of country PIC offices. “Good facilities include a reference desk area, a reading area, library shelving for books and operational reports, display shelving for new items and free brochures, a photocopier, and a computer/printer area with at least one computer equipped with a CD-ROM drive and linked to the Internet.”
In July 2003, Management presented its findings on implementation of the Disclosure Policy to the Board. Management’s Progress Report on Implementation of the Disclosure Policy (Progress Report) (WB website) not only outlines the Bank’s compliance with requirements made in the Policy but also addresses substantive issues within the Policy itself. Following this meeting, the Board asked Management to prepare further recommendations on a number of additional disclosure issues.
Also on July 3, 2003, the Board of Directors discussed a Translation Framework for the World Bank (WB website). A previous version of this Framework had been discussed by the Board on January 28, 2003, along with the Strategy to Strengthen Public Information Centers. But, while the PICs Strategy was approved, pending more discussion of budget allocations, several chairs had specific concerns regarding the Translation Framework. Management was instructed to return to the Board with suggestions on how to proceed with the various concerns raised by Executive Directors.
The Translation Framework contains extensive desk research on how the Bank has approached translation to date and compares this approach with the translation strategies of various other donor institutions. The Bank has had difficulties in the past not only of assuring the quality and consistency of translated Bank documents, but also in tracking all documents that were translated with Bank funds. The Framework paper suggests that, at least the initial implementation phase, the strategy will focus on amending these historical gaps in information.
Much of the decision making on what is to be translated is decentralized to the country directors, in-country World Bank Public Information Officers[1] and, ultimately, the borrower. The Framework does not mandate the translation of any particular documents. Instead it proposes a “good practice” for translation for the Bank (including the Inspection Panel), IFC (including the CAO), and MIGA.
The good practice is outlined in four areas. First, general institutional documents that are targeted for a wide international audience should be translated into six international languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Second, documents used in public consultation should be translated into the language(s) of those involved in the consultations. Third, documents and publications that address country- and project-specific information should be translated into “appropriate” national and local languages. Finally, web sites should be tailored to the audiences expected to use the particular site.
The Bank did not conduct consultations on the Framework, even though the incentive in developing a translation strategy was the direct result of civil society demands during the 2000-2001 Disclosure Policy review. Despite the lack of public involvement in the development of the initial paper, the Bank is considering the next year’s implementation of the translation strategy as the quasi-consultation period. The Translation Framework will be then review by the Board, sometime in 2004-2005. At that time, Management is expected to report on implementation of the strategy, including the demand for translation of particular documents. Once the Bank can assess which documents are most useful to, for instance, local populations (i.e. which documents are asked to be translated most often) they will consider mandating the translation of those documents into local languages and how else to move forward with the Translation Framework.
In March 2005, almost two years after the discussion of the Disclosure Policy Progress Report, the Board of Directors approved a Disclosure Policy “Additional Issues” (WB website) paper. Previous to this, Bank Management produced at least three drafts of the “Additional Issues” paper. The earliest of these promoted the most progressive disclosure policies, while subsequent versions went on to weaken the recommendations. The final version, which was approved by the Board on March 8, 2005 and went into effect on April 1, 2005, represents a step forward in disclosure by mandating the release of several types of documents that were not previously made public, most notably Board Minutes. However, as early iterations of the Additional Issues demonstrate, there was much room for improvement and nearly three years of a secretive back and forth between the Board and Management has resulted in marginal gains for disclosure.
[1] For more on the responsibility of the Public Information Officer regarding translation, see the World Bank’s Strategy to Strengthen Public Information Centers, June 6, 2003.