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3 February 2012
World Bank’s New Lending Tool Less Than Transparent
By Karen Orenstein
Orenstein is International Policy Campaigner for Friends of the Earth U.S. This article first appeared Jan 31, 2012, on the FOE blog.The World Bank last week decided to take a significant step backwards on social and…
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27 January 2012
World Bank Evaluator to Release Research Data
The World Bank Independent Evaluation Group Jan. 27 announced that it has made available the data backing up its review of the Bank’s governance and anticorruption efforts (GAC).
The, IEG has disclosed “its entire data set of results from its… -
27 January 2012
World Bank Comments on Google Arrangement
By Nathaniel Heller
Heller is managing Director of Global Integrity, a Washingon-based nongovernmental organization, and this was posted Jan. 23 on the Global Integrity blog. A Jan. 20 Heller post describes his conversations with Bank officials on the topic.
Last… -
20 January 2012
G20 Transparency Lacking, Says Boell Foundation Paper
The policymaking mechanisms of the G-20 group of nations lack transparency and exclude civil society, according to a paper by Nancy Alexander, director of the Economic Governance Program at Heinrich Boell Stiftung Foundation-North America.
Alexander also faults on transparency grounds… -
20 January 2012
World Bank Document Raises Controversy in Philippines
The disclosure of a World Bank document indicating possible misuse of Bank funds in the Philippines has raised a controversy and raised questions about the handling of such Bank documents.
The Bank’s aide memoire details “ineligible expenditures” to support a… -
20 January 2012
Worries about Google’s Deal with the World Bank
By Nathaniel Heller
Heller is Managing Director of Global Integrity. His article appeared on a Global Integrity blog.
Yesterday we tweeted that we were hearing concerns about the recently signed deal between Google and the World Bank that will allow the… -
6 January 2012
IFIs Faulted for Exemptions in Disclosure Policies
International financial institutions (IFIs) have “overbroad regimes of exceptions” in their transparency policies, according to a report issued by the Centre for Law and Democracy.
Particularly troublesome are the exceptions relating to internal deliberations and third-party commercial information, according to… -
12 December 2011
World Bank Posts Digest of Sanctions Board Decisions
The World Bank Dec. 9 announced the creation of a Sanctions Board Law Digest, “publicly detailing for the first time the rationale behind how the Bank Group holds entities accountable for fraud, corruption, and other wrongdoing.”
The independent Sanctions Board… -
2 December 2011
Aid Transparency Endorsed at Conference in Busan, Korea
Officials from some 160 countries meeting in Busan, South Korea, agreed Dec. 1 that development aid should be spent more efficiently and more transparently.
Delegates adopted a 12-page non-binding declaration that will “establish a new, inclusive and representative Global Partnership for… -
17 November 2011
Publish What You Fund Rates 58 Donors on Transparency
Publish What You Fund has launched the 2011 pilot Aid Transparency Index ranking 58 donors on their levels of aid transparency and finding them wanted.
The index uses 37 indicators of aid transparency to rate donors at the organisation, country and… -
11 November 2011
UN Anti-Corruption Body Resists Transparency
The UN Convention Against Corruption has decided not to let civil society groups observe the meetings of a key body..
At a recent five-day meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco, the issue of transparency was much debated, but the result “was not a good… -
25 October 2011
ADB Revises Communications Policy, Makes Changes
The Asian Development Oct. 25 announced a new Communications Policy, revising its rules on disclosure and adding an appeals body.
According to the Bank, the key changes include:earlier disclosure of core ADB documents, such as final proposals for country partnership…
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14 October 2011
World Bank Proposal Said to Undercut Access Policy
A World Bank proposal to revamp a substantial portion of its lending program would circumvent existing transparency requirements, among other things, according to critics.
The disclosure implications of the so-called Program for Results (P4R) are negative, according to civil society… -
4 October 2011
UN Transparency Urged at Info Commissioners Meeting
The United Nations “doesn’t know what freedom of information means,” said opening speaker Stephen Lewis at the 7th International Conference of Information Commissioners Oct. 4 in Ottawa, Canada.
“Everything is shrouded in secrecy,” Lewis said, saying, “You can’t get the… -
30 September 2011
Groups Urge ASEAN to Adopt Transparency Policy
A number of groups have urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to “demonstrate its commitment to public participation by promoting access to information within ASEAN and among its member states.”
The Sept. 29 call was made by Article… -
9 September 2011
Public Interest Appeals to World Bank Unsuccessful
Appeals to the World Bank to release information “in the public interest” that otherwise is deemed confidential under Bank policies have been unsuccessful so far, according to Bank reports.
However, in a recent appeal case, the Bank’s Access to Information… -
9 August 2011
GTI Submits Comments to African Development Bank
The Global Transparency Initiative Aug. 9 provided comments to the African Development Bank on its proposed new policy on access to information.
GTI welcomed the commitment by the Bank to move to a proper presumption of disclosure and to establish… -
5 August 2011
EBRD Issues New Public Information Policy
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has posted its new Public Information Policy.
The site also includes Report on Public Consultations, which is a 16-page table of public comments and EBRD responses.
The policy is to be effective Nov. 1.… -
2 August 2011
IFC Issues New Policies, Including on Disclosure
The World Bank’s private sector lending arm, the International Finance Corporation, has issued a new disclosure policy.
The policy, approved May 12 and effective Jan. 1, 2012, is part of a larger package known as the “Sustainability Framework.”
The Sustainability… -
29 July 2011
Groups Urge World Bank to Reinvigorate B-SPAN
Several organizations have written to World Bank President Robert Zoellick urging him to expand funding for B-SPAN, the Bank’s internet-based webcasting system.
The issue was highlighted in an article by David Wheeler of the Center for Global Development, a Washington…