ARTICLE 19 is calling on the World Bank to bring its policy into line with standards set out in the Global Transparency Initiative's Charter for International Financial Institutions.
(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – On the occasion of the 7th International Right to Know Day, the Global Transparency Initiative (GTI), of which ARTICLE 19 is a founding member, is conducting a formal launch of its ‘Model World Bank Policy on Disclosure of Information’. The launch, at the World Bank’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., follows submission of the Model Policy to the World Bank in May 2009 as part of GTI’s input into the Bank’s review of its information policy.
The launch of the GTI’s Model Policy will be moderated by Samy Watson, Canadian Executive Director at the World Bank, and will also include presentations by Peter Harrold, Director, OPCOS, World Bank and Toby Mendel, Senior Legal Counsel, ARTICLE 19. Harrold will outline the latest developments regarding the World Bank’s draft policy, which is expected to be made public shortly, while Mendel will provide an overview of global developments on the right to information and present the Model Policy.
ARTICLE 19 welcomes the Bank’s commitment to review its Policy on Disclosure of Information, something it, along with the GTI, has long been calling for. We note that the Approach Paper released by the Bank in January 2009, outlining its proposals for the new policy, included some positive commitments. However, the proposals in the Approach Paper fell far short of the standards outlined in the GTI’s Transparency Charter for International Financial Institutions: Claiming our Right to Know.
We call on the World Bank to take full advantage of the opportunity presented by the review of its Policy on Disclosure of Information to bring the policy into line with the standards set out in the Charter.