Questions about merit and transparency surround World Bank President Jim Yong Kim’s bid for reelection, while Hillary Clinton urges the U.S. Congress to cut their vacations short and fund research on Zika. This week in development news.
Two development professionals working in the Gaza Strip — one with World Vision and the other with the United Nations Development Programme — have been accused by Israel of working to support Hamas. If either case reveals that humanitarian resources have supported Hamas, it will no doubt force more intensive reporting and monitoring requirements on organizations working in the region. World Vision’s Gaza office project manager, Mohammed el-Halabi, faces the more serious charge of diverting millions of dollars of the charity’s country budget to the Islamic militant group. World Vision has stopped its Gaza operations while investigations continue, but many have suggested Israel’s allegations could be more politically motivated than factual. “Based on the information available to us at this time, we have no reason to believe that the allegations are true,” World Vision said in a statement. Waheed Borsh, a UNDP engineer, stands accused of working to prioritize Hamas-friendly projects. "UNDP is conducting a thorough internal review of the processes and circumstances surrounding the allegation,” the organization said in a statement to the New York Times.
The World Bank’s staff association is calling on the institution’s board to honor their commitment to having an open, transparent process for selecting the next World Bank president. As Devex reported, 10 months before the next president will take office, discussions are already underway among the bank’s executive directors about whether to throw their support behind current President Jim Yong Kim for a second term. “Let there be an international call for candidates, women and men, with clear qualification criteria, followed by nominations and a long-listing process handled by a credible search committee, together with a transparent interview and selection process,” the staff association letter reads. In the World Bank’s 70-year history, all 12 presidents have been American men, a function of the unofficial agreement whereby the United States hand-picks the leader of the world’s largest development finance institution.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
