The World Bank has recognized transparency as a trigger for citizen engagement and aid effectiveness, Rebecca Harris wrote in an op-ed published in the Huffington Post after the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings, held April 13-17 in Washington, D.C. Here is an excerpt:
There has been a noticeable trend towards improved standards of transparency and accessibility at the World Bank, most recently with the 2009-2010 review and implementation of the institution’s information disclosure policy as well as its Open Data Initiative, allowing for public access to the institution’s vast storehouse of data and studies. The World Bank’s Caroline Anstey, Vice President for External Affairs, noted that it is because of the Open Data Initiative that “over 7,000 data indicators on poverty and development” are now available to the public, free of charge. She continued, “Since July, the public has viewed more than two million pages,” and the institution has “published more than 2,700 documents and reports per quarter” as a result of these policies and initiatives.
Access to information is a necessary prerequisite to citizen empowerment, with the end point being, ideally, accountable development. Speaking on two panels focused on transparency and development effectiveness, Barbara Lee, Manager of the Aid Effectiveness Unit at the World Bank, supported the call for transparent data around aid flows and noted that “public access approves accountability.” She referenced the World Bank’s revised policy on access to information and explained that the institution has “gone from a hush-hush place to an era of openness” as a result of the adoption of such policies and standards. Lee explained, “The World Bank was built to interact with states and governments, not citizens, but we’re changing.”
Re-published with permission. Read the full editorial.
