Publication: ‘Mind the Gap’ : The World Bank, Humanitarian Action and Development—A Personal Account
Date
2003-03
ISSN
Published
2003-03
Author(s)
Scott, Colin
Bannon, Ian
Abstract
At the time of the creation of the UN
Department of Humanitarian Affairs (UNDHA), now the Office
for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), no-one
working in the relief and rehabilitation programs of
Liberia, Kurdistan or the former Yugoslavia could be heard
to question "where is the Bank?" As the premier,
wholesaler of development assistance, better known for the
controversy over structural adjustment, its absence was
taken for granted. Yet, by the time that East Timor's
struggle for independence burst into the world scene, a Bank
team was in the vanguard of the recovery wave. Today, for
better or worse, the Bank has a major role in Afghanistan
reconstruction, is looking to reengage with Sudan, and even
has a strategy for constructive engagement with Somalia. And
one of the authors, at the time of writing, like other Bank
staff in recent peace processes, finds himself an observer
and resource person at the Cote d'Ivoire peace talks.
Citation
“Scott, Colin; Bannon, Ian. 2003. ‘Mind the Gap’ : The World Bank, Humanitarian Action and Development—A Personal Account. Social Development Notes; No. 10. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/262f29da-25e7-518c-9190-cc5d6235ca07 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”