Publication: Right to Be Heard: Intimidation and Reprisals in World Bank Inspection Panel Complaints
Loading...
Date
2023-05-02
ISSN
Published
2023-05-02
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
The World Bank Inspection Panel is committed to preventing intimidation or reprisals of any kind against anyone who submits or supports a complaint presented to it. The Panel believes that any form of reprisal threatens the integrity of the World Bank’s accountability process and that a fundamental premise of the Panel’s function is that project-affected persons (PAPs) can access it safely. The World Bank more broadly also maintains a strong commitment against reprisals. In striving to meet the level of zero tolerance of intimidation and reprisals in the context of Panel cases, the Panel and World Bank Management have promptly and consistently collaborated in responding to instances of reprisal. This advisory report delves into the Panel’s experience and practice responding to allegations of reprisals since its inception nearly 30 years ago. The Panel believes the insights presented here will be of use to development practitioners and anyone else with an interest in or need for accountability. Hence, the objectives of this report are twofold: First, to share the Panel’s experience, knowledge, practice, and the practical steps taken to date in response to reports of reprisals; and Second, this report examines how PAPs can be preemptively protected from the risk of reprisals and remain engaged in the development process.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2023. Right to Be Heard: Intimidation and Reprisals in World Bank Inspection Panel Complaints. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/39770 License: CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Insights of the World Bank Inspection Panel: Responding to Project Gender-Based Violence Complaints Through an Independent Accountability Mechanism(Washington DC, 2023-05-02)The World Bank Inspection Panel is an independent complaints mechanism for people who believe they have been or will be adversely affected by the World Bank not complying with its operational environmental and social safeguard policies in projects that it funds. The Panel’s process seeks redress for affected communities. It investigates the Bank, not its member or borrower countries. Although the Bank has a 2003 operational directive that seeks to narrow gender gaps and a gender strategy that sets targets, assesses progress toward gender equality, and incorporates gender dimensions into its operations, the directive does not explicitly target harm3 such as gender-based violence (GBV). However, under the Directive for Addressing Risks and Impact on Vulnerable and Disadvantaged Groups pursuant to the 2018 Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) the Bank now has additional coverage, including a requirement that staff conduct due diligence on the risks to individuals and groups who might be adversely affected or excluded from project benefits due to gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. This report is the sixth in the Panel’s Emerging Lessons Series. It draws on the main lessons of two groundbreaking investigations in which Bank operations faced allegations of inadequate social risk assessment, management, and supervision that contributed to project-related GBV and harm in two transport projects. The insights provided here explain how these investigations inspired institutional transformation of the Bank’s approach to GBV and the importance of Independent Accountability Mechanisms (IAMs) such as the Panel for responding to claims of project-related GBV.Publication Our commitment : The World Bank's Africa Region HIV/AIDS Agenda for Action 2007-2011(Washington, DC, 2007-06-24)The World Bank is committed to support sub-Sahara Africa in responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This Agenda for Action is a road map for Bank management and staff over the next five years to fulfill that commitment. It focuses on mainstreaming HIV/AIDS activities into broader national development agendas as a critical aspect of economic growth and human capacity development. In preparing the Agenda for Action, consultations have been carried out over several months with a broad constituency, including countries, donors, communities and nonprofit organizations.Publication Our Commitment : The World Bank's Africa Region HIV/AIDS Agenda for Action 2007-2011(Washington, DC, 2007-11)The World Bank is committed to support sub-Sahara Africa in responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This Agenda for Action is a road map for Bank management and staff over the next five years to fulfill that commitment. It focuses on mainstreaming HIV/AIDS activities into broader national development agendas as a critical aspect of economic growth and human capacity development. In preparing the Agenda for Action, consultations have been carried out over several months with a broad constituency, including countries, donors, communities and nonprofit organizations.Publication The Africa Multi-Country AIDS Program 2000-2006 : Results of the World Bank's Response to a Development Crisis(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2007)This study answers the question: What are the results of the World Bank's Multi-Country HIV/AIDS Program (MAP) for Africa. It documents the contributions of the MAP over the past five years, drawing on countries' survey and program data that are not usually captured in routine World Bank reporting systems. It also proposes a new Results Scorecard and Generic Results Framework to better measure and report future results of HIV/AIDS programs in Africa that the World Bank helps to support.Publication The World Bank's Commitment to HIV/AIDS in Africa : Our Agenda for Action, 2007-2011(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2008)The World Bank is committed to support Sub-Saharan Africa in responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This Agenda for Action (AFA) is a road map for the next five years to guide Bank management and staff in fulfilling that commitment. It underscores the lessons learned and outlines a line of action. HIV/AIDS remains and will remain for the foreseeable future an enormous economic, social, and human challenge to Sub-Saharan Africa. This region is the global epicenter of the disease. About 22.5 million Africans are HIV positive, and AIDS is the leading cause of premature death on the continent. HIV/AIDS affects young people and women disproportionately. Some 61 percent of those who are HIV positive are women, and young women are three times more likely to be HIV positive than are young men. As a result of the epidemic, an estimated 11.4 million children under age 18 have lost at least one parent. Its impact on households, human capital, the private sector, and the public sector undermines the alleviation of poverty, the Bank's overarching mandate. In sum, HIV/AIDS threatens the development goals in the region unlike anywhere else in the world.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Business Ready 2024(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-03)Business Ready (B-READY) is a new World Bank Group corporate flagship report that evaluates the business and investment climate worldwide. It replaces and improves upon the Doing Business project. B-READY provides a comprehensive data set and description of the factors that strengthen the private sector, not only by advancing the interests of individual firms but also by elevating the interests of workers, consumers, potential new enterprises, and the natural environment. This 2024 report introduces a new analytical framework that benchmarks economies based on three pillars: Regulatory Framework, Public Services, and Operational Efficiency. The analysis centers on 10 topics essential for private sector development that correspond to various stages of the life cycle of a firm. The report also offers insights into three cross-cutting themes that are relevant for modern economies: digital adoption, environmental sustainability, and gender. B-READY draws on a robust data collection process that includes specially tailored expert questionnaires and firm-level surveys. The 2024 report, which covers 50 economies, serves as the first in a series that will expand in geographical coverage and refine its methodology over time, supporting reform advocacy, policy guidance, and further analysis and research.Publication Global Economic Prospects, June 2024(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-06-11)After several years of negative shocks, global growth is expected to hold steady in 2024 and then edge up in the next couple of years, in part aided by cautious monetary policy easing as inflation gradually declines. However, economic prospects are envisaged to remain tepid, especially in the most vulnerable countries. Risks to the outlook, while more balanced, are still tilted to the downside, including the possibility of escalating geopolitical tensions, further trade fragmentation, and higher-for-longer interest rates. Natural disasters related to climate change could also hinder activity. Subdued growth prospects across many emerging market and developing economies and continued risks underscore the need for decisive policy action at the global and national levels. Global Economic Prospects is a World Bank Group Flagship Report that examines global economic developments and prospects, with a special focus on emerging market and developing economies, on a semiannual basis (in January and June). Each edition includes analytical pieces on topical policy challenges faced by these economies.Publication Europe and Central Asia Economic Update, Fall 2024: Better Education for Stronger Growth(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-17)Economic growth in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) is likely to moderate from 3.5 percent in 2023 to 3.3 percent this year. This is significantly weaker than the 4.1 percent average growth in 2000-19. Growth this year is driven by expansionary fiscal policies and strong private consumption. External demand is less favorable because of weak economic expansion in major trading partners, like the European Union. Growth is likely to slow further in 2025, mostly because of the easing of expansion in the Russian Federation and Turkiye. This Europe and Central Asia Economic Update calls for a major overhaul of education systems across the region, particularly higher education, to unleash the talent needed to reinvigorate growth and boost convergence with high-income countries. Universities in the region suffer from poor management, outdated curricula, and inadequate funding and infrastructure. A mismatch between graduates' skills and the skills employers are seeking leads to wasted potential and contributes to the region's brain drain. Reversing the decline in the quality of education will require prioritizing improvements in teacher training, updated curricula, and investment in educational infrastructure. In higher education, reforms are needed to consolidate university systems, integrate them with research centers, and provide reskilling opportunities for adult workers.Publication The Journey Ahead(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-31)The Journey Ahead: Supporting Successful Migration in Europe and Central Asia provides an in-depth analysis of international migration in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) and the implications for policy making. By identifying challenges and opportunities associated with migration in the region, it aims to inform a more nuanced, evidencebased debate on the costs and benefits of cross-border mobility. Using data-driven insights and new analysis, the report shows that migration has been an engine of prosperity and has helped address some of ECA’s demographic and socioeconomic disparities. Yet, migration’s full economic potential remains untapped. The report identifies multiple barriers keeping migration from achieving its full potential. Crucially, it argues that policies in both origin and destination countries can help maximize the development impacts of migration and effectively manage the economic, social, and political costs. Drawing from a wide range of literature, country experiences, and novel analysis, The Journey Ahead presents actionable policy options to enhance the benefits of migration for destination and origin countries and migrants themselves. Some measures can be taken unilaterally by countries, whereas others require close bilateral or regional coordination. The recommendations are tailored to different types of migration— forced displacement as well as high-skilled and low-skilled economic migration—and from the perspectives of both sending and receiving countries. This report serves as a comprehensive resource for governments, development partners, and other stakeholders throughout Europe and Central Asia, where the richness and diversity of migration experiences provide valuable insights for policy makers in other regions of the world.Publication Services Unbound(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-12-09)Services are a new force for innovation, trade, and growth in East Asia and Pacific. The dramatic diffusion of digital technologies and partial policy reforms in services--from finance, communication, and transport to retail, health, and education--is transforming these economies. The result is higher productivity and changing jobs in the services sector, as well as in the manufacturing sectors that use these services. A region that has thrived through openness to trade and investment in manufacturing still maintains innovation-inhibiting barriers to entry and competition in key services sectors. 'Services Unbound: Digital Technologies and Policy Reform in East Asia and Pacific' makes the case for deeper domestic reforms and greater international cooperation to unleash a virtuous cycle of increased economic opportunity and enhanced human capacity that would power development in the region.