Update: 60 Civil Society Organizations Call on the World Bank Group to Commit to a Participatory and Transparent IAM Leadership Selection Process

Last week, the World Bank Group Board of Directors announced the integration of the institution’s three independent accountability mechanisms (IAMs) - the Inspection Panel, Dispute Resolution Service, and Compliance Advisor Ombudsman - into one IAM. This is a seismic shift in the World Bank Group’s approach to accountability to project-affected communities, and the next steps will be crucial to the new IAM’s effectiveness.

The short press release does not provide much detail about exactly how the new combined mechanism will function. In announcing the integrated IAM, the Board committed to the principle of “non-regression” for the development of the single IAM’s policies and procedures. The selection process for the IAM leadership will be a test of that commitment.  

IAM leadership is instrumental to the legitimacy of an IAM, and securing leadership that will uphold the principles of independence, equitability, and transparency starts with the selection process. 60 civil society organizations from around the world have called on the World Bank Group’s Board of Directors to set a fair and effective  selection process for the new IAM’s leadership. Specifically, we note that the process should at least be consistent with existing high standards for selection processes and include a formalized role for civil society on the selection committee. Anything less than this will call into question the institution’s commitment to accountability and undermine the foundation of the new IAM.

Read the full letter here.

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