Participation of the PABSEC International Secretariat in the Seminar for Parliamentarians “Introduction to World Bank Group Operations”

Mr. Daniel Dulca, PABSEC Deputy Secretary General, attended the online Seminar for Parliamentarians, entitled ”Introduction to World Bank Group Operations”, being organized by the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and IMF, on 22 February 2022.

The meeting was attended by parliamentarians, officials of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and representatives of international organizations, being moderated by Ms. Mercy Niwe, Lead, Stakeholder Engagement, World Bank.

The objectives of the Seminar were: to provide an overview for new board members of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and IMF (the PN), new MPs and those newly engaged in the World Bank Group, on the Bank’s structure, mandate, operations and current priorities; to provide the MPs with access to Bank spokespersons for an open Q&A session, to boost parliamentary engagement and respond to the MPs’ concerns;  to gauge demand from the MPs, for future learning and capacity building programs and get a feedback on potential topics and level.

Interventions were made by: Mr. NaysánSahba, Manager, Global Engagement and Partnerships, World Bank; Mr. David Theis, Press Secretary and World Bank Group Spokesperson, World Bank; Ms. Marie-Ange Colombe Nouroumby, Communications Officer, Stakeholder Engagement and Civil Society, IFC; Mr. Enrique Blanco Armas, Manager, IDA Strategy and Operations, World Bank; Mr. Nazmul Chaudhury, Adviser, OPCS, World Bank and Hon. Ricardo Leite MP, Portugal, Vice Chair, Parliamentary Network on the World Bank&IMF.

This event gave the participating Members of Parliament, an exclusive access to high-level spokespeople from the World Bank Group, who offered them the occasion to learn about the organization’s structure, its mandate, operations, results, challenges and priorities. They had the opportunity to dialogue directly with World Bank Group representatives and hear how they can cooperate with them to achieve better development results, at the country level.

The World Bank Group considers that the Parliamentarians are important stakeholders who represent the people they serve, being in the position to bring about positive changes through law-making, budget approvals and oversight of governments and their development partners. This Seminar represented an occasion for the World Bank Group to share opinions regarding the support they need in this crucial work.