Information Dissemination
Distribution of information about Bank-financed operations to citizens – via CSOs, NGO networks, and media – has dramatically increased. ECA Country Offices have dedicated local staff to information dissemination, using websites, newsletters, public debates and conferences. The Country Directors and Mission Chiefs spend much of their time on public outreach and dialogue with various actors outside the government circles. The expansion of the Bank’s information disclosure policy (effective January 1, 2002) now makes it possible to provide stakeholders with information on many issues that were previously undisclosed. While most citizens in ECA do not use the Internet to get information about the World Bank, it remains the most detailed source of information for those who actively want to learn about our organization. Eighteen of our 24 Country Offices maintain Public Information Centers (PIC). Supplied with a wide collection of Bank publications and usually also a computer with an Internet connection, they have become an important vehicle for dissemination of information, particularly in the countries where access to reliable economic resources is most limited. By now, all ECA Country Offices maintain local websites, and CSOs are the largest or second largest group that uses them. The material posted on these sites is usually available in both English and the local language, which largely eases the problem of resource constraints for producing Bank publications in local languages.
Local Outreach to CSOs
Country Office interaction with local CSOs contributes to civic engagement in three ways. Firstly, the Country Office provides key information about Bank activities, information which sometimes CSOs cannot even obtain from their own governments. Secondly, Bank interaction sends an important message to governments that may be less willing to work with CSOs as development partners. Thirdly, our designated local staff are instrumental in identifying legitimate NGO/CSO partners. One example of outreach is the Development Marketplace, and subregional events held in the run-up to the Development Marketplace: the Country Innovation Days (CID) and the NGO Knowledge Forums (KF). This year’s CIDs and KFs were held in Minsk and Bishkek and attracted a large number of CSOs from Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine as well as the five Central Asian states. CSOs from these countries prepared nearly 3,000 project proposals that involved citizens in poverty reduction and sustainable development initiatives and provided recognition for non-traditional players in development.
|
RSS