 Consultation, as distinct from dialogue, is generally a more structured exchange in which the Bank commits itself to "active listening" and to carefully consider the comments, ideas, and recommendations received from civil society and other stakeholders. The Bank also attempts to provide feedback on what it heard, what was or was not incorporated, and why. The Bank actively consults civil society and other stakeholders in the formulation of policies and projects at the global, regional and country levels because it believes that the comments and ideas from civil society can help to improve these activities. The World Bank is actively working to improve the quality of these consultations to ensure that they result in improved policies and programs.
At the global and regional levels, CSOs have been formally consulted on the major policies introduced or updated by World Bank staff in recent years in such areas as forest management, information disclosure, indigenous peoples, and resettlement. Poverty reduction strategies (PRSPs) and the expansion of the debt relief program (HIPC) have also benefited from extensive consultation with civil society. Consultations have also become common around reports such as the annual World Development Report (WDR) and evaluations carried out by the independent Operations and Evaluation Department (OED).
At the country level, the World Bank is consulting with a broad spectrum of CSOs on Country Assistance Strategy (CAS), sector studies, and individual Bank-funded development projects. Often these consultations are multi-stakeholder and involve CSOs, governments, businesses, and other donor agencies. With the advent of the PRSPs, governments are being encouraged to the take lead in convening consultations on macro-economic and poverty-reduction policies. The breadth and scope of these consultations vary depending on the nature of the project, expressed interest on the part of civil society, and the openness of the local government.
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