Parliamentarians and the World Bank

Empowering parliamentarians to play a more active and meaningful role in development

Parliamentarians – as elected representatives – can be powerful advocates for development. They pass laws, debate, and approve foreign aid budgets; review development policies; and hold governments accountable for World Bank-financed programs. The World Bank Group, in turn, is an important focus of parliamentary interest as it channels around one-fifth of all aid to the poorest countries. It is also an important source of knowledge and information on poverty reduction.

The World Bank's External Affairs office in Europe is home to the Bank's Parliamentary Relations Team - the principal point of contact for parliamentarians and parliamentary organizations at the World Bank. The Team is responsible for facilitating policy dialogue with parliamentarians worldwide and connecting them with relevant Bank units and country offices. The Team also organizes events, field visits, and seminars for lawmakers in close partnership with various parliamentary assemblies and organizations around the world, including the independent Parliamentary Network on the World Bank (PNoWB).

Interaction between parliamentarians and the World Bank not only encourages broader participation in the development debate, but also promotes parliamentary involvement and ownership of Bank supported development projects.

For more background, see the issue brief explaining the Bank's work with Parliamentarians in more depth and visit the World Bank's website for parliamentarians, www.worldbank.org/parliamentarians