Parliamentarians can be powerful advocates for development. They set 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.

In our work with parliamentarians, we always keep in mind that our official counterparts are the Governments of 186 member countries. Their Ministers of Finance, Economy, Development or Foreign Affairs sit on our Board of Governors. According to the mandate given by our Board of Governors, the World Bank cannot get directly involved in the domestic political affairs of a country. This means that except in very exceptional cases, World Bank staff cannot testify before a legislative body. However, there are a lot of things that we do and will continue to do with parliamentarians, a vital constituency with major role to play in contributing to sustainable development.

Updated July 2009