On May 4, just after the Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF, about twenty-five parliamentarians from the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) and the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank (PNoWB) visited the World Bank in Washington.

They were welcomed by Senior Vice President External Affairs Marwan Muasher and met various senior World Bank staff during a day that they described as ‘most interesting’ and ‘inspiring’.

The financial crisis was one of the main themes of the visit. Jeffrey Lewis, James Park and Kenroy A Dowers analyzed its impact and described the response of the World Bank Group. Senior Manager Michele de Nevers presented the World Bank’s climate change agenda. Director Alastair McKechnie gave an interesting presentation on World Bank policies and programs in fragile and conflict affected countries with plenty of examples from Afghanistan, where he was a country director for many years.
Director Juergen Voegele had the unrewarding task to be the last speaker of the day, but managed to provoke a lively discussion on the food crisis, agriculture and the H1N1 virus.

During the wrap-up, director International Affairs Edith Grace Ssempala concluded that receiving parliamentary delegations around the Annual and Spring Meetings is a good habit that the World Bank should keep.

For more information: Esther van Damme