Strengthening Public Information

"With these papers," says Operations Policy and Country Services Vice President Jim Adams, "the Board and Management have committed to developing and implementing a comprehensive framework for translation that should expand the Bank’s reach to the widest possible audience, particularly the poor, and people affected by Bank-financed projects. We have also committed to strengthening the Bank’s Public Information Centers (PICs) to help make outreach more extensive and effective."

Work is now accelerating in support of wider and more proactive efforts to enhance dissemination, feedback, dialogue, and participation among stakeholders in order to increase the effectiveness and impact of development aid and to communicate the Bank’s work in this regard.

The reports reflect the consultations held in 2000-01 during the revision of the IBRD/IDA disclosure policy and the subsequent activities of disclosure pilots. The consultations revealed a demand for the Bank to make more and different types of documents available to the public and to provide content in languages that people can readily understand. The pilots found that proactive outreach and sensitivity to language preferences and attention to localized communication are key elements to enhance disclosure, broaden participation by stakeholders, and increase awareness and understanding of the Bank’s work.

"For us," says Latin America and Caribbean Vice President David De Ferranti, "it’s a simple equation: wider disclosure of Bank documents and easier public access to them have improved the substance and tone of our dialogue with civil society and other external parties."

The translation framework retains key aspects of existing Bank practice: the business owners/creators of documents remain responsible for determining which documents to translate and into which languages. But the new framework lays out best-practices and criteria for documents that address the Bank Group’s overall business and strategic thinking, for documents used for consultations, for documents and publications that address country- and project-specific information, and for web content that is culturally localized.

The framework aims at a more systematic and consistent approach to translation, and at more consistent quality standards. It supports more efficient and effective management of translation by decentralizing its provision through the wider use of local providers (especially in our client countries), while simultaneously strengthening a core function that will support and facilitate the process, share knowledge and resources worldwide, and ensure quality across Bank Group units, country offices, and local vendors.

Additionally, stronger PICs mean a better public understanding of the Bank’s role in member countries, broader and more informed participation in program and project design, and increased local ownership of programs and projects. Together, these mean greater effectiveness and better results for the Bank’s work.

"Strengthening PICs worldwide is extremely important," says External Affairs Vice President Ian Goldin. "If we want better results—and particularly if we want the better results that come from wider participation in designing projects and programs—PICs and public information services must become centers for development and platforms to share information, exchange ideas with our client countries, and educate our staff and stakeholders about development."

If you have comments on or questions about either program, please send them to pics@worldbank.org; or transframework@worldbank.org, respectively.