The World Bank Group is seeking feedback on its proposed new whistleblowing policy aimed at providing a safe environment to staff for reporting and addressing allegations of misconduct. The current proposal is the result of extensive consultations including staff feedback, discussions with the Audit and Personnel Committees of the Bank Group's Board of Executive Directors, and consultations with outside experts and other international organizations.
The proposed whistleblowing policy aims to strengthen protections for staff who report suspected misconduct that may threaten the operations or governance of the Bank Group. Subject to approval by the Executive Directors, Principle 8 of the Principles of Staff Employment (15k pdf)* would be amended to establish whistleblower protections among the core duties and obligations of the Bank Group, including: prohibiting retaliation against any person for reporting misconduct or cooperating with an investigation; providing interim protections to the whistleblower, with the consent of the staff member; and shifting the burden of proof to management where a whistleblower has made a prima facie case of retaliation for whistleblowing.
To implement the amended Principle, the Bank Group would put in place a new Staff Rule 8.02 (30k pdf), dedicated to whistleblowing protections and procedures. The new rule would set out in detail the rights and responsibilities of whistleblowers, including protections for qualified external reporting. The new rule would be applied together with other relevant staff rules such as Staff Rule 8.01 (25k pdf), "Disciplinary Proceedings," which defines the scope of staff's duty to report misconduct and sets out the investigative procedures and possible disciplinary measures to be applied in such cases. Comments and suggestions may be submitted to this policy feedback line through Friday, February 22, 2008. To submit feedback, please fill out the form below.
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* The Principles of Staff Employment embody the general conditions and terms of employment with the Bank Group and the duties and obligations of the Bank Group and of its staff members. These Principles apply to all staff members, that is, all persons appointed by the President to perform services for the Bank Group. The Principles are implemented at the working level through detailed Staff Rules, which set forth more explicitly the broad policies outlined in the Principles and in accordance with which the President organizes and manages the staff of the Bank Group. |
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