From the period of February – October 2004, the World Bank's Social Development Department organized 26 external consultations around the world, including two electronic discussions on the draft social development strategy entitled, Social Development in World Bank Operations: Results and Way Forward. The consultations took place in The U.S., Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Middle East, Latin America, and at a variety of international conferences with representation from donor agencies, civil society, government, youth, faith-based organizations, international organizations and development practitioners.
It was generally understood throughout the course of the 26 formal consultations in 2004 that participants welcomed the Bank's increasing strategic focus on the social dimensions of development. In fact, many participants were pleasantly surprised that the Bank actually had a "Social Development Department." Although participants had various opinions on the Bank's approach to and implementation of social development, they did agree that the Bank was headed in the right direction and needed to speed up its efforts in this arena.
The Bank is seen as a leader in development finance, as noted by a participant during a consultation. They continued by stating that if the Bank can put forward a strategy on social development, the organization would be seen as both responsive to the needs of the poor, as well as a leader in responsible growth.
The sections below include lists of the consultation meetings held to date. If you have any questions about the consultations and meetings listed, please contact socialdevelopment@worldbank.org .
To read the summary report prepared by Mojgan Sami, in full, please see attached.
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