About Socially Sustainable Development

In July 2006, WBI began mainstreaming social development into WBI and IFC learning programs across sectors and regions.  The objective of the mainstreaming is to

 

• Facilitate information exchange on how social development—which includes social accountability, social inclusion, and social cohesion—can enhance WB knowledge/capacity development efforts at the project, program and policy levels, and
• To provide guidance and technical support to on social development themes to WB learning programs.

 

Mainstreaming social development has particular implications for approaches and methods for providing training, learning and capacity development.  These include the importance of understanding local context and networking,  bringing together the perspectives of different stakeholder groups, and ensuring bottom-up input to development assistance.

           

Thematic work will emphasize the mainstreaming of social accountability across sectors and regions.  Particular attention will be given to improving accountability to citizens for the careful expenditure of public resources and in the quality and equity of service delivery.  Courses and technical assistance provided under this theme include independent budget analysis (IBA), participatory  public expenditure tracking (PPETS), participatory performance monitoring (citizen and community scorecards), and participatory budgeting (PB).  The social accountability theme also includes initiatives in civic empowerment and organization, freedom of information, e-procurement, transparency and media.