From May 9^th to May 10th, a delegation of two Parliamentarians representing the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association traveled to Athens, Greece, to attend the Fourth Annual Conference of the Parliamentary Network the World Bank (PNoWB). The delegation consisted of Roy Cullen, M.P. Etobicoke North, and John Williams, M.P., St. Albert.

In attendance at the meeting were approximately 126 parliamentarians from some 66 countries, representing both donor and recipient countries, together with 26 observers and a number of speakers. A group of 8-9 individuals from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe were in attendance at the conference.

Whereas the initial focus of the PNoWB was the World Bank, this is expanding and currently includes the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the UN.

One of the highlights of the conference were two segments entitled 90 Minutes with the President of the World Bank, followed by 90 Minutes with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund. Both Mr. James Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank, and Mr. Horst Köhler, Managing Director of the IMF, in separate sessions, delivered brief comments at a plenary session, followed by a question and answer period.

The purpose of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank (PNoWB) is to increase parliamentary involvement and effectiveness in the field of international development.

The core mission of the PNoWB is fivefold:

1. Accountability: To facilitate and encourage direct policy dialogue between Parliamentarians and multilateral development institutions to provide greater transparency of World Bank policies and practices and increase collective accountability.

2. Advocacy: To provide the members of the Network with a platform for coordinated parliamentary advocacy on international development issues.

3. Networking: To encourage concerted action, early debate and exchange of information among Parliamentarians on major issues of international development, finance and poverty eradication.

4. Partnerships: To take initiatives to further cooperation and encourage partnerships between parliamentarians and policy makers, the academic community, the business sector and non-governmental organizations on development issues.

5. Progress Review: To promote the development of parliamentary mechanisms and practices for the effective democratic control of development assistance in all its phases.


To achieve these objectives, the PNoWB delivers the following programs -

• Annual Conference: At least once a year the Network organizes a conference. This is organized in partnership with the parliament of the host country and the World Bank.

• Field Trips: The Network facilitates field trips for parliamentarians from donor countries to visit projects in developing countries. At the same time the Network organizes visits from Parliamentarians from developing countries to parliaments in countries with well-established democratic traditions.

• Website: The Network has its own website in order to facilitate coalition building and the exchange of information on international development issues among Parliamentarians and multilateral institutions such as the World Bank (www.pnowb.org).

• Consultations: The PNoWB engages in consultations with the World Bank and other international financial institutions on their respective projects, programs, and research activities.

• Training: The Network seeks training opportunities for Parliamentarians, in partnership with the World Bank Institute, amongst others, on the Bank's technical procedures.

• Newsletter: A newsletter is disseminated regularly to inform members about the activities of the Network and to raise its profile vis-à-vis third parties. The newsletter features, inter alia, interviews with Parliamentarians active in international development.

• Research: The Network encourages small-scale, parliament-specific research projects based on the needs defined by the members of the Network.

• Partnerships: The Network actively seeks opportunities to build partnerships with other international parliamentary networks to encourage cross-fertilization. In addition, the Network attempts to build bridges with other constituencies involved in international development (academia, NGOs, etc.).

Mr. Wolfensohn indicated the two key challenges currently considered priorities by the World Bank is focused on –

1. increasing the level of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA). The United Nations has set a target of 0.7% of GDP as the target for developed countries. To put matters into context, Mr. Wolfensohn cited the following –

-Five percent of the world’s population shares in 20% of world GDP;

-current levels of ODA total US$52 billion, which can be contrasted with US$311 in agricultural assistance worldwide, and US$90 billion in defense spending;

Increasing the amounts that developed countries commit to international aid is more easily accomplished when the world economy is strong and stable.

2. improving access to markets for developing countries by reducing or eliminating tariff and non-tariff barriers.

Mr. Wolfensohn also cited some continuing areas of concern/action –

-combating HIV/AIDS;

-fighting corruption by building capacity and pushing for legal and judicial reform;

-supporting education, health and infrastructure projects; and,

-promoting improved interaction with the private sector and civil society.

Mr. Köhler stressed that current geopolitics (e.g. tension in Iraq) were bad for business investment and consumer spending. These factors lead to lackluster economic growth which results in reduced development assistance. He spoke about the need for more economic growth in Europe and for structural reforms in countries like Japan. He mentioned that trade barriers, particularly in agriculture, limit growth in developing countries. In his view world leaders need to develop a more thoughtful policy framework to deal with globalization. The two downsides of globalization, in his view are that too many people will be left behind, together with the risk of financial crisis.

Mr. Köhler discussed the need for balance between human rights and human responsibilities amongst –

• the markets;
• social equity; and,
• individual responsibility to society and the common good.

He indicated that the IMF is in the process of change –

• greater transparency;
• working on rules and standards of the game by encouraging standards and codes (e.g. money laundering);
• focused on financial sector (strengths and weaknesses);
• changed concept of conditionality by reducing the number of conditions and focusing on those key areas that are required for macroeconomic stability and growth.

He concluded by emphasizing the following priorities for the IMF–

• sustained growth;
• international stability;
• addressing poverty; and,
• the IMF becoming a learning institution (i.e. they don’t have all the answers!).

John Williams and Roy Cullen had a twenty minute meeting with President Wolfensohn, at which time the work of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) was outlined. Mr. Williams described the key specific projects that GOPAC was emphasizing, including combating money laundering; the need for the rule of law; and appropriate policies to deal with the financing of political financing. Mr. Cullen gave Mr. Wolfensohn a preview of the anti-money laundering initiative that he is leading on behalf of GOPAC.

Mr. Wolfensohn endorsed GOPAC’s aims and objectives and offered his support. He also indicated his keen interest in, and relevance of, the continuing work of GOPAC and the anti-money laundering initiative, and pledged the full support of the World Bank to GOPAC and to initiatives focused on the scourge of money laundering.

Work in the area of money laundering will require coordination with the Financial Action Task Force (a product of the G-7), and its secretariat, which is housed at the OECD in Paris.

There were a variety of panels on a variety of topics–

• making services work for poor people;
• the role of parliamentarians in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers;
• achieving the Millennium Development Goals: how can parliamentarians make things happen?;
• trade, foreign aid and development: the need for policy coherence;
• Challenges and solutions to population and development; the role of parliamentarians;
• debt reduction strategy moratoria and bankruptcy; and,
• expanding foreign aid options: new criteria for aid allocation.

One of the more interesting panels was the one that dealt with the topic - Achieving the Millennium Development Goals: how can parliamentarians make things happen?

At the Millennium Summit in September 2000 in Monterrey, Mexico, world leaders adopted specific and quantifiable development goals. Subsequently, the United Nations published 8 Millennium Development Goals in the September 6, 2001 Report of the UN Secretary General on the road map for implementation of the UN Millennium Declaration. The 8 goals are:

• To halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people living on less than one US dollar a day; and to halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people suffering from hunger;
• To ensure that, by 2015, all children can complete primary schooling;
• To eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and at all education levels no later than 2015;
• To reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the mortality rate for children under 5 years old;
• To reduce by three-quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio;
• To have halted and begun to reverse by 2015 the spread of HIV/AIDS; and to have halted and begun to reverse by 2015 the incidence of malaria and other major diseases;
• To integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs and to reverse the loss of environmental resources; and to halve by 2015 the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water; and,
• To develop a global partnership for development including through trade openness and debt relief.

These are ambitious goals and some say that they are unrealistic and not attainable. However, one of the panelists, Ms. Eveline Herfkens, the UN Secretary General’s Executive Director of the Millennium Development Goals Campaign, was more optimistic and highlighted the role that parliamentarians can play in holding the executive branches of their governments to account for the commitments they made as their contribution to the Millennium Goals Development Campaign. This applies equally to donor and recipient countries.

U.S. Congressman Barney Frank told the conference that it is a mistake to try and justify more foreign aid using the security argument; i.e. that more aid will make for a safer world. He suggested that this rationalization could attract a ‘belligerent, rather than a benevolent response’ from donor countries like the United States.

Within the context of agricultural subsidies in the U.S.A. and Europe, Congressman Frank emphasized the need to address the ‘losers’ should agricultural subsidies be significantly reduced or eliminated. Only with this approach can progress be made in addressing these subsidies – an initiative that is most important for developing countries.

The Parliamentary Network on the World Bank is fulfilling an important oversight role for parliamentarians on the policies and operations of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Through this organization parliamentarians have the opportunity to contribute to the debate on how to reduce world poverty and enhance international financial stability.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the delegation,

Roy Cullen, M.P.