Zoellick’s term officially ends on June 30th, 2012. BIC hopes the next candidate brings sweeping reform.
Today the World Bank president, Robert Zoellick, announced that he will be officially stepping down from his position on June 30th, 2012. During his time at the Bank, Zoellick pushed for the revision of the Access to Information Policy. NGOs regard the new policy as a significant achievement in that it is the most progressive international financial institution access to information policy to date. By establishing clear request mechanisms and opening up new categories of routinely disclosed information, the Bank significantly broadened its transparency horizon.
With this news, there has naturally been some debate as to who the next World Bank president should be. BIC hopes that, wherever the President is from, she or he is chosen based on an understanding of the need for transformative economic, social and environmental change and democratic governance. The World Bank needs to be guided towards a low-carbon energy strategy that increases energy access for the poor, strong environmental and social standards that promote sustainability and prevent damaging projects, and increased community participation, public transparency and accountability for the Bank and its borrowers.