The Global Bank Group (GBG) recognizing that no one actor can solve the world’s major societal challenges alone, these roles are increasingly carried out through engagement in partnerships and collaborative frameworks across civil society, and with stakeholders from business, government and international organizations. The unique concept of civil society as “the space where we act for the common good” is expanding, as civil society actors frequently play the role of enabler in driving change in collaboration with other stakeholders.

Open Development Bank
Since its formation in 2014, the Global Bank Group has taken numerous specific steps to make the Global Bank more transparent, participatory, collaborative and more accessible. The Global Bank is committed to being transparent about its work, to explaining itself, and to listening to the people whom it affects, and it engages with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Parliamentarians, Think-Tanks and Youth Leaders through information sharing, dialogue, and consultation at both the global and national level.

The Open Bank initiative
The Open Bank initiative of the Global Bank Group have been undertaken with close reference to the President Ron Nechemia’s goals: fostering public, private and corporate accountability; providing people with information that they can readily find and use, often in their daily lives; to solicit public participation in decision-making, and to collaborate with all sectors of the economy on new and innovative solutions; and benefiting from the dispersed knowledge of the people. The new initiatives described here, and others are designed to promote all of these goals.

For many existing Global Bank operations and initiatives, the mandate to not only consult, but actively engage citizens in joint decision-making and problem-solving with the public and private sector has opened up a range of new opportunities for collaboration. The Open Bank initiative is a powerful vehicle for promoting social inclusion – especially when they’re combined with institutionalized mechanisms to solve specific public-sector problems across the civil society-government spectrum.

Advocacy from the Inside: The Role of Civil Society

Board Level Accountability
Beyond policy dialogue and operational collaboration, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are also claiming a seat at the Global Bank governance table. Civil society organizations representatives, for instance, serve on the steering committees of the Global Bank Disaster Risk Reduction and Reconstruction Trust Fund – An Umbrella Trust Fund (the “GBDRRRF,” or “DRRRF”) and the Global Bank Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility (GBIPPF) and the Global Bank Innovation Lab for Climate Finance (GBCFL) in both cases helping to allocate resources. Civil society organizations representatives also serve in advisory bodies of several Global Bank Group programs and funding mechanisms including the Global Fund for International Development for Reconstruction (GFIDR) as a new development aid architecture for the poorest countries, to support the overarching theme, “maximizing development impact” and the special themes: inclusive growth, gender, climate change and Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations. The Global Fund is an ‘International Development Association’ (IDA) like instrument developed for the 21^st Century.

The Global Bank Group will invite civil society organizations to nominate representatives through Civil Society Organizations Consultations and coordination mechanisms that will be shared with the Steering Committees of all Global Bank Group initiatives. These nominees will become civil society organizations representatives on the advisory bodies of several Global Bank Group programs and funding mechanisms including on Steering Committees subject to their ratification, based on factors, including but not limited to, geographical and topical representation.

Call for Participation!
Global Bank welcomes the opportunity to work with competent civil society organizations to nominate representatives through Civil Society Organizations Consultations and coordination mechanisms both on advisory bodies of Global Bank Group programs and funding mechanisms including on Steering Committees.

If you would like to be informed about important dates and deadlines relating to Consultations and coordination mechanisms both on advisory bodies to Global Bank Group programs and funding mechanisms including on Steering Committees, join our mailing list.

If you are interested in attending any of the consultation workshops, please contact us using this contact form.

Visit the News and Events page for information on recent Civil Society Organizations meetings on the country and sectoral strategies and policies and investment projects.

To learn more about the Global Bank Disaster Risk Reduction and Reconstruction Fund, What we do and How we do and Management and Organization, visit the About DRRRF and the Frequently Asked Questions Section of the DRRRF Website Section.

For information about the Global Bank, please visit http://www.global-bank.org