Some twenty members of the Parliamentary network attended the seminarsorganised in Washington DC to concise with the annual meeting of the WorldBank and IMF. As well as understanding more of how the WB and IMF areseeking to improve their operations - for instance with greater transparencyand by tackling fraud and corruption - we learned of the important changesto the WB's goals: to end extreme poverty by 2030 and to promote sharedprosperity.

I would like thank Gergana Ivanova and Lola Aliaga of the ParliamentaryNetwork for their work in arranging the visit as well as WB and IMF staff for theirinvaluable assistance.

The goal of shared prosperity is very important and it is articulated throughseeking to foster income growth among the bottom 40 per cent of thepopulation.

One of the most important ways to do this is by concentrating on creatingemployment and tackling the causes of unemployment. The ParliamentaryNetwork has made it a priority to support its members in the work they aredoing in their own countries. When I met the World Bank President, Dr Jim Kim,he confirmed how important he considered this work to be.

I thought I would share with you a little of my experience as a parliamentarian.When I was elected for the constituency of Stafford, UK, in 2010, I joined withother local people to establish an organisation called Stafford Works with theaim of assisting people in my area in their search for work. Of course, there ismuch work being done by government on this and we seek to complementrather than duplicate it.

So we run Job Clubs for people seeking work. There they receive help with skillssuch as writing CVs and preparing for interviews. We also encourage them intheir search as many people who are out of work have lost self-confidence.We can also make them aware of job opportunities which I come acrossthrough my work as an MP and which may not be widely advertised.

Every few months, we work with others to run jobs fairs where job seekers andcompanies searching for staff come together. The work extends to helpingthose who wish to become self-employed to find the best sources of adviceand finance.

Does it work? Many of those who have attended jobs clubs are now in work.Even if the job club did not find them that work (and in some cases it did), theytell us that the confidence and skills they acquired helped them to secure it.

I would very much like to learn of the experiences of other members so that wecan share them in future editions of the newsletter.

Field visits to see the work of the World Bank and IMF are an important part ofthe Network's activities. The next two will be in Peru and in West Africa. Formore information about this I suggest that you contact Gergana Ivanova.

Finally, may I urge members to do what they can to ensure that the IDA 17 th

replenishment is a success. The IDA funds vital work in countries with the lowestincomes. The article on page 16 gives more details.

May I wish all members of the Network well in their vital work for those whomthey represent as we come to the end of 2013.

Chairman’s Column

Features

1 Message from the Chairman

2 Introduction

3-9 Parliamentary Workshop

10-13 Budget Law Amendment - Vietnam

14-15 Connecting WBGF with the PN

16-17 IDA 17 Replenishment

18 MP Pettersson’s IMF Update

19 Others

The latest news andbriefings are available

on our website:

www.pnowb.org

November 2013 / n°2

Jeremy Lefroy, UK

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You are reading the second PN Newsletter. I want to thanksincerely everyone who has contributed articles to thisnewsletter. This is an opportunity to communicateimportant information, lessons learned and experiences tothe members of the Parliamentary Network.

In early October, six Board members and thirteen lmembers of the PN attended the Annual Meetings of theWorld Bank and IMF. The seminars provided a goodopportunity for the Network’s members to learn moreabout the World Bank's and IMF's work. But perhaps moreimportantly, the meeting was a good opportunity for theMPs to give candid feedback on the work of theorganisations. You can find more about this in an articlestarting on page 3.

Göran Pettersson MP (Sweden), board member of the PN,was invited as an international expert to a budget reformconference in Vietnam that took place in late September.Vietnam is undergoing an ambitious overhaul of theirbudget law and the practice of asking for internationalinput into the reform process can serve as a goodprocedural example, and MP Pettersson’s participationcan also serve as an example of how members of theNetwork can share their experiences around the world.More about the conference can be found on page 10.

Sandra Moscoso, representative of the World Bank OpenFinances, Controller’s Vice Presidency, has contributed anarticle (page 14) about how the Network’sparliamentarians can leverage the World Bank Group’sfinancial data to inform their work and to support theirconstituents.

The next newsletter will be published on January 15th. If youwould like to write a piece for that issue you are more thanwelcome to contact me with your ideas.

Introduction

Erik HagströmEditor of the PN’s Newsletter

Send your articles and ideas toerik.hagstrom@riksdagen.se

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Parliamentary Workshop - World Bank andIMF Annual Meetings - October 2013By Lola AliagaJunior Programme Officer of the PN

The Parliamentary Network onthe World Bank andInternational Monetary Fund(the Parliamentary Network)participated with a delegationof six Board members andthirteen additional members inthe Annual Meetings of theWorld Bank and IMF, held inWashington D.C. from 8 to 11October 2013. During this time,delegates took part in aparliamentary workshop, andmet senior representatives fromthe World Bank and IMF andfrom non-governmentalorganizations.

At the outcome of themeetings, the ParliamentaryNetwork’s Board issued a PressRelease dated 10 October 2013.It expressed the Network’sengagement to focus onemployment and job creation,its support for the InternationalDevelopment Association(IDA)’s 17th replenishment, itsrequest for more regularengagement of the World Bankand IMF with parliamentarians,and its commitment to ensurethe right appropriation ofdevelopment funds throughtackling corruption and fraud.

A Parliamentary Workshopinformed parliamentarians

about World Bank and IMFactivities, and enabled them toexchange views with WorldBank and IMF representatives.

The Parliamentary Networkdelegation also met with ColinBruce, World Bank Director forStrategy, Operations andRegional Integration in Africa, ina bilateral meeting, as well aswith representatives from theBank Information Centre (BIC),Oxfam and the Association ofAfrican Women for Researchand Development, in a civilsociety meeting.

World Bank Presentations

New World Bank StrategyBarbara Lee, Manager of theWorld Bank Country andOperational Services outlinedthe new strategy introduced inthe World Bank Group (WBG) byPresident Jim Yong Kim, to focuson two goals: ending extremepoverty and boosting sharedprosperity. The core belief of the

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strategy is that there is a need tobuild synergies within the WBG.The reshaping aims to promoteits expertise in knowledge andtechnical assistance, andpresent the institution as aknowledge bank. The WBGintends to engage withcountries in a new way throughlearning and readjusting,adapting to specific contextsand taking smart risks.

MPs expressed doubts aboutwhether this change couldcome about, and the capacityof the World Bank not to repeatthe same mistakes it has madein the past. It was alsoemphasized that donors shouldfocus on governance – ratherthan resource provision – inAfrica.

IDA17 ReplenishmentJoachim Von Amsberg, VicePresident of the World BankConcessional Finance andPartnerships and AntonellaBassani, Director of the WorldBank IDA Resource Mobilization,outlined the importance of theInternational DevelopmentAssociation (IDA) as “the WorldBank’s fund for the poorest”,always responsive to countries’specific needs. They urgedparliamentarians from receivingcountries to point out to their

donor countries colleagues theimportance of funding the IDA.The IDA17 Replenishment willfocus on inclusive growth,climate change, gender, andfragile states.

MPs called on the IDA to striveto show better results. WBrepresentatives highlighted theIDA’s intention to enhanceaccountability and cost-effectiveness by includingpublic disclosure of IDA costsand enabling more citizenfeedback.

The WBG’s Anti-Corruption WorkStephen Zimmermann, Directorfor Operations of the World BankIntegrity Vice Presidencyoutlined the work of this unitcharged with detecting,investigating and taking actionagainst fraud and corruption inBank-financed activities. Theunit has created anInternational Corruption HuntersAlliance, with the intention ofhelping to coordinate this globalfight against corruption. Thisentity is where complaints aboutcorruption can be reported anddealt with accordingly.

The Parliamentary Networksuggested that the World BankPresident present a challenge toauditing firms, asking them to domore to report cases wherefraud or corruption wassuspected. MPs also brought upthe issue of the system’sshortcoming in that the WBGcannot act against seniorgovernmental officials guilty ofcorruption. They emphasizedthe potential strength ofparliaments in tackling

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government corruption,especially when opposition isstrongly represented.

Open Financial Data and WBGFinancial AppSandra Moscoso, representativeof the World Bank OpenFinances, Controller’s VicePresidency, outlined the WorldBank’s work since 2010 inopening up information aboutits knowledge, its activities, andthe way these activities arecarried out. The five broadthemes for open financial dataare:i) transparency;ii) supporting the bank’s work;iii) big data;iv) making informationaccessible through working withcivil society, the media andprivate sector;v) research.

Parliamentarians showed greatinterest in the WBG’s open datawork, and asked that peopleshould be better informedabout this open information,suggesting that World Bankcountry offices should assumethis task. The ParliamentaryNetwork’s chair requested tohave a session withparliamentarians in everycountry where the World Bankoperates, to show them how theopen data system functions.Some MPs pointed out the needof ensuring that ordinary peoplehave access to this open data,suggesting that the World Bankshould institute a programme todeepen their capacity to usethis technological tool.

Operations and RegionalIntegration in AfricaIn a bilateral meeting with ColinBruce, Director for Strategy ofWorld Bank Operations andRegional Integration in Africa,parliamentarians discussed theWorld Bank’s corporate goal tostop talking about poverty inAfrica and start talking aboutwealth creation instead. ColinBruce highlighted that the maininstrument of the World Bank isits knowledge and analyticalwork. The priority areas in whichthe World Bank is applying itsinstruments and pursuing itsgoals in Africa are clean energy,infrastructure, and humandevelopment.

MPs urged the World Bank towork more closely withparliamentarians rather thanusing governments as their maincounterparts in countries. ColinBruce acknowledged that morehas to be done to achieve theWorld Bank’s intended multi-stakeholder approach. Heemphasised, though, that theWorld Bank has an open doorpolicy, for parliamentarians toengage directly with itsrepresentatives. Specific issuessuch as terrorism, brain drain,health, monitoring andevaluation, competition and thevolatility of the economy werebrought up by MPs. In his reply,Colin Bruce insisted that “theWorld Bank is not a worldgovernment” and thatresponsibility lies in nationalgovernments and societies inthe first place.

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IMF Presentations

Global Economy, Overview andChallenges AheadEmil Stavrev, RES IMF DeputyDivision Chief presented growthprojections for 2013-2014 aslower than expected. Heidentified a combination of oldand new risks for the years tocome.

Old risks concern the possibilitythat the Euro area’s financialmarket stress reemerges as aresult of incomplete delivery onpolicies, the potential downsidesof the United States’ near-termfiscal policy and increasedmarket pressures and capitaloutflows.

New risks relate to the recentgrowth disappointments inemerging economies, whichsuffer from capital flow reversal,leading to high volatility. Heargued that strengthened policyaction is needed to revitalizegrowth.

The IMF’s advice for advancedeconomies is to maintainmonetary accommodation andaddress its potential side effects.In emerging economies,exchange rates should respondto underlying forces and thefocus should be put onmonetary and fiscal policy, andon financial stability.

MPs questioned the discrepancybetween the IMF’s positionwhich has been orientedtowards the short-term and thefocus on the job creation it putsforward, which is a long-termissue. They highlighted the social

aspect of the economicdownturn in Europe, pointingthat the youth unemploymentchallenge goes beyond thesphere of the economy, as theregion risks losing an entiregeneration.

Africa Outlook and ChallengesRoger Nord, AFR IMF DeputyDirector argued that it is not theprices of commodities that havebeen driving growth in Africa.What he identified as helpfulfactors for growth are: thediminution of high and volatileinflation, the decline in debt,higher levels of reserves inCentral Banks and thediversification of the Africaneconomy. He also mentionedthe role of increased aid, whichprovided countries with a newfiscal space. But mostimportantly, it was politicalreforms that had a positiveimpact on growth through theaccountability andtransparency they broughtabout. Therefore, strong growthin Africa in the last 20 years is nota commodity story. It is aboutrelevant economic policies andbuilding strong economicsystems. Policies for the years tocome must aim to counter therisk that natural resources inhibitdiversification, respond to needsof inclusiveness, promote jobcreation, address infrastructureshortcomings and embracecross-border collaboration.

The IMF’s involvement in SubSaharan Africa includesprograms with concessionalrates, through the Rapid CreditFacility. The IMF focuses ontechnical assistance in the

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region through its regionaltechnical assistance centersand training center. MPsdiscussed the question ofresource management, buildingsolid institutions and the issue ofinclusiveness.

Women, work and the economyKalpana Kochlar, SPR DeputyDirector described women’s rolein the economy as a new topicfor the IMF, initiated at therequest of its managing directorChristine Lagarde. Overall,women’s participation rateshave stagnated at low levelsworldwide since 1990, althoughregionally Latin America’s ratehas risen while South Asia’s hasdecreased.

There are severalmacroeconomic gains fromrising women participation.Measures should be taken toreplace family income withindividual income taxation, andthere should also be special taxcredits and benefits put inplace. She emphasized that theadvice given in her study is notabout disrespecting culturalnorms but about leveling thefield. “More women in the laborforce at all costs are not ourmessage”, she insisted. MPsdiscussed women’s capacity toreduce corruption.

Parliamentarians also expressedthe need for a concreteimplementation program aimedat increasing womenparticipation, since abstractadvice tends not to translateinto actual policies.

Civil Society Presentations

Civil Society and theEnvironmentKate Geary from Oxfam, NezirSinani from the Bank InformationCentre (BIC) and Odile Ndoumefrom the Association of AfricanWomen for Research andDevelopment respectivelyinformed parliamentarians onWorld Bank safeguards, theclimate change perspective,and gender and climatechange issues. The safeguards,which are mandatory policies toensure the social andenvironmental protection ofWorld Bank projects, have comea long way since civil societystarted to push for them, as theyare now seen as fundamentalby the World Bank itself.

The impact thatparliamentarians can have intheir governments to defendacting upon climate changewas strongly emphasised andthe risks for climate changeworsening gender inequalitieswere made explicit.

MPs discussed the question ofthe legitimate means for Africato develop. Some MPsexpressed the view thatdeveloping countries have theright to resort to polluting

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development activities out ofnecessity, and that it ishypocritical for developednations to require them tocancel such developmentprojects. Others focused on howto find a balance between pastresponsibilities and future risks.The issue of worsened conditionsfor wood- and water-gatheringdue to climate change wasdiscussed in a genderperspective, pointing to thecultural basis of certain societieshindering womenemancipation.

Growth, Employment and JobCreationThe Parliamentary Networkdelegation also attended apanel seminar on Policies forGrowth and Jobs in Europe,which focused on thechallenges for strengtheninggrowth and rebuilding resiliencein the region, including, in theshort and medium term, theneed to repair balance sheets ina growth-friendly way, and inthe long term the reforms thatare necessary to tackle thestructural weaknesses its productand labor markets, financialmarkets, and institutionalframeworks suffer from.

This seminar discussed thequestion of fairness versusefficiency in determining wagelevels, and finding the rightbalance between the two.

In an internal session, theParliamentary Networkdelegation discussed theNetwork’s thematic focus onEmployment and Job Creationthrough a case study from Indiapresented by Board MemberTarun Vijay MP. The NationalRural Employment GuaranteeAct, sponsored by theGovernment of India, operatesin 27 states aiming to enhancelivelihood security in rural areasthrough providing wageemployment to adults forunskilled manual work. Thisscheme is very successful, withmore than 33% of itsbeneficiaries being women. Asa result of this scheme, crimeand alcohol consumption havesignificantly decreased,schooling rates have risen, andmore households have hadaccess to electricity.

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RESOURCES:

The World Bank Open Data page gathers data by country, by topic, on indicators,information on projects and operations, WBG publications, news, etc.http://data.worldbank.org/

The Mapping for Results page visualizes the locations of World Bank-financed projectsto better monitor development impact, improve aid effectiveness and coordination,and enhance transparency and social accountability.http://maps.worldbank.org/

The World Bank Group Finances Mobile Application 2.1 can be downloaded onAndroid, Iphone, Ipad and accessed via mobile web. It is free and enables users toaccess the WBG Finances portfolio of projects, finances and procurement data. Userscan locate projects in their neighborhood, receive tender notices, follow businessesopportunities, get updates on pending projects, check the disbursement data, andengage with the World Bank.http://publications.worldbank.org/index.php?main_page=page&id=20

The World Bank Data blog is aimed at discussing data and open data issues,informing about updates, and receiving comments.http://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/

The World Bank Integrity App enables users to report concerns of fraud or corruptionin Bank-financed projects, which are then handled by the World Bank Integrity VicePresidency. Users can identify projects and submit a confidential report of theirconcerns. The World Bank Integrity App is initially available to download for IOSdevices through the ITunes store.https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/world-bank/id349081199?ign-mpt=uo%3D4(download)http://blogs.worldbank.org/category/tags/integrity-app (information)http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTDOII/Resources/Integrity_App_release.pdf(press release)

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The Orientation of State Budget LawAmendment in Vietnam – InternationalExperienceBy Erik HagströmEditor of the PN's Newsletter

Vietnam is currently reviewing itsbudget law in order to correctdeficiencies in the law andbudget process so that thebudget can be better used as atool for growth and a means forthe country to tackle itschallenges, such as povertyreduction. Reforming thebudget law is no small thing,and Vietnam's politicalleadership has realized theimportance of gettinginternational input into thereform process.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Cong Nghiep,Permanent Deputy Minister of Finance

With the assistance of the UnitedNations Development Program(UNDP) in Vietnam, theCommittee of Financial –Budgetary Affairs of the NationalAssembly and the Ministry ofFinance, on September 23rd and24th, arranged the workshop,“Orientation of State BudgetLaw Amendment – International

Experience”. During theconference, internationalexperts shared their experiencesregarding budget law reform.Thus, the conference providedan interesting example of how acountry facing an upcomingsubstantial and technical reformcan take the help ofinternational experts and learnfrom their mistakes andsuccesses.

Emeralda Resort, Ninh Binh Province

The existing State Budget Law ofVietnam was ratified by theNational Assembly of theSocialist Republic of Vietnam inits 11th Session, in 2002. After 9years of implementation, it isobserved that the State BudgetLaw has played an importantrole in increasing certainty,enhancing efficiency in Statebudgetary and financialmanagement. Two practicalimpacts of the budget law arethat it has helped poverty

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reduction and underpinned thecapacity to respond to urgentissues such as national disastersand epidemics.

However, with Vietnam’seconomy evolving towardsmarket mechanisms and facingthe requirements of reforms fordevelopment and furtherintegration with the worldeconomy, the need for anoverhaul has becomeapparent. In the groundworkpaving the way for a reformedbudget law, the overridingquestion to be answered hasbeen: what is the budget lawtrying to achieve?

It was clear that the Vietnamesepolitical leadership had alreadycome a long way in answeringthat question. However, theyhad recognised there is a lot tobe learned from other countries’experiences and internationalexperts’ findings. The invitedinternational delegates to theconference were foreignparliamentarians and expertsfrom the United Nations, theWorld Bank and the IMF.

Together with the internationalexperts, domestic politiciansdebated various options anddirections: for example, the roleof parliamentarians vs.government in the budgetprocess and whetherdecentralisation, with morepower to the provinces, or acontinued centralisedprocedure is the best fit forVietnam in terms of budgeting.It looks as if they will try tobalance this by ensuring theleading role of the central

budget, while also promotingthe autonomy of devolvedbudgets. There were alsocandid discussions by thedomestic politicians on how toimprove the budget law and itsprocess to facilitateaccountability and create morechannels for the people tomake their voice heard.

Dr. Sanjay Kalra from the IMF inhis speech pointed to the factthat a well-run budget processmay have positive spillovereffects for the broadereconomy. These positive effectswill only materialise if the budgetprocess is efficient andtransparent. Onerecommendation he had was tobase the reformed budget lawon four core principles (see factbox below).

I. Clarity of Roles andResponsibilitiesA clear distinction betweengovernment and commercial activities;clear legal and institutional frameworkgoverning fiscal administration; cleararrangements between governmentand rest of public sector; governmentrelations with private sector should beopen and based on clear rules andprocedures.II. Open budget processBudget cycle should adhere to a cleartimetable; budget information shouldfacilitate analysis and promoteaccountability; procedures for budgetexecution, monitoring, and reportingshould be clear; audit should promoteaccountability.III. Public Availability ofInformationPublished information should becomplete; published informationshould facilitate analysis; publicationshould be timely.IV. Assurances of integrityFiscal data should meet accepteddata quality standards; fiscal activitiesshould be governed by clearguidelines; fiscal activities should besubject to independent scrutiny.

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Anwar Shah, Former LeadEconomist, the World Bank,spoke about different budgetmethods, and what lessonscould be drawn frominternational practices, namelythe pros and cons of differentbudget methods. Regardless ofwhat method a country adheresto, the budget method usedshould enable politicians to setpriorities, to plan ahead, to havefinancial control over inputs, tofacilitate management ofoperations, and allow foraccountability.

Dr. Sanjay Kalra, ResidentRepresentative IMF, Vietnam/Lao PDR

Göran Pettersson MP, from thePN’s board, gave a detailedexplanation on how the budgetprocess in Sweden works.Sweden suffered a severefinancial crisis in the early 1990sand subsequently reformed itsbudget law and introduced afiscal framework in order tosafeguard fiscal prudence andavoid over-spending andfinancial crises.

Mr. Göran Pettersson, SwedishParliament.

The fiscal framework stipulatestwo budget policy targets; anexpenditure ceiling and asurplus target (the publicsector’s financial savings mustshow a surplus of 1 % of GDP onaverage over an economiccycle). Mr. Pettersson pointed tothe fact that this procedure hasmade the Swedish budgetprocess more streamlined andtransparent, and hence havehad positive effects on thebroader economy inter aliathanks to sound public financesthat a budget law does notguarantee, but for which it atleast lays the foundation.

Dr. Anwar Shah, Former LeadEconomist, the World Bank

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The discussions at theconference were forthright andforward looking. There weremany issues to be sorted out,and the conference brought aunique opportunity in providinga combination of bothadvanced theoreticalknowledge and practicalexperience in areas of budgetand finance. All countries do ofcourse have their differentfeatures and the Vietnamesehosts showed a praiseworthyopenness to frankly discussinglessons learned fromachievements and failures, thereasons behind them, and in

particular the measures thathave been successfully andeffectively adopted by othercountries.

Ms. Yoshimi Nishino, Chief of SocialPolicy and Governance Programme,UNICEF Vietnam.

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Connecting World Bank Group Financeswith the Parliamentary NetworkBy Sandra MoscosoOpen Data Specialist, World Bank Group Open Finances

In October 2013, members fromthe World Bank Group Finances(WBGF) program werehonoured with an invitation toshare our work with TheParliamentary Networkdelegation to the World BankGroup (WBG) and InternationalMonetary Fund’s annualmeetings.

Since then, the WBGF team hasbeen doing thinking aroundhow we can support TheParliamentary Network.Specifically, we hope to answer:How can parliamentariansleverage the WBG’s financialdata to inform their work and tosupport their constituents?

“World Bank Finances” MobileApplication

A simple place to start is with the“World Bank Finances” mobileapplication. The application,available in nine languages,uses global positioning system(GPS) technology to detect andvisualize WBG-funded projects

near you (including those thatare in the pipeline, active, orclosed).

Pipeline projects may be ofspecial interest, as they serve asa preview of planned projectsfor a country, providing anopportunity for TheParliamentary Network toengage with WBG- fundedprojects early on.

Parliamentarians (and anyonewith a mobile device) canaccess rich financial data,including commitments anddisbursements, major contractsawarded by the project, keyapproval dates andbackground. Additionally, the“World Bank Finances”application also provides acountry portfolio view from theperspectives of Donor andBeneficiary. The applicationserves as a quick, easy resourceand works offline, making itpractical on ParliamentaryNetwork field visits. Finally, aspart of our work in support of the

Ghana – nearby projects(http://apps.worldbank.org)

Croatia - country portfolio(http://apps.worldbank.org)

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private sector, the applicationprovides access to tenders andbusiness opportunities with WBG-funded projects in over 100countries. (To download, visithttp://apps.worldbank.org/ orsearch “World Bank Finances” iniTunes or Google Play store).

World Bank Group FinancesOpen Data WebsiteThe WBGF team also publishes50+ datasets (many in 6languages) onhttps://finances.worldbank.org.

For a quick view, our countrysummary pages provide acurrent snapshot of a country’srelationship with the Bank,including recently approvedloans, credits and grants, votingshares, and current financialstatus. For data crunchers, wepublish detailed financial dataaround the InternationalFinance Corporation (IFC)’soperational portfolio, monthlysnapshots and historical views ofInternational Bank forReconstruction andDevelopment (IBRD) andInternational DevelopmentAssociation (IDA)-fundedprojects, operationalprocurement data, trust fundcommitments and

disbursements, WBG corporatebudget and financials, andmore. Use our online tools toanalyse and visualize the data,embed visualizations on yourwebsite, or download datasetsfor offline analysis.

Data for Good, Data forBusiness, and Demand for DataWe recognize that even ifpublished openly and freely,financial data can be complexand inaccessible. We strive tosupport the use of openfinancial data and hold eventsglobally to stimulate theexploration of data. Our series ofBig Data dives (with the UnitedNations DevelopmentProgramme and Global Pulse)look at how big data can beleveraged to measure povertyand identify fraud andcorruption in development. OurSustainable Business Models withOpen Data workshops bringopen data entrepreneurstogether with investors tosupport the development of theprivate sector. Our Demand forOpen Data research and pilotsexplore how open data servesonline and offline communities.We invite members of TheParliamentary Network toexplore our products and reachout with questions. We aredelighted to offer technicalsupport around our dataproducts and look forward tolearning how they can be usefulto The Parliamentary Network.

Please visithttps://finances.worldbank.org orreach out to us via emailwbfinances@worldbank.org or Twitter@WBOpenfinances.

India - country summary(https://finances.worldbank.org)

IDA17 ReplenishmentCurrently, the InternationalDevelopment Association (IDA) ofthe World Bank Group isundergoing the final stages ofnegotiations for the 17threplenishment round (IDA17).IDA is the arm of the World Bank,which lends to the poorestcountries in the world. It providesconcessional, interest free loans(called “credits”) and grants forprogrammes that contribute toeconomic growth, reduceinequalities, and improvepeople’s overall living conditions.There are no IDA projects as such;rather the IDA financesgovernment programs, that is tosay, those programs thatparliamentarians approve fortheir own countries.

Every three years, theorganisation negotiates thereplenishment of its funds with thegovernments of its membercountries. The last replenishment(IDA16) was finalised at the endof 2010 and resulted in a total ofUS$49.3 billion for programmefinancing over the next threeyears.

The current process ofreplenishing IDA will becompleted by the end of 2013. Inthis development round, IDAwants to focus more onleveraging private investment,public resources, and knowledgein a more results-oriented andcost-effective way. IDA17 willmost likely carry forward theIDA16 special themes of fragileand conflict-affected states,climate change

and gender equality, where thereis still an unfinished agenda. Therewill be greater focus on women’seconomic empowerment andresults. On climate change, thefocal point will be on measuringthe impact of IDA’s work onsupporting climate resilientdevelopment, as well as oncoordination between IDA andthe UN, and other internationalorganisations. Disaster riskmanagement will also be a keyaspect. On fragile and conflict-affected states, IDA will identifyspecific actions and indicators toassess and strengthen impact.

Additional proposed themes forIDA17 are inclusive growth andregional transformative initiatives.Inclusive growth will includeprinciples like eradicating povertyand promoting shared prosperity,with an emphasis on fosteringincome growth of the bottom 40percent of the population inevery country. Jobs, financialinclusion and maximising theshared benefits from naturalresource wealth will also fall underthis umbrella. Regionaltransformative initiatives willprobably remain an operationalissue under regional programs.IDA also provides levels of debtrelief through the HeavilyIndebted Poor Countries (HIPC)Initiative and the Multilateral DebtRelief Initiative (MDRI).IDA17 will also maintain SDR530million in the Crisis ResponseWindow (CRW) to respond topotential crises in the remainderof IDA16 and, if unused, carry itover into IDA17, and reallocateSDR315 million to increase support

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for the regional projects. Finally,IDA17 will extend the access togrants under the IDA RegionalProgram to selected institutionsnot linked to an IDA fundedregional project but whichsupport strategic regionalpriorities.

A role for parliamentariansThe IDA17 replenishment comesat a time of unprecedentedopportunities and challenges. TheIDA17 period will cover the targetdate for the achievement of theMDGs and the launch of the post-2015 development agenda. It is atime of unique opportunity for IDAcountries to secure the gainsachieved, seize emergingopportunities and confront newchallenges towards results for thepoorest.

At the 2013 Annual Meetings ofthe World Bank and IMF, theParliamentary Networkdelegation was presented withan overview of the functioning ofIDA and the latest update on thereplenishment process. JoachimVon Amsberg, Vice President,Concessional Finance andPartnerships ant the World Bankstressed the importance ofdialogue with parliamentarians,as it is a very relevant platform forsharing experiences amongpolicy makers, and for buildingsustainable institutions. IDA donorcountries are under considerablefinancial pressure, which hindershopes of increasing IDAresources. Therefore, he urged

parliamentarians from receivingcountries to appeal to their donorcountries colleagues about theimportance of funding IDA.

At the outcome of the meetings,the Parliamentary Networkdelegation issued a press releasestating that “The InternationalDevelopment Association (IDA) ofthe World Bank is an effectiveand respected partner in tacklingpoverty in the countries with thelowest incomes in the world.Many independent reviews haveconcluded that it generallyrepresents very good value fortaxpayers' money. We thereforeurge existing donors to maintainor increase their contributions inthe 17th replenishment and lookforward to new donors joining inthis vital work”.

Following its IDA16 replenishmentcampaign, the ParliamentaryNetwork reiterated the need toreplenish IDA with a message toits members in July 2013. TheNetwork asked members fromcontributing countries to find outwhat their Governments aredoing in this replenishment, whichis vital if IDA is to continue thework it does with the lowestincome countries. IDA17 is anopportunity for parliamentariansto contribute to more effectivedevelopment by urging theirgovernments to fully replenish IDAfunds while continuing to reviewthe impact of IDA programmes inreceiving countries.

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During the annual meetings in Washington D.C. in October the boardof the PN met with Gerry Rice, Director of CommunicationsDepartment at the IMF. We discussed how the PN can assist the IMF intheir work to promote the development in parliaments of processesand procedures to achieve good fiscal governance. In my view theconference in Vietnam (pages 10-13) can serve as a good example foractivities where members from the PN can assist the IMF to enlightenparliamentarians about lessons learned and best practices. The IMFstressed that they would like the PNto recruit new members from theParliaments’ Budget and Finance Committees.

If you would like to belong to a pool of PN-members who can assist theIMF on workshops like the one in Vietnam, please send me an emailstating your credentials.

I would also like to be in contact with PN-members who would like theirparliaments to arrange workshops about fiscal governance withassistance from the PN’s IMF-team.

Göran PetterssonMember of the board of PNand its contact person with the IMFgoran.pettersson@riksdagen.se

Coming events

DisclaimerThe articles that appear in this newsletter only reflect theopinions of the authors, and shall not be seen as the officialposition of PN, the World Bank, or the IMF.

Two field visits with the IMF are in the planning phase. We will shortly confirmthem and send you more details. The dates we are proposing for confirmationare for the week of February 10th (Peru) and for the week of March 10th (Ghana).

For more information please contact: givanova@pnowb.org