The Inspection Panel has closed applications for a new Panel member to replace Tongroj Onchan. An NGO letter had expressed concerns about the conflict of interest posed by the inclusion of Bank staff on the selection committee, and the failure to involve civil society in the process. The Bank responded by removing Pamela Cox from the selection committee as projects in her region (Latin America and the Caribbean) are the subject of Panel complaints. The Bank rejected the argument that having any Bank staff on the selection committee represented a conflict of interest, and claimed that involving civil society would present “practical difficulties of selecting them”.