IFI governance

News

DFID annual report on World Bank spots weaknesses

16 April 2010

In March, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) released its second annual report reviewing its work with the Bank and setting priorities for 2010. The report offers strong support for the Bank, and often repeats the Bank’s self-evaluations uncritically. However, it is critical on gender, where “the Bank does not demonstrate strong commitment to addressing the inequality and discrimination faced by women and girls.” The report also says that the Bank still has “some way to go” on fragile states and demonstrated an “inadequate speed of response” to the financial crisis. DFID’s 2010 priorities focus on institutional reform, with a raft of proposals to reduce the power of the World Bank president, including strategic direction to be set by the governors, annual performance assessments of senior management, and “independent chairing” of the board.