World Bank Accountability Mechanism

Feb issue of Accountability Matters features a double header of interviews with World Bank Management: Maninder Gill, WBG Director, E&S Policy and Operations, and Faris Hadad-Zervos, former Country Director for Afghanistan. Access the full issue:

February - 2026 Accountability Matter is the quarterly newsletter published by the World Bank Accountability Mechanism

Congratulations to the affected communities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, the National Highway Authority, and the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for signing an agreement to conclude the process facilitated by the excellent team put together by the Dispute Resolution Service (DRS).

Parties Sign Dispute Resolution Agreement in Pakistan Case Facilitated by the WB AM Dispute Resolution Service On January 20, 2026, the Parties involved in the Pakistan Khyber Pass Economic Corridor Project (P159577) case – the Government of Pakistan (the Borrower), represented by the National Highway Authority and the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the affected communities (the Requesters), living ...

In October 2025, the Dispute Resolution Service (DRS) of the World Bank Accountability Mechanism concluded its support to the Parties on implementation of a mediated agreement in the first-ever DRS case. Earlier, in May 2023, an 18-month mediation process had culminated in a dispute resolution agreement between local community members and the Kampala Capital City Authority in Uganda, related to impacts from Lubigi Channel construction works and the World Bank Second Kampala Institutional and Infrastructure Development Project (KIIDP-2). We are presenting a video featuring the Parties themselves sharing their story, together with reflections from the DRS team.

From virtual meetings between Parties unsure of each other to a signed agreement that incorporated their concerns, the DRS team worked tirelessly to help the parties engage in constructive dialogue and develop solutions that worked for them.

In the video, Orsolya Szekely, Head of DRS, said: “The objectives of the Accountability Mechanism and the World Bank are shared. We all want better development outcomes, more tailored development for communities, and no harm caused by projects which the World Bank implements. … Conflicts are not helping development and solutions to conflict contribute to development.”

William Romans, Head of Operations, DRS, put the case in context: “This case in Uganda is most importantly a story about a community that was able to find its voice through a dispute resolution process. Participation in an inclusive way is critical to accountability. We hope that the Dispute Resolution Service has been able to facilitate this community’s access towards accountability.”

The Uganda case provided a learning experience for everyone involved. As Scott Adams, Senior Dispute Resolution Officer, explained, “Being the first DR case, it's had hopefully a positive impact for accountability. And it has made our subsequent dispute resolution cases go a little bit easier … Hopefully that's set a good precedent.”

We would like to thank all our video interviewees for their honest appraisals of an often challenging process!

In case you missed it, take a look at the follow-up report on the Uganda case: https://lnkd.in/ecidzQqZ

https://accountability.worldbank.org/en/news/2026/uganda-video

Video: A Case Study on Dispute Resolution Service in Uganda  The World Bank Accountability Mechanism Dispute Resolution Service has published a on a case related to the Second Kampala Institutional and Infrastructure Development Project (KIIDP-2) in Uganda. The video describes the mediation process leading up to the signing of an agreement in May 2023, t...

📢Read the December issue of Accountability Matters:

This issue features an interview with Ajay Achyutrao Deshpande, who joined the Inspection Panel as a Panel member in March 2025, with a particular focus on his work on environmental and climate-related issues. We then delve into a topic addressed during the recent IAMnet Annual Meetings in Barbados, on how dispute resolution processes take account of Environmental and Social standards across IAMs. Such discussions remind us how important it is for practitioners to exchange news and views on a regular basis. We also provide coverage of the final accountability-related publications of 2025.

📢The August issue of Accountability Matters is now out!

Last year’s Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework called on public and private finance to step up to boost biodiversity finance and balance nature-positive and rights-based development. We look at how this relates to accountability, and how indigenous people and local communities affected by projects are the keystone to achieving this balance.

We also feature an interview with David Hunter, who reflects on his career advocating for accountability and environmental sustainability, most notably through the establishment of the .

We then take a more detailed look at an outreach event held by the World Bank Accountability Mechanism on dispute resolution in Kenya recently.

✅ Access the full issue here:

August 2025 issue Accountability Matter is the quarterly newsletter published by the World Bank Accountability Mechanism

📢June issue of Accountability Matters is now out!

What are the implications for accountability of the Full Mutual Reliance Framework signed recently by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and The World Bank? We revisit a panel at the Civil Society Policy Forum at the World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings.

We also interview Evelyn Dietsche, Panel Member of The World Bank Inspection Panel, about how the compliance and advisory arm of the World Bank Accountability Mechanism operates in these interesting times.

We then showcase AMAP, a mobile app created by SOUTHERN AFRICA RESOURCE WATCH to log incidents of social and environmental abuse by mining companies across Africa.

📌Sign up to get news and stories from the Accountability Mechanism along with event notifications and job opportunities sent right to your inbox 📩
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✅ Access the full issue here: https://lnkd.in/gZAN77Rq

📢February issue of Accountability Matters is now out!

What makes for a strong independent accountability mechanism that can best support communities in achieving remedy for harm caused? How important are principles and processes set against results achieved?

We ask experts from IAMs and further afield. We also report on a session on accountability and climate moderated by Ibrahim Pam, Chairperson of the Inspection Panel, at COP29 – and have taken the opportunity to interview panelist Jonathan Mead of Transparentem on the relation between accountability, supply chains, and the just transition.

https://accountability.worldbank.org/en/newsletter/February-2025

🔗Sign up to get news and stories from the Accountability Mechanism along with event notifications and job opportunities sent straight to your inbox📧: https://lnkd.in/eHgKSP3x

February 2025 issue Accountability Matter is the quarterly newsletter published by the World Bank Accountability Mechanism

Yesterday, William Romans led a lively discussion about the work of the Dispute Resolution Service with participants from the World Bank Group Voice Secondment Program (VSP)’s 20th cohort at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

We are very grateful for the opportunity to engage in dialogue with such a talented group of professionals, many of whom work in the finance ministries of their home countries.

The VSP participants asked many questions and engaged in a conversation about the benefits of a facilitated independent dispute resolution process as one of the options established by the World Bank Executive Directors.

We hope to have more discussions with future cohorts of this program!

🔗Learn more about the Dispute Resolution Service: https://lnkd.in/eG6mc_Fz
🔗Learn more about the Voice Secondment Program: https://lnkd.in/gfNMYPUF

🔗https://accountability.worldbank.org/en/news/2024/IAMnet-2024-Annual-Meetings

Opening the IAMnet Annual Meetings in early October, Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masatsugu Asakawa indicated that independent accountability mechanisms (IAMs) must be cognizant of the expanding mandate of international financial institutions.

💬“As we look to the future, it is essential that our Independent Accountability Mechanisms align with new realities,” he told the more than 60 participants gathered at ADB Headquarters in Manila.

Here are highlights from the IAMnet Annual Meetings 2024.

IAMnet 2024 Annual Meetings The Annual Meetings of independent accountability mechanisms look to a future of increased and more complex responsibility. 

💡As a seasoned expert in development accountability, David Simpson has spent years working with independent accountability mechanisms (IAMs) to ensure that development projects are carried out in a responsible and sustainable manner.

🔗Read David’s interview with Accountability Matters, where he discusses his career and provides insights for IAMs professionals.

https://accountability.worldbank.org/en/news/2024/interview-of-David-Simpson-2024

“The most pressing challenge (facing IAMs today) is ensuring that the green energy transition is both rapid and just.” By Rob DohertyAs a seasoned expert in development accountability, David Simpson has spent years working with independent accountability mechanisms (IAMs) to ensure that development projects are carried out in a responsible and sustainable manner. David stepped down as Director of the Independent Rec...

📢The October 2024 issue of Accountability Matters is now out! https://accountability.worldbank.org/en/newsletter/October-2024

This issue highlights the community of practice in environmental and social accountability -- Independent Accountability Mechanisms network (IAMnet) -- as we just finished its annual meetings in Manila, where we discussed a future of increased and more complex responsibility.

In an interview with David Simpson, IAMnet's unofficial poet laureate, he reflected on his journey and milestones as he ended his tenure heading the Independent Recourse Mechanism of the African Development Bank Group.

Sign up to get news and stories from the Accountability Mechanism along with event notifications and job opportunities sent straight to your inbox📧 https://lnkd.in/eHgKSP3x

October 2024 issue Accountability Matter is the quarterly newsletter published by the World Bank Accountability Mechanism