Monday, May 29th, 2006

Dialogue with Asian CSOs on Lessons Learned on Infrastructure

Four Asian Sites Join Inaugural Session in Tokyo with President Wolfowitz and Vice President Sierra

Japanese Civil Society Groups meet World Bank President Wolfowitz before the Regional CSO Dialogue at the Tokyo Development Learning Center. Photo: World Bank/Ken Katsurayama.

"We'd like to know what you think about our infrastructure initiatives, and what we should be doing differently to reduce poverty", said World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz in his opening remarks at the Bank's "Dialogue with Asian CSOs (Civil Society Organizations) on Lessons Learned on Infrastructure". "Civil society groups such as yours have an important role to play in service delivery, and in holding governments and donor agencies accountable for results"

Held at the TDLC on May 29, 2006, Mr. Wolfowitz and Bank Vice President for Infrastructure Kathy Sierra spoke to civil society members assembled in Tokyo as well as Hanoi, Bangkok, Canberra and Jakarta connecting via videoconference through the GDLN. Mr. Wolfowitz and Ms. Sierra are in Tokyo for the Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics (ABCDE), organized this year for the first time in East Asia under the theme "Rethinking Infrastructure".

The basis for discussion was a January 2006 report commissioned by the President titled "Infrastructure: Lessons Learned from the Last Two Decades of World Bank Engagement". Ms. Sierra presented 5 key lessons drawn from the study, including balancing growth with access for the poor, engaging the entire spectrum of public-private solutions, confronting corruption decisively, and the basics of project preparation and appraisal. Also highlighted was the need to design projects so that they assess social and environmental impact "from the beginning, not as an afterthought".

The event marked the inaugural session in a series of regional dialogues planned to elicit feedback from CSOs on the report as the Bank prepares to scale up lending for infrastructure.

Discussions prompted by CSO members from 5 sites covered the full spectrum of relevant issues, from private sector involvement to lack of connections, corruption and monitoring, operation as well as scalability, reflecting the complex nature of infrastructure development.

The need for "soft" or "social" infrastructure, such as courts, information systems etc., was raised frequently. "They are clearly public sector investments that deserve attention, but perhaps they should be thought of under governance" responded Mr. Wolfowitz.

When confronted with cases of corruption regarding infrastructure projects in Indonesia, Mr. Wolfowitz concurred, sharing an example in the 1990s involving electricity provided by private companies, contributing to what was referred to as a "high cost economy" in Indonesia".

A participant from Tokyo pointed to the lack of consideration for disability in the study. Ms. Sierra reassured the audience that disability and inclusion were being examined, and would be included in the final report.

In closing the session, Ms. Sierra asked participants to "think it through, and don't go easy on us. Give us real-time feedback and we will be able to lift people out of poverty".

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World Bank ABCDE Tokyo 2006
Audio/video: Wolfowitz Visits Japan