The Office of the Executive Director for Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Philippines, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago (EDS15) plays an active role in the decision-making process of the World Bank Group (WBG) Board, advocating for both our countries’ individual and collective interests, as well as the institutional goals of the Bank. In this regard, under the guidance of our Governors, we engage in consultations, negotiations, and constructive dialogues with other Executive Director Offices, the WBG Management, other development multilateral institutions, and civil society organizations.
Our constituency is a committed participant in key Board committees, including as co-chair of the Committee on Governance and Administrative Matters (COGAM) and as a member of the Committee on Development Effectiveness (CODE). We also engage actively in the work of other standing committees, such as the Budget Committee (BC), Audit Committee (AC), and Human Resources Committee (HRC).
Under the leadership of the Executive Director Marcos V. Chiliatto and the Alternate Executive Director Karen Rodriguez, and with the dedicated support of our Advisors and ACS professional staff, EDS15 works tirelessly to represent our countries’ interests while fostering strong, productive relationships with country authorities, Bank management, and staff. Although our team comes from diverse backgrounds, we are unified in our commitment to serving the collective needs of all the member countries within our constituency.
Our Priorities
In alignment with our authorities’ directives and the evolving global challenges, we are focused on Global development needs and Bank-specific agendas, which include:
Global Development Agenda:
- Food security and the eradication of extreme poverty: Tackling these fundamental issues to ensure equitable growth for all.
- Advancing the energy transition: Promoting sustainable energy solutions to meet the needs of our countries and the planet.
- Addressing climate vulnerabilities: Supporting climate resilience, restoration of degraded ecosystems, and adaptation strategies, while promoting the social inclusion of vulnerable populations.
- Reducing inequalities: Championing policies for reducing inequalities within and among countries, promoting economic growth that addresses income disparities and social exclusion.
- Aligning the sustainable agenda with social inclusion: Integrating economic, environmental, and social dimensions to promote development.
- Promoting technological development and quality jobs: Encouraging innovation, green industrial policies and sustainable job creation to support long-term economic growth.
- Enhancing domestic resource mobilization and tax progressivity: Strengthening fiscal systems to boost sustainable development financing and tackle inequality.
Bank-Specific Agenda:
- Improving access to concessional financing: Ensuring that concessional financing is available to low- and middle-income countries to help tackle pressing national and global challenges.
- Strengthening the One World Bank Group approach: Enhancing collaboration across the WBG institutions—IBRD, IDA, IFC, and MIGA—to maximize impact.
- Supporting country-led platforms: Improving the Bank’s country engagement by fostering better coordination with and among development stakeholders and mobilizing financing for development at the country level.
- Encouraging risk-taking for greater impact: Urging IBRD, IDA, IFC, and MIGA to take more calculated risks to achieve significant development outcomes.
- Building incentives for Bank staff: Aligning staff incentives with the Bank’s “Evolution” goals, driving accountability and performance.
- Advancing global south representation and shareholding: Promoting the interests of the Global South within the institution, ensuring greater equity and representation in decision-making processes.
United in our pursuit of the WBG’s urgent mission, we work alongside management and our constituency countries to address both immediate and long-term global challenges. Through this collaborative approach, we aim to drive impactful, sustainable development for all.
Last Updated: Jan 21, 2025
