The World Bank Inspection Panel (IPN) is an independent accountability mechanism for people and communities who believe that they have been, or are likely to be, adversely affected by a World Bank-funded project. The Board of Executive Directors created the IPN in 1993 to ensure that people have access to an independent body to express their concerns and seek recourse.
For 25 years, the IPN has been a leader in its field, and has been instrumental in bringing certain projects into compliance with World Bank policies and more importantly, in providing the basis for action to help people in affected communities who may have been harmed due to the Bank-funded project.
In August 2017, the World Bank Board of Executive Directors initiated a Review of the World Bank Inspection Panel (IPN) toolkit to examine whether the IPN required any updates to continue to operate effectively under the new Environmental and Social Framework (ESF).
At the end of October 2018, the Executive Directors approved measures to (i) formally recognize the Inspection Panel’s advisory role in its mandate; (ii) have Management issue clarifications on the use of Bank-Executed Trust Funds (BETFs); (iii) formalize the Panel’s current practice of coordinating with the accountability mechanism(s) of co-financier(s) to process the joint complaints in the most efficient and effective way possible; and (iv) update the procedures for sharing the IPN’s Investigation Report with Requesters before it is considered by the World Bank Board.
The Executive Directors agreed to continued time-bound deliberations on the areas of (i) extending the time limit on eligibility of Requests for Inspection, (ii) options for monitoring of Management Action Plans (MAPs) independent of Bank Management and (iii) the potential for establishing a dispute-resolution function at the Bank separate from Bank Management.
Last Updated: May 13, 2019
