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World Bank Accountability Mechanism Joins other IAMs at Workshop for Civil Society in Turkey

Turkey_Outreach_2021

World Bank Accountability Mechanism (AM) Secretary Orsolya Székely and Inspection Panel Senior Operations Officer Serge Selwan joined with representatives of other independent accountability mechanisms (IAMs) on September 14 and 15, 2021, to present a virtual seminar on the IAMs’ work to civil society representatives in Turkey.

Ms. Székely explained the structure of the AM and the compliance review and dispute resolution options it can offer complainants through the Panel and the soon-to-be operational Dispute Resolution Service, respectively. Mr. Selwan explained how complaints can be filed and the criteria used to assess those complaints. He also presented on a previous Inspection Panel case from Uzbekistan. Ms. Székely and Mr. Selwan were joined by AM Senior External Affairs Officer Rob Doherty in answering questions from civil society participants on a range of topics, including whether concerns need to be first brought to Bank management’s attention before a complaint is filed, how the IAMs define “project-affected persons” and what more IAMs can do to make their work known to communities.

The workshop was organized by the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman and also included the IAMs of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Argüden Governance Academy, the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation and Transparency International in Turkey co-organized the event.

The AM and the Panel continue to organize virtual outreach events for civil society during the COVID-19 pandemic. The workshops are intended to make our work known to people whose rights and interests may be affected by World Bank projects. If you are interested in partnering on the workshop, please email us at accountability@worldbank.org.