WB: Citizens can complement gov’t anti-corruption efforts

MANILA, Philippines - Citizen-led actions could complement the anti-corruption work of governments and the private sector while increasing the chances of successful development projects to reduce poverty, experts at the World Bank spring meetings said.

World Bank president Jim Yong Kim pushed to strengthen the efforts of the development institution in its quest to end extreme poverty by 2030.

“The vast rolls of the poorest - those earning less than $1.25 day - will have to decrease by 50 million people each year. Think about it: To reach our goal, one million people each week will have to lift themselves out of poverty - that’s each week for the next 16 years,” Kim said.

US representative to the World Bank Sara Aviel said the involvement of local communities in the design and monitoring of development projects can improve their quality but also reduce abuse of funds.

“Projects fail because citizens are not listened to. Citizen engagement has the potential to be the most transformational change in the way we work,” Aviel said.

The World Bank’s primary focus is on helping client governments and their shareholders. 

But in recognizing that citizens play a crucial role in the success of projects, the World Bank needs to go further in supporting governments to look for ways to incorporate citizens’ voices in decision-making.

New digital technologies and the Internet can play a vital role, because they allow governments to access quickly and cheaply a wide range of views.

The Philippines has embraced this community-centered and technology-based approach to development.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the change was easier for the Philippine government because citizen engagement was viewed as an important tool in rebuilding trust.

The Philippines joined the Open Government Partnership, a multinational commitment to make government information open and accessible using technology. It publishes government budgets online, and it has gone even further by launching a grassroots budget consultation process to ensure it responds to citizens’ needs.

The Philippines also has launched geo-tagging, which allows citizens to monitor infrastructure projects by uploading photographs to a central office that checks whether construction complies with design specifications.

However, Uruguay-based Communication and Development Institute director Anabel Cruz warned of fatigue among poor citizens over efforts to engage them in the development process, especially when results are not clear. The CDI promotes civil society’s role in policymaking.

“We have to be alert. There is no magic bullet with technology. You can open up a web page but because you are collecting data doesn’t mean anyone is doing anything about it and accountability is going on,” Cruz said.

One way the World Bank sought to strengthen civic participation is through the Global Partnership for Social Accountability.

The World Bank has invested $20 million in the partnership set up in 2012, with foundations also linking up. So far, 37 countries have joined.