Canadian continues to head the World Bank's Inspection Panel
Washington, March 1, 2001-Mr. Jim MacNeill, a Canadian national, was unanimously re-elected by the members of the Inspection Panel to serve as Chairman of the Panel effective March 1, 2001 until February 28, 2002.
The Inspection Panel--an unprecedented international body--was created in 1993 to provide an independent forum to private citizens who believe they or their interests have been or could be harmed by a project financed by the World Bank. People affected by a project may now present their concerns to the Panel in a Request for Inspection. Since it began operations in September 1994, the Panel has received twenty one formal Requests for Inspection.
Mr. MacNeill is a policy advisor on environment, energy, management, and sustainable development to international organizations, governments, and industry. He is chairman emeritus of the International Institute of Sustainable Development and a member of several boards, including of the Woods Hole Research Center, and the Wuppertal Institute on Climate and Energy Policy. He was Secretary General of the World Commission on the Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission) and a major author of the Commission's world-acclaimed report, "Our Common Future". He served for seven years as Director of Environment for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Earlier, he was a deputy minister in the Government of Canada. Mr. MacNeill holds a graduate diploma in Economics and Political Science from the University of Stockholm and Bachelor's Degrees in Science (Math and Physics) and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan. He is the recipient of a number of awards, including the Order of Canada, his country's highest honor. He was appointed as a member of the Inspection Panel on August 1, 1997 and has been the Chairman of the Panel since March 1, 1999.
For more information on the Inspection Panel, please visit our website:http://www.worldbank.org(search "Inspection Panel") or call the World Bank Public Information Center (202) 458-5454