News & Visuals

Children Activists from India, Albania and Uganda Visits Inspection Panel

A group of children activists from India, Albania, and Uganda visited the Inspection Panel on July 7, 2015. They were brought by the Bank Information Center (BIC) and came to share information on their efforts to participate in the consultation process for the World Bank’s environmental and social safeguards review. They informed us that they represent hundreds of children from nine other developing countries, ranging in ages from 9 to 17, who participated in various formal consultation meetings held around the world in the past year. They were received by the Panel Members and several staff members.

They explained that children are among the groups most susceptible to the risks associated with development projects financed by the World Bank. The detrimental effects of poverty and deprivation are magnified in children because a lack of sufficient nutrition, health care, access to clean drinking water, and educational opportunities early in a child’s life have impacts that linger for years and prevent a child from reaching his or her full potential. In addition to visiting the Panel, they had meetings planned with Bank management, Congressional offices, and CSOs in Washington. For more photos see ourFacebook page,and for more information on this consultation process see BIC’swebsite.