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Published September 13, 2007
| Author: | Paul A. Volcker, Former Chairman of the Board of Governors, Federal Reserve System (1979-87) |
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The executive summary of this report states, "The Independent Review Panel was constituted to review the work of the Department of Institutional Integrity (INT) and to place that work in the context of the World Bank Group's Governance and Anticorruption (GAC) strategy.
The Panel recognizes and emphasizes the critically important contribution that a coherent and forceful attack on corruption can and should make to the Bank-wide goal of facilitating economic development and reducing poverty. INT must play a central part in that effort. It cannot do so effectively in isolation. What is necessary is a fully coordinated approach across the entire World Bank Group, ending past ambivalence
about the importance of combating corruption.
That will require strong Bank leadership, not simply by the President and the Executive Directors but by those directly responsible for operations and for supporting staff. The GAC strategy calls for a wide-ranging two-pronged program. Building capacity among member states for combating corruption must be accompanied by measures to protect and enhance the integrity of the Bank's own operations. Those goals should be, and can be, mutually reinforcing.
Within that context, INT has the clear and critical responsibility to investigate fraud and corruption in Bank programs. Its mandate extends to education and training to identify risks and risk prevention measures. Closer and more trusting relationships with Operations staff can encourage detection of corruption in projects. INT findings in
particular cases should provide "lessons learned," with implications for building anticorruption protection in Bank projects."
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