Task Force Mandate
The Boards of the World Bank, IFC, and MIGA (collectively referred to as the World Bank Group Boards) have established a Task Force comprised of Charles Di Leva and David Fairman to develop options and recommendations regarding the potential integration of the World Bank Group’s (WBG’s) independent accountability mechanisms (IAs): the World Bank Accountability Mechanism (comprised of the Inspection Panel (IPN) and Dispute Resolution Service (DRS)) and the IFC/MIGA Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman (CAO). The objectives of the Task Force are to conduct an assessment and provide options and recommendations that will enable the WBG Boards to make informed decisions concerning whether, and if so, how to best integrate the IAMs.
Acknowledging the potential risks and costs of integration, both during the process of integration and in post-integration effectiveness, the WBG Boards have asked the Task Force to adhere to the following principles when developing its integration options and recommendations:
- Improved effectiveness of the IAMs in their ability to serve project-affected communities, borrowers/clients, and the WBG, including the Board.
- No regression of policies and mandates while taking care to keep the strengths of each mechanism and not weaken accountability.
- Safeguard the independence of the IAMs.
- Enhance the leadership of the IAMs in the field.
- Sufficient resourcing and cost-effectiveness.
Key Questions
The Task Force will aim to address the following over-arching substantive questions throughout its work:
1) What IAM components might be most useful to integrate?
2) How extensive should integration be?
3) How might the process of integration proceed?
Task Force Work Plan and Consultation Process
To carry out its work, the Task Force is expected to consult with WBG Board members, work closely with the leadership of the three IAMs as well as World Bank, IFC and MIGA management, individually and through an internal expert group; and consult with IAM requesters/complainants, WBG clients, and independent experts on IAMs, dispute resolution and compliance, primarily through an external Reference Group.
The Task Force is following this work plan to meet its objectives and address the key questions:
- September - December 2025: Gather input and information on integration Issues; organize Reference Group and other channels for external stakeholder input
- January - February 2026: Hold external consultation sessions (via webinars) for complainants/requesters and civil society organizations (CSOs) that work directly with them; World Bank borrower governments; IFC clients and MIGA guarantee holders
- February - March 2026: Produce a draft report for Board consideration
- April 2026: Hold public consultations on the draft report
- May 2026: Produce the final report
Consultation Webinars to be offered in January 2026
In order to provide opportunities for wide external input in response to its key questions, the Task Force will hold webinars in January 2026. Each webinar will include an overview by the Task Force of its mandate, guiding principles and key questions, and dedicated time for participants to provide comments and ask questions for clarification.
The webinars will be conducted in English, and AI-powered translation and transcription will be provided in Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Danish, Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Please select your preferred webinar date from the choices below by Friday January 9th, 2026. Please make sure to select one of the dates for your stakeholder group.
Complainants/Requesters/CSOs/Other
World Bank borrower governments
IFC clients and MIGA guarantee holders
Written comments and questions should be sent to IAMIntegrationTF@worldbank.org