Ombuds Services

How Do We Work?

What Can We Do?

What to Expect During Your Visit?

How Do We Work?

Key Characteristics

Confidential

Under World Bank Group Staff Rule 9.02 and the office’s professional standards, communications with Ombuds Services are private and confidential. An Ombudsman does not divulge any information that might reveal a staff member’s identity, unless authorized by the visitor (except if there appears to be imminent risk of serious harm).

Independent

Ombuds Services is not part the formal organizational structure, but has access to any part of the Bank in performing his/her work. It is a safe place for staff to discuss any conflict, concerns or disputes outside formal communication channels, without fear of retaliation.

Impartial

An Ombudsman does not serve as an advocate for a particular point of view or for any of the parties involved. The office strives for a fair solution to the issue and for the observation of due process.

Informal

We keep no formal records for the Bank. Contacting Ombuds Services is not the same as reporting an issue to the organization and does not place the WBG “on notice”.

What Can We Do?

Ombuds Services is a confidential, impartial and informal service independent from the World Bank Group's formal management channels that facilitates the resolution of workplace issues. An Ombudsman helps staff analyze problems and assists in identifying options and can, only if requested by the visitor, become involved in trying to resolve issues. Ombuds Services also provides information to staff members on the Bank Group's policies and procedures. Additionally, Ombuds Services alerts management to systemic trends and issues and makes recommendations for change.

Our Role

The World Bank Group's Ombuds Services office has three major functions:

• To help staff and managers resolve workplace problems
• To alert management to trends and issues that should be addressed to improve the working environment and make recommendations for change
• To administer the Respectful Workplace Advisors (RWA) Program

Our Mission

To provide a confidential resource for all staff and advocate for a workplace characterized by trust, respect and fair processes.

What to Expect During Your Visit?

The Ombudsman will start by listening to your concerns and then can help you evaluate your situation, organize your thoughts, assess your feelings, and decide on what is important and relevant to your specific circumstance.

Together, you will explore options to address your concerns. Through these conversations, many individuals find ways to proceed without needing direct intervention. The Ombudsman can intervene directly but will do so only with your expressed permission. 

The Ombudsman’s confidentiality and neutrality mandates are absolute and non-negotiable. The Ombudsman cannot be compelled by you or any official in the Bank to testify about concerns brought to his or her attention.

What to expect from the Ombudsman?

·         Strict confidentiality

·         Impartial advice

·         Help working through your options

·         Direct informal intervention if requested

·         Information on policies and procedures

·        References to other resources

David Wilburn Talbot

Ombudsman | OMB

David Talbot joined the World Bank Group in September 2011 from the Coca-Cola Company, where he served as Ombudsman since 2003 for over 65,000 employees. David has over 20 years of experience in conflict resolution as a mediator, trainer, program manager, and Ombudsman. Prior to his work at Coca-Cola, David was Program Manager for Community Mediation Services, in Vancouver, Washington, and for the California Academy of Mediation Professionals, in Los Angeles, California. David has been involved in the development of the Ombudsman profession through his service on the International Ombudsman Association (IOA), Board of Directors, and through his membership on the IOA Professional Development Committee, Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee, Professional Ethics, Standards of Practice and Best Practices Committee, and as Coordinator for the IOA 101 Course. David has had a long association with Pepperdine University as Adjunct Professor teaching dispute resolution in the School of Law, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. He holds degrees in Law and in Dispute Resolution, and is a Certified Organizational Ombudsman Practitioner.

Doris Cecilia Campos-Infantino

Ombudsman | OMB

Doris joined the World Bank Group in February 2017 and is based in Headquarters, with over 20 years of experience as a conflict resolution practitioner including serving as an ombudsman for 17 years. She was Ombudsman at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and most recently served as the Ombudsman at the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). Doris is also a mediator and facilitator of individual, multi-party and organizational conflict. She has designed conflict resolution mechanisms and has taught courses on topics related to conflict resolution including negotiation, communication, mediation and facilitation. Doris is also an experienced organizational development consultant and has worked in both public and private sectors on change initiatives, leadership, teambuilding, and large scale interventions. Doris served as Vice President of the Board of the International Ombudsman Association (IOA), and is a regular presenter at IOA conferences and at meetings of the Ombudsman and Mediators of the United Nations & Related International Organizations (UNARIO). Doris has also conducted courses for the Ombudsman Association and served on the faculty of the Georgetown University OD program. She is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts and speaks Spanish.

Axel R. Peuker

Ombudsman | OMB

Axel Peuker will be joining the Ombuds Services Team as the new Ombudsman, beginning Dec 1, 2017. He was previously the Director for Strategy and Operations in the Office of the Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer (MDCAO) for the World Bank Group. Axel Peuker has worked at the World Bank Group for over 25 years. Prior to joining MDCAO, he led client engagements as Director for the Financial Advisory and Banking Department (FAB) in the World Bank’s Treasury. He also served as Director for Policy and Operations in the World Bank Group’s Corporate Secretariat, as Advisor to the Office of the Managing Director (MDW), as Manager of the joint Bank-IFC Investment Climate Unit, and as Advisor to the Vice President in the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network. His operational assignments covered policy reform and private sector development in countries in political transition in the Middle East and North Africa Region and in the Latin America and Caribbean Region. Axel Peuker pursued his Ph.D. Studies in Economics in Frankfurt, Kiel and New York, and is holder of the CFA Charter. Prior to joining the World Bank, he lectured at Fordham and Rutgers University and was Research Fellow at Pro-Desarollo, a Peruvian think tank. He also has regularly taught at the International Master of Public Management Program at the University of Potsdam, Germany.