The World Bank Gender and Development Team met with a group of 14 female parliamentarians from Georgia, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia, brought to the Bank by the International Republican Institute (IRI), who sought to learn about the World Bank's gender work. Senior Gender Specialist Malcolm Ehrenpreis gave an overview of the Bank in general and of its work on gender in particular, and led the ensuing discussion. Gender focal points in the World Bank's Regional departments Helene Carlsson Rex (East Asia) and Jo de Berry (Europe and Central Asia) followed with presentations on gender issues and gender-related Bank operations in their respective regions.
MPs' questions revolved around opportunities to ensure parliamentarians' participation in up-stream and in-country consultations on the Bank's Country Partnership Strategies and operations, results-measurement, and fiduciary and transparency mechanisms.
