November 18, 2025: On Wednesday October 15th, PTF moderated a session entitled “How Can the IMF, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the African Development Bank Improve Engagement with Civil Society In Policy-Based Lending?”. The session, held from 9 to 10:30 AM, was part of the Civil Society Policy Forum (CSPF) at the World Bank Group-IMF Annual Meetings which ran from October 13th to 18th 2025 in Washington, D.C.
Our co-sponsors for the session were: Verite Research-Sri Lanka; Accountability Lab; the Africa Freedom of Information Center; and Accountability Research Center.
The session set out recommendations for International Financial Institutions (such as the IMF, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and African Development Bank) to enhance dialogue with civil society during the design and implementation of policy-based budget financing in developing countries.
IFI representatives specified what staff are expected to do to engage with civil society, and CSO representatives shared their experiences from several countries in South Asia and Africa on what worked well and what did not in this regard. The open discussion involved all participants in the session and focused on how cooperation between CSOs and IFIs can improve. Panelists at the session included:
- Panelist 1: Nadishani Perera Sri Lanka Country Representative, PTF
- Panelist 2: Dr. Nishan De Mel, Executive Director Verité Research – Sri Lanka
- Panelist 3: Fayyaz Yaseen, Executive Director Accountability Lab Pakistan
- Panelist 4: Gilbert Sendugwa, Executive Director, AFIC
- Panelist 5: Rachel Nadelman, Research Professor ARC, American University
- Panelist 6: Sona Verma, Manager, OPCS Country Economics, WBG
- Panelist 7: Haidy Ear-Dupuy, Head of NGO and Civil Society Center, ADB
- Panelist 8: Emilia Berazategui, Civil Society Lead, IMF
- Panelist 9: Leandro Medina, Senior Economist, AFR, IMF
- Panelist 10: Njeri Martha Kinyoho, Principal Civil Society Officer, Southern Africa Region, ADB
The video of the session can be found here. Speakers from AfDB (minutes 8-17), ADB (minutes 18-27), IMF (minutes 28-40), and the World Bank (minutes 40-48) participated.
Other Sessions at the 2025 World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings with PTF Involvement:
October 13, 2025: WB President Ajay Banga’s Annual Meetings Townhall with Civil Society
October 17, 2025: How can DPFs promote equitable energy access and accomplish climate objectives?
