Meeting with Representatives of Civil Society Organizations on the Sidelines of NDB Second Annual Meeting

Shanghai

On 2 April 2017, the NDB Vice President, CAO Mr. Vladimir Kazbekov and the NDB Director General, Project Policy and Implementation Mr. Yury Surkov had a meeting with representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs) and the expert community on the sidelines of the NDB Second Annual Meeting. The event was attended by representatives of Oxfam (India and Hong Kong), Vasudha Foundation (India), Conectas Human Rights (Brazil), BRICS Feminist Watch and other non-governmental organizations.

During the event, the participants touched upon such questions as accessing project information, opportunities for providing contributions to the Bank’s policies, social and environmental contribution of the Bank, diversity and gender equality, the launch of the second version of the NDB website as well as other issues.

Mr. Vladimir Kazbekov highlighted that the NDB will continue to explore opportunities to engage with the representatives of civil society organizations, experts and scholars who could become an important source of expertise, help the NDB get in touch with local communities and improve the Bank’s policies.

“As you are aware, we at NDB try to ensure that all projects are compliant with the Environmental and Social Framework adopted by our Board of Directors. At the same time, after this productive discussion we had today, I suggest we join efforts to improve the existing framework by addressing problems raised by your CSOs (including, inter alia, paying more attention to social infrastructure, projects’ transformational impact and contribution to UN Sustainable Development Goals). In this context we would be glad to accept from you (note: CSOs) inputs and recommendations  on how to improve the Bank’s policies which are being revised annually.” said Mr. Yury Surkov.

The NDB established regular communication with representatives of non-governmental organizations during the NDB First Annual Meeting in Shanghai in 2016. This format gives the Bank and CSOs an opportunity to exchange views and discuss various questions of mutual interest.

The Articles of Agreement of the New Development Bank lay down the principles of transparency and accountability of the operations of the Bank. Based on these principles, the Board of Directors approved the Interim Information Disclosure Policy (IIDP) that provides a framework for engagement with stakeholders of the Bank.

The NDB is committed to enhancing its accountability and it recognizes the importance of regular communications with stakeholders and information disclosure. The NDB is looking to expand and deepen its interaction with all stakeholders of the Bank, including with representatives of civil society and scholars.