Operational policies
The Operational Manual on the World Bank website includes all Operational Policies, Bank Procedures, Good Practices and Operational Directives. Link to the Table of Contents to find specific policies.
Environmental and social policies
The World Bank's ten environmental and social policies are known as Safeguard Policies. Visit BIC's World Bank Environmental and Social Policies webpage for more information.
Concerted grass-roots activism, NGO advocacy efforts, and shareholder pressure pushed the World Bank to adopt policies that require varying degrees of due diligence in addressing environmental and social impacts of MDB-financed projects. For example, the Bank established a policy on involuntary resettlement in 1980, and in 1982 it established a policy on "Tribal People in Bank-Financed Projects." While the World Bank had adopted general environmental guidelines in the 1970s, it was not until 1987 before it instituted mandatory environmental review procedures and 1989 before it had a formal environmental assessment policy.
Information disclosure policies
People have the right to know what is being planned for their communities in order to make informed decisions about development processes that affect their lives. The World Bank Information Disclosure Policy details: principles of disclosure; exceptions to disclosure; routine disclosure; ad request-driven disclosure.
Accountability
From the perspective of communities impacted by Bank projects and programs, mandatory policies must establish minimum "do no harm" protections and provide the means for holding these institutions accountable for their actions. Citizens may file claims of harm at the World Bank Inspection Panel for perceived policy violations.