14.02.14.WB-let-with-BIC.pdf

The document is a formal request to World Bank President Jim Yong Kim to reinstate B-SPAN, a webcasting system launched in 2000 that streamed unedited policy dialogues to the public. The authors argue that B-SPAN is essential for knowledge sharing and transparency, countering Bank officials' claims that there is low interest in lengthy policy discussions. They propose starting with the webcasting of civil society sessions at Bank-IMF meetings to help achieve the goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030.

• B-SPAN was established in 2000 to stream unedited policy dialogues, seminars, and conferences from World Bank headquarters to global development practitioners to help reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.
• At its peak in 2004, B-SPAN had significant reach, with webcasts viewed by 250,000 people and the system accounting for nearly 2% of the World Bank's total Internet traffic that year.
• The authors dispute World Bank officials' claims that there is low viewership or interest in long-form policy dialogues, noting that in 2004, viewership came from 185 countries and nearly half of the audience watched streams for 10 minutes or longer.
• The authors argue that the current 'World Bank Live' system is insufficient because it only covers a few major events annually, whereas B-SPAN previously conducted over 350 webcasts per year focusing on daily policy and issue-related events.
• The coalition asserts that reviving B-SPAN would benefit the World Bank by establishing it as a pre-eminent knowledge source, creating new business opportunities, and reducing staff travel costs by providing remote access to meetings.
• The letter specifically requests that the World Bank begin the revival of B-SPAN by webcasting all civil society sessions from future Bank-IMF spring and annual meetings.

APA

Natural Justice (2014). 14.02.14.WB-let-with-BIC.pdf. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Letter-IBRD-President.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. 14.02.14.WB-let-with-BIC.pdf. 2014. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Letter-IBRD-President.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Natural Justice |title=14.02.14.WB-let-with-BIC.pdf |date=24 February 2014 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Letter-IBRD-President.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{naturaljustice2014140214wbletwithbicpdf, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{14.02.14.WB-let-with-BIC.pdf}}, publisher = {Natural Justice}, year = {2014}, month = feb, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Letter-IBRD-President.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }