Minister Montague Attends 8th Annual Conference of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank

Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister, with responsibility for Local Government, Robert Montague, leaves the island today, (Nov. 19) to attend the Eighth Annual Conference of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank (PNoWB).
The conference, which is being hosted by the French Government in collaboration with the French National Assembly, will be held in Paris from November 20 to 22.
Over 150 parliamentarians and leaders from across the globe will gather to discuss issues such as the food crisis, climate change, and more effective development aid. It will also see the election of a new eleven-member Board. The current Board will propose a revision of election arrangements to guarantee gender and geographical balance and attending parliamentarians are being encouraged to stand for election with a view to lead the strengthening and consolidation of the PNoWB’s network.
The PNoWB was created in 2000 by the European Vice Presidency (working with Members of Parliament), in a bid to inform parliamentarians about the World Bank’s knowledge resources, its role in poverty reduction, and to engage parliamentarians more deeply in international development. The PNoWB is an independent international network, which encourages policy dialogue and the exchange of views between legislators and the World Bank. It is also a platform for parliamentary coordination and advocacy, on international development and poverty eradication.
World Bank President, Robert B. Zoellick and the IMF’s Managing Director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, will also attend the conference. Minister Montague returns to the island on Tuesday, November 25.