10/5/2005 10:
13 PM
SIXTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
OF
THE PARLIAMENTARY NETWORK ON THE WORLD BANK
(PNOWB)
OCTOBER 21-23, 2005
HELSINKI, FINLAND
BEYOND THE 2005 YEAR OF DEVELOPMENT: WHAT NOW?
DRAFT PROGRAM -- SUBJECT TO CHANGE
The annual conferences of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank, now in its sixth
edition, bring together some 200 parliamentarians from around the world with representatives
from the World Bank and other multilateral organizations, academia, civil society and the private
sector. The objectives are to identify what parliamentarians can do to promote action on pressing
development issues, and to help strengthen the accountability and transparency of international
financial institutions.
This “Year of Development” has presented an unprecedented opportunity to build political
support behind efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals. In Helsinki, participants at
the Sixth Annual PNoWB conference will review the outcomes of July’s G8 “development
summit” in Gleneagles, Scotland and Septemb er’s United Nations World Summit in New York
as well as preview December’s important WTO ministerial meeting in Hong Kong on the Doha
Development Agenda. The discussions will center around the theme: Beyond the 2005 Year of
Development: What Now? This year’s conference will also present the recently-appointed World
Bank President Paul Wolfowitz his first occasion to meet PNoWB members.
The annual conference doubles as PNoWB’s general assembly. The Helsinki conference will
review the Network’s progress report on its activities since its last annual meeting in February
2004
as well as elect a new board.
Hosted by the Parliament of Finland, the conference is organized by the Parliamentary Network
on the World Bank, in collaboration with the World Bank, the Parliament and Finland’s Ministry
of Foreign Affairs.
