Best Practices

Loan Operations

The operations-related documents are made available at various stages throughout the Project Cycle. As of July 2003, the series of pre-approval or Proposed-project documents begin with a Project Outline is prepared when a project is sufficiently defined that the operation enters in the Bank’s official pipeline. Project Concept Documents (PCD) are prepared once an operation passes the first round of internal review. Once the PCD becomes available replaces de initial Outline. Project Abstracts are prepared when an Outline or PCD contains an unusually high degree of confidential information. These documents are available in one language only Spanish or English.

Loan Proposals after a loan has been approved, contain information on all aspects of the project, including institutional, financial, socioeconomic, legal and environmental issues.

The PIC also provides access to a series of documents related to the environmental and social aspects of Bank-financed projects. The PCD or Abstract contains an initial statement about the potential environmental impacts of an operation, along with pertinent recommendations for addressing environmental issues during project preparation. Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs)  are prepared by the borrower for projects with potentially substantial environmental impacts. EIAs are made available to affected populations and local nongovernmental organizations by the borrower before the Bank proceeds to the formal analysis of a project. Due to their length, EIAs are normally made available to the broader public for consultation only, in hard copies, through the Public Information Center. Finally, Environmental and Social Management Reports include the Bank's conclusions and recommendations regarding environmental impacts and preventive or mitigatory measures. They are made available prior to the Board of Executive Directors' consideration of a project.