Access to Information Committee Decision on Appeal Case Number AI10393 : Microdata from the Debt Reporting System (DRS)

Overview & Synopsis

The Access to Information Committee (AIC) reviewed an appeal concerning the denial of public access to contract-level microdata from the World Bank's Debtor Reporting System (DRS) for bilateral official loans. The appeal, filed on a "violation of policy" ground, challenged the Bank's decision to restrict this information. The AIC determined that the requested information is properly and reasonably restricted under the "Information Provided by Member Countries or Third Parties in Confidence" exception of the Bank's Access to Information Policy. This exception mandates that the Bank protect information received in confidence and not disclose it without express permission from the member country or third party. Consequently, the AIC upheld the Bank's initial decision to deny public access, finding no violation of policy. The DRS, established in 1951, contains loan-by-loan information since 1970, used by the Bank to assess borrowing member countries' external debt, creditworthiness, and economic prospects. Member countries are obligated to report financial and economic data, including long-term external debt and loan commitments, under confidentiality agreements. The Bank annually informs member countries about reporting requirements, explicitly stating that loan-by-loan data will be treated confidentially. While the Bank produces and publicly disseminates aggregate DRS data through platforms like International Debt Statistics and DataBank, it does not disclose individual debt instrument terms. The AIC also noted that obtaining consent from 135 member countries for 74 years of historical data would be excessively burdensome and disproportionate to the benefits, and the request could have been refused on the grounds of requiring extensive collation of information.