A Career Working with CSOs and Social Accountability

Jeff Thindwa speaking at the Global Partnership Forum in 2016 (Photo: WBG).

After more than 20 years at the World Bank Group engaging with dozens of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Jeff Thindwa’s reflections on the importance of external collaboration are particularly well-informed.

"The work with CSOs that we see now, and especially programs like the GPSA [Global Partnership for Social Accountability], is novel, and the Bank needs to be given credit for that. And they reflect real adjustment of the Bank's business model to accommodate what it sees as modalities that add value to the development process in ways not envisioned at the founding of the institution." - Jeff Thindwa

Thindwa speaking at GPSA — 2013 World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings, Africa region events, CSO meeting (Photo: WBG).

Driven by a strong belief in the importance of helping people, Jeff Thindwa started as a lawyer, progressed to working with non-governmental organizations [NGOs], and joined the World Bank Group in 2000. Jeff’s path to the Bank may surprise some, but looking at his ethos and drive, it becomes clear that going from working with civil society groups to the World Bank makes sense. He is driven by his desire for change for the better, and what better way to help affect change than to work from within an organization. His World Bank career focused on supporting the Bank’s dialogues with Civil Society Organizations [CSOs]. Over the span of 22 years, he worked in social protection, governance, for the World Bank Institute, and concentrated on country conditions for civil society. Jeff retired in 2022 as the program manager for Global Partnership for Social Accountability (GPSA).

Jeff reflects on his career at the Bank, particularly its relations with NGOs/CSOs, in this Development Reflection discussion with Elisa Liberatori Prati, former World Bank Chief Archivist.

"The thinking side of the Bank has been really groundbreaking and progressive in many ways. Whether it's Access to Information, social accountability, participatory approaches to development, governance as a multifaceted multi-stakeholder construct. But the practice is still a long way in catching up." - Jeff Thindwa

Starting from the 1970s, Jeff analyzes the Bank’s interactions with CSOs, examining the debt crisis of the 1990s, and leading into the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiatives [HIPC] under President Wolfensohn. The discussion follows the progression through the 2000s with President Zoellick to the founding of the Global Partnership on Accountability (GPSA).

"The GPSA idea was inspired in part by lessons from the Arab Spring in 2011 which was seen, as you all know, as a movement of citizens that was protesting government corruption, inequality and poverty, and the failed social contract." - Jeff Thindwa

Jeff Thindwa at meeting — GPSA roundtable discussion, January 28, 2016 (Photo: WBG).

The institution and its history are reflected in the stories of the people within. This reality is what drives the Development Reflections project, the desire to get the stories of staff, to learn from their experiences and better understand how they viewed their work and time at the institution. This interview highlights Jeff’s desire to build bridges and create learning opportunities. It emphasizes voices that normally go unheard.

Delving into both the present and future Bank, Jeff ponders the question of the Civil Society - World Bank relationship, hoping it can continue to grow and become more robust. Including personal anecdotes and lessons learned, he muses on the repercussions of an expanding definition of ‘Politics’ and the shrinking civil space.

Intrigued? Listen to this Development Reflections episode to learn about the importance of learning to build a better relationship with people on the ground and with CSOs.

Development Reflections Audio Series: Jeff Thindwa

In this interview with former WBG Chief Archivist Elisa Liberatori Prati, Jeff Thindwa discusses the evolution of the Bank's relationship with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), the institution's reaction to the 1990s debt crisis, and the creation of the Global Partnership on Accountability (GPSA). A transcript of the interview is available (Photo: WBG).

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