Law Justice & Development Week 2019
Technology is revolutionising the world we live in.
Technology, however, is not without risks. Are international financial institutions (IFIs) pressing the right buttons? Are IFIs realizing the full potential of new technologies? Are we assessing and mitigating risks?
In order to explore these questions, between 4-7 November 2019, jet-lagged ALIFDO members joined governments, the private sector, NGOs, young computer programmers, judges, and other law practitioners at the Law Justice and Development Week (LJD) in Washington D.C. The LJD was organised by the World Bank Legal Presidency, and this year’s theme was “Rights, Technology and Development”.
The programme was extensive, with 63 sessions. The opening session on “Leveraging Innovations for Rights and Justice” is available online. Other topics under discussion during the LJD included: the intersection of human rights and technologies; technology innovation for climate action; legal response to the impact of disruptive technologies on development challenges; how technology in fragile contexts affects development outcomes with a focus on vulnerable groups; legal and ethical implications of new technologies and economic development; impact of technology on the practice of law; and ways to incorporate technology into the administration of justice.
The event was a good opportunity to meet with ALIFDO members and to know more about their work. On the IFI Day, EBRD, IFC and GCF participated in a panel session on “Technology Transfer to Support Climate Action”. EBRD discussed the increase in MDBs’ climate financing since the Paris Agreement and highlighted the EBRD Green Cities Programme (co-financed with GCF), which is helping cities address their most pressing environmental challenges. IFC discussed EDGE (“Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies”), a green building standard and a certification system. GCF’s central theme was on how to mitigate and adapt, assessing which technologies are needed in each country, and making finance accessible for such technologies.
One of the most attended sessions was the IFI General Counsels (GC) round table and Q&A session. The GCs of the WB, IFC, MIGA, AfDB, IFAD, NDB, CAF, CDB, Islamic Development Bank, OPIC and BSTDB shared how their respective institutions are dealing with the issues of data privacy, integrating technology in development work and safeguards in using technology.
There was also ample time to discuss other topics of common interest in receptions hosted by the World Bank and the George Washington University School of Law and over coffee at the dazzling World Bank’s atrium.
Finally, there was the infamous Biometric Mirror (or the “evil eye”). Participants in the Biometric Mirror had their face photographed and witnessed the reveal of their psychometric analysis including attributes such as aggressiveness, weirdness, sociability, introversion and even attractiveness. It was fun for some but also a terrifying experience for those who saw their hopes and dreams shattered if their appraisal is ever performed by a ‘paranoid android’.
Rüdiger (AIIB), Angela, Enrico and Tatyana (EBRD), Karyna and Solongo (GCF).
Technology, however, is not without risks. Are international financial institutions (IFIs) pressing the right buttons? Are IFIs realizing the full potential of new technologies? Are we assessing and mitigating risks?
In order to explore these questions, between 4-7 November 2019, jet-lagged ALIFDO members joined governments, the private sector, NGOs, young computer programmers, judges, and other law practitioners at the Law Justice and Development Week (LJD) in Washington D.C. The LJD was organised by the World Bank Legal Presidency, and this year’s theme was “Rights, Technology and Development”.
The programme was extensive, with 63 sessions. The opening session on “Leveraging Innovations for Rights and Justice” is available online. Other topics under discussion during the LJD included: the intersection of human rights and technologies; technology innovation for climate action; legal response to the impact of disruptive technologies on development challenges; how technology in fragile contexts affects development outcomes with a focus on vulnerable groups; legal and ethical implications of new technologies and economic development; impact of technology on the practice of law; and ways to incorporate technology into the administration of justice.
The event was a good opportunity to meet with ALIFDO members and to know more about their work. On the IFI Day, EBRD, IFC and GCF participated in a panel session on “Technology Transfer to Support Climate Action”. EBRD discussed the increase in MDBs’ climate financing since the Paris Agreement and highlighted the EBRD Green Cities Programme (co-financed with GCF), which is helping cities address their most pressing environmental challenges. IFC discussed EDGE (“Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies”), a green building standard and a certification system. GCF’s central theme was on how to mitigate and adapt, assessing which technologies are needed in each country, and making finance accessible for such technologies.
One of the most attended sessions was the IFI General Counsels (GC) round table and Q&A session. The GCs of the WB, IFC, MIGA, AfDB, IFAD, NDB, CAF, CDB, Islamic Development Bank, OPIC and BSTDB shared how their respective institutions are dealing with the issues of data privacy, integrating technology in development work and safeguards in using technology.
There was also ample time to discuss other topics of common interest in receptions hosted by the World Bank and the George Washington University School of Law and over coffee at the dazzling World Bank’s atrium.
Finally, there was the infamous Biometric Mirror (or the “evil eye”). Participants in the Biometric Mirror had their face photographed and witnessed the reveal of their psychometric analysis including attributes such as aggressiveness, weirdness, sociability, introversion and even attractiveness. It was fun for some but also a terrifying experience for those who saw their hopes and dreams shattered if their appraisal is ever performed by a ‘paranoid android’.
Rüdiger (AIIB), Angela, Enrico and Tatyana (EBRD), Karyna and Solongo (GCF).
