How are citizens represented at the World Bank?

The World Bank is run like a cooperative, with member countries as shareholders. The number of shares a country has is based roughly on the size of its economy. The United States is the largest single shareholder, with 16.41 percent of the votes, followed by Japan (7.87 percent), Germany (4.49 percent), the United Kingdom (4.31 percent) and France (4.31 percent). 

The rest of the shares are divided among the other member countries. Every member government is represented by an Executive Director. The five largest shareholders (France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States) appoint an executive director each, while other member countries are represented by 19 Executive Directors.

The 24 Executive Directors make up our Board of Directors. They normally meet twice a week to oversee business, including reviewing loans and guarantees; new policies; the administrative budget; country support strategies; and borrowing and financial decisions.

Tanwir Ali Agha is the Executive Director for Pakistan. He also represents Afghanistan, Algeria, Ghana, Iraq, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Morocco, and Tunisia.

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