The series consists of seven parts. The first part contains correspondence and other records dated May to December 1995 and relating to plans for the issuance of Global Economic Prospects 1996 (GEP'96). Included are intra-IEC memoranda concerning overall plans for GEP '96; various drafts of the initiating brief for GEP '96; production schedules; copies of draft chapters with comments from IEC staff; and copies of DEC Notes regarding GEP '96.
The second part consists of memoranda and other records dated March 1994 to March 1995 and relating to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Development Assistance Committee (DAC). Filed under "OECD" are: Ahmed's correspondence with OECD staff and with Bank staff regarding OECD and DAC matters, March 1994 -March 1995; and memoranda, letters, schedules dated October 21, 1994 to November 15, 1994 regarding Ahmed's attendance at meetings of the OECD Economic Policy Committee, November 8 -10, 1994
The third part consists of agenda and minutes of meetings of the Departmental Management Team (DMT) which included the Director of IEC, the IEC Division Chiefs and other key staff. The records cover the period April 1990 to June 1997 and include minutes and agenda for the periods when D.C. Rao was Director from 1990 to 1993 and when Masood Ahmed was Director from 1993 to 1997. The files also include some background papers that were discussed at meetings and memoranda regarding follow-up actions from DMT meetings.
The fourth part includes agendas and minutes of meetings, memoranda, and correspondence related to administrative actions and planning initiatives by the DEC Vice President's Office from 1994 to 1997. This includes records related to: budget; reporting of department activities; and DEC-wide initiatives. Other records relate to the DEC Communication Strategy from 1995 to 1996, which sought to develop a cross-department communication policy and strengthen its partnership with the Bank's Office of External Affairs (EXT). These records consist of: correspondence between the DEC Vice President, DEC senior managers, other department staff, and EXT; approach paper drafts; agendas; minutes of meetings; and memoranda. Additional communications between the DEC VP, DEC department managers and staff, and EXT are included for the years 1994 to 1996 on a variety of topics.
The fifth part includes records related to a Bank-wide initiative to create an Information Services (IS) and Information Technology (IT) Task Force from 1995 to 1997 to help upgrade and centralize the Bank's IT Systems. Records consist of: correspondence sent to DMT, IEC Division staff, and DEC senior officials; reports, surveys, and audits of Bank IT systems and architecture; and agenda, minutes, and printed presentation slides related to Bank-wide IT development and management. The initiative proposed an Information Management Group (IMG), and sought representatives from units and departments across the Bank, including DEC and IEC.
The sixth part consists of records related to ongoing IEC collaboration with other national, multi-lateral, and external agencies through: attendance at seminars and meetings; exchange and sharing of research, data, and analysis through data systems, publications, and presentations; and policy advisement for international finance, debt, and trade issues. The records include agenda, meeting minutes, memoranda, correspondence, and reports from October 1995 to October 1996 related to the ongoing interaction between Ahmed of the IEC and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Most records relate to Ahmed's participation in UNCTAD meetings, and exchanging of global trade statistics through UNCTAD produced reports and IEC publications such as Global Economic Prospects (GEP). Other records in this part include agenda, memoranda, and correspondence related to the Bank-funded initiative International Comparisons Program (ICP) dated 1993 to 1997, which partnered with other national, bi-lateral, and multi-lateral institutions to conduct a massive survey of purchasing power parities (PPPs) among countries. IEC played a significant role in providing technical resources to conduct surveys and research, and led data processing and analysis activities. Records of meetings and seminars related to multilateral debt on severely and heavily indebted countries attended by Bank senior officials, or representatives from DEC or IEC are also included. These records consist of agenda, memoranda, meeting minutes, correspondence, briefings for senior officials, and external reports and papers for a variety of meetings, including: the OXFAM international meetings and seminars, 1995; the G-7 Summit-Halifax, 1995; and the G-7 Summit-Lyon, 1996. The bulk of correspondence in these records is internal communications between IEC, DEC, and the Office of the President (EXC) regarding: the content of the meeting and seminars; responses to papers, reports, and speeches related to multilateral debt; and the Bank's potential actions for multilateral debt. Lastly, records from the G-24 Group dated 1995 to 1996 contain external joint G-24 and IMF papers and reports related to various topics on international finance, debt, and trade issues.
The seventh part filed under "Miscellaneous" are memoranda and other records dated 1994 to 1995 concerning: 1) the Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics (ABCDE), May 1 -2, 1995, including memoranda regarding the drafting of the keynote speech; 2) Back-to-Office Reports and other records from DEC staff who attended the UN Symposium on Trade Efficiency that met in Columbus, Ohio, October 17 -21, 1994; and 3) a memorandum concerning guidelines for the Working Paper Series, December 5, 1994.
