82.               While every effort is made to keep constraints to a minimum, the effective functioning of the Bank necessarily requires some derogation from complete openness. The following constraints apply to all information referred to in this statement.

83.                Proceedings of the Board of Executive Directors and committees thereof are, under the Board's Rules of Procedure, confidential. Thus, unless disclosure is approved by the Board, documents prepared for the consideration or review and approval of the Executive Directors ( other than those specifically made publicly available as provided for in this statement) are not publicly available.

84.               Some documents and information are provided to the Bank on the explicit or implied understanding that they will not be disclosed outside the Bank, or that they may not be disclosed without the consent of the source; or even, occasionally, that access within the Bank will be limited. The Bank must treat such information accordingly. The Bank does not make publicly available documents that contain proprietary information, such as trade secrets or pricing information, without the express permission of the owner of such information. Materials held by the Bank in which other parties hold the copyright may be made available for review, but copying or distributing of such material may be limited to respect the rights of the copyright holder.

85.                Documents and records that are subject to the attorney-client privilege, or whose disclosure might prejudice an investigation, are not publicly available.

86.               There is also a need to preserve the integrity of the deliberative process and to facilitate and safeguard the free and candid exchange of ideas between the Bank and its members. For this reason, analysis of country creditworthiness and credit ratings, and supervision reports are not publicly available. The Bank also cooperates with various international organizations, bilateral aid agencies, and private commercial banks and institutions in the context of its operations. In this context, documents exchanged with such entities on matters of common interest which are related to the decision-making processes of the Bank and such entities are not publicly available.

87.                The above-mentioned principle relating to the preservation of the integrity of the deliberative process also applies to the Bank's own decision-making processes. Thus, internal documents and memoranda written by Executive Directors and their Alternates and Senior Advisors, by the President of the Bank, and by Bank staff to their colleagues, supervisors, or subordinates are considered confidential and not publicly available.

88.                As an organization involved in dealings on the world's financial markets, the Bank is required to maintain sound financial management practices, including the maintenance of utmost prudence in the disclosure of financial information related to its activities. For this reason, estimates of future borrowings (which are available to the Bank's underwriters), its financial forecasts, data on individual investment decisions, and credit assessments are not publicly available.

89.               The Bank's Principles of Staff Employment require the Bank to maintain appropriate safeguards to respect the personal privacy of staff members and protect the confidentiality of personal information about them. The individual records and personal medical information of Executive Directors and their Alternates and Advisers, of the President of the Bank, and of Bank staff, as well as proceedings of internal appeal mechanisms and investigations, are not disclosed outside the Bank, except to the extent permitted by the Staff Rules.

90.               Public availability of some information may be precluded on an ad hoc basis when, because of its content, wording, or timing, disclosure would be detrimental to the interests of the Bank, a member country, or Bank staff. Disclosure might, for example, adversely affect a Bank/country relationship because of the frankness of views expressed, or it might be premature. Information is not withheld solely because it is negative; the Bank, as an open, technically competent institution which learns from its mistakes, seeks to provide balanced information, reporting the failures or disappointments in its operations as well as the successes.