In the last fiscal year, the World Bank Group (WBG) committed $117.5 billion in global development funding through various instruments. Together with similar efforts by other multilateral development banks (MDBs), these fundings aim to address the intertwined challenges of poverty reduction, climate resilience, food security, energy access, and economic stability. How do the WBG and other MDBs manage integrity risks within such large-scale projects? This talk introduces the World Bank Sanctions System, a framework designed to safeguard accountability and combat fraud and corruption, as a model for MDB integrity risk management. The talk will also examine recent developments, trends, and hot issues concerning the World Bank Sanctions System.

About the Speaker:

Mr. Chang Liu serves as Counsel at the World Bank’s Office of Suspension and Debarment (OSD), where he reviews sanctions cases to assess whether respondents’ contract eligibility should be suspended. Before joining the World Bank, Mr. Liu practiced at leading international firms and clerked at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. In private practice, he advised clients on white-collar defense, internal investigations, and complex cross-border commercial disputes. Mr. Liu holds a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School.

Moderator:

Prof. Yueming Yan, Assistant Professor, CUHK LAW.

*The Law Society of Hong Kong has awarded this seminar 1 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) point.