The online consultations are part of broader effort to gather input from a wide range of perspectives on how the Bank Group can best help developing countries improve the access and reliability of energy while helping facilitate the shift to a more environmentally sustainable energy development path.

In addition to collecting comments online, WBG will hold a series of meetings, videoconferences, and other events in the first phase of consultations from February 2010 to June 2010. The feedback collected will be used to inform the drafting of a new energy strategy. An approach paper has been posted online for public review in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish, and Russian, together with background papers in English.

For more information, go to www.worldbank.org/energyconsultations

This is a good opportunity for the household energy community to express its views on the future World Bank energy strategy.