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This document contains the common terms of the Memorandum of Understanding pursuant to which a Member who is signing a document entitled “Memorandum of Understanding on Global Infrastructure Connectivity Alliance Membership — Member-Specific Terms” confirms its intents and understandings with respect to its participation to the Global Infrastructure Connectivity Alliance (“GICA”) as Member.

January 18, 2018

1.            Background

The G20 is an international forum for the governments and central bank governors from twenty major economies, founded in 1999 with the aim of studying, reviewing, and promoting high-level discussion of policy issues pertaining to the promotion of international financial stability.

The G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting, held in Chengdu on July 23-24, 2016, launched GICA to enhance the synergy and cooperation among various infrastructure connectivity programs in a holistic way and asked the World Bank Group (“WBG”) to serve as the Secretariat of GICA, working closely with the Global Infrastructure Hub (GI Hub), OECD, other Multilateral Development Banks, and interested G20 members to support its activities. [Official Communiqué on July 27, 2016][1]

GICA aims to enhance cooperation and synergies of existing and future global infrastructure and trade facilitation programs seeking to improve connectivity within, between and among countries. GICA is expected to produce value by helping countries and promoters of connectivity initiatives to address bottlenecks related to connectivity globally, multi-sectorally and integrative of both the hardware and software of connectivity.

GICA proceeds on the basis of the following three key principles:

Leverage:

• Catalyze private investment and facilitate the pooling of resources, knowledge and information for increased impact.

Openness:

• Broad engagement, with G20 and non-G20 countries that are members of the World Bank, International Organizations, Multilateral Development Banks (“MDBs”) and United Nations Organizations, including with existing coalitions aimed at improving global infrastructure connectivity.
• Open membership; coalition of the willing.
• Open availability of information to membership, and broad communication of findings.

Complementarities:

• Avoid duplication and reinforce MDB cooperation.
• Utilize existing institutions, initiatives and events, staff and resources as well as existing platforms wherever possible.
• Build on the convening power of the WBG and the GI Hub.
• Keep the administrative cost and bureaucratic cost to a minimum.

The main activities of GICA are expected to include activities such as the following:

• Mapping Connectivity Initiatives. GICA intends to produce a mapping of connectivity initiatives around the world, encourage those initiatives to share regular progress updates through GICA, and identify good practices in global connectivity improvements to facilitate their replication.
• Developing Outlook on Global Connectivity. GICA intends to develop an overview of mega trends in connectivity for a 5 year and 15 year-time horizon to inform ongoing connectivity initiatives. It seeks to provide a holistic perspective on infrastructure and services required for connectivity and on the role different parties can play in such framework.
• Identifying Information and Solution Gaps in Global Infrastructure Connectivity. GICA intends to help identify gaps in information, tools, standards and approaches to address infrastructure and cross-border connectivity and economic corridor development. GICA will seek to consolidate lessons learned in conducting economic analysis and in sharing the returns and risks associated with infrastructure connectivity among multiple countries. It plans to support the development of tools on connectivity related investments and policies.
• Monitoring and Assessing Global Connectivity Performance. GICA intends to help countries and promoters of connectivity initiatives in developing solutions to collect, analyze and consolidate available data and information related to cross-border performance, including freight flows, cost of transport, timing needed for custom clearance. This will help countries identify and address cross-border bottlenecks and review the impact of programs.
• Facilitating Sharing of Good Practice on Connectivity. GICA seeks to facilitate knowledge sharing through an annual event as well as through a virtual space on global connectivity. GICA also intends to facilitate a number of virtual discussions on the main activities, at a practitioner level, on a voluntary basis. GICA plans to support dissemination of identified resources through a virtual space, using preferably existing channels, such as websites and newsletters.
• Facilitating the Sharing of Information on Bankable Projects. GICA intends to track and make publicly available information about global, regional and national infrastructure development programs. In line with the mandate given to the GI Hub by the G20, members of GICA are encouraged to share with the GI Hub the list of infrastructure projects requiring financing, for posting on the GI Hub Project Pipeline. This will assist with the dissemination of information regarding the key features of such projects.
• Supporting a regional or global infrastructure connectivity program. Members of GICA may wish to propose a pilot regional connectivity program and develop a joint approach for such a program. GICA intends to apply, where applicable, the tools shared by its members to such program to assess bottlenecks, plan and prepare such program and its financing, support its implementation, monitor and evaluate its results.

The World Bank (collectively, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and International Development Association) serves as the Secretariat, working closely with GI Hub, OECD, MDBs, global and regional infrastructure programs, and other international organizations to support the activities of GICA with respect to their comparative advantages. The Secretariat function entails establishing a virtual space for the network, curating knowledge and populating such virtual space with content, initiating the mapping of all initiatives, inviting membership contributions on priority activities, organizing an annual event for GICA anchored to an existing event, facilitating technical virtual meetings on priority topics, and providing an overall update on progress every two years, as requested by G20.

The GI Hub provides leadership on the knowledge agenda related to the financing of infrastructure for connectivity.  It also presents potential infrastructure projects for connectivity as part of the Project Pipeline, maintained by the GI Hub.

A broad swath of development partners including national development banks, corridor management groups, private financiers, investors, operators and other stakeholders, is welcomed to engage with GICA on a voluntary and non-binding basis.

Members are encouraged to provide inputs to GICA by contributing information on the design, financing, management and/or operations of specific programs to improve global infrastructure connectivity. They are encouraged to draw upon their respective comparative advantage and activities in the subject matter to share agendas of common interest; pool resources and expertise, where appropriate; carry out research work or joint design and implementation of projects; and share data, knowledge and ideas.

Activities contributed to or shared with GICA by Members are undertaken through the mechanisms and institutions of its Members.

2.            Eligibility

The membership of the Alliance is open to G20 and non-G20 governments, MDBs, global and regional infrastructure programs, established associations and other international organizations actively involved in connectivity initiatives in infrastructure and related services.

The GICA Secretariat will review the eligibility of each applicant, upon submission of its application. Submission of the application does not imply membership until confirmation of eligibility is provided by the Secretariat and this Memorandum of Understanding is signed between the Member and the GICA Secretariat.

3.            Understanding

By signing this MOU, the signatory confirms its willingness to be a Member of GICA and to participate in GICA activities, in line with its specific areas of expertise and comparative advantages, subject to its program of work and budget and to the effective availability of funds and in accordance with its rules and practices.

The Member expressly encourages GICA to reach out to it for participation in GICA’s activities in the areas (types, sectors and regions) with respect to which the Member has communicated its interest to GICA.

The Member will retain ownership of the intellectual property rights in any of its existing materials or work product that is shared with GICA or any third parties in connection with the Member’s participation in GICA activities under this MOU.

The Member’s role and contribution will be acknowledged in all public information documentation that contains data, materials or work product shared by the Member with GICA or any third parties in connection with the Member’s participation in GICA activities under this MOU. 

The Member’s name, logo or emblem will not be used for any purpose without the Member’s prior written consent.

GICA’s name, logo or emblem will not be used for any purpose without the prior written consent of the GICA Secretariat.

The World Bank’s, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s or International Development Association’s name, logo or emblem will not be used for any purpose without their prior written consent.

Communications on all matters related to GICA will be addressed to its Secretariat through the following address (including any change of focal point by the Member, its membership and areas of interests to contribute to GICA): Gicasecretariat@worldbank.org.

This Memorandum of Understanding constitutes an expression of mutual good faith only and is not intended to create legally binding obligations on the Member or GICA.