Learn how our team is organized to fulfill our mission of improving lives in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Board of Governors is the highest authority responsible for the governance of the IDB.
The Board is responsible for the conduct of the operations of the Bank, and for this purpose may exercise all the powers delegated to it by the Board of Governors.
The President of the IDB is the institution’s legal representative and chief executive officer.
The basic organization of the IDB comprises the following units.
The IDB was founded in 1959 as a partnership between the United States and 19 Latin American and Caribbean countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. The IDB currently comprises 48 member countries, including borrowers and non-borrowers.
The IDB has 26 borrowing member countries, all located in Latin America and the Caribbean. Together, they own the Bank's available capital and hold just over 50% of voting power.
Since the IDB's Ninth General Capital Increase (IDB-9), in 2010, the Bank has allocated at least 35% of its annual loan approvals to borrowing member countries classified as small and vulnerable. These countries include the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay.
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela are also borrowing member countries.
Membership in the IDB makes it possible for non-borrowing countries to count on our institution as a means to channel their resources and efforts toward the development of Latin America and the Caribbean. In this way, they can extend their reach to a larger number of beneficiary countries and maximize the impact of initiatives, complementing bilateral programs.
Of the IDB's 48 members, 22 are non-borrowing countries. Non-borrowing countries provide capital, and their voting power on the Board of Governors and the Board of Executive Directors is proportional to their capital subscribed. Non-borrowing countries are Canada, China, Israel, Japan, Korea, the United States and 16 European countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Regional member countries must first be members of the Organization of American States (OAS). Non-regional members must be members of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). A second key requirement for both groups of member countries is the subscription of Ordinary Capital shares.
Approved by our member countries, the Strategy guides our mission and sets the priorities for our work.
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