The World Bank will today embark on a year-long, $20bn-plus fundraising drive that will test donor countries' willingness to live up to promises made following the Gleneagles agreement on debt relief and to support the bank under the leadership of Paul Wolfowitz.

The money is needed to replenish the International Development Association (IDA) - the bank's main financing arm for poor countries - for the three-year period from July 2008. The negotiations, which include discussion of policy priorities, will help define the shape of the World Bank for years to come.