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Private Sector

Anti IMF loan protest in downtown, Cairo, 2012. Credit: Gigi Ibrahim / Flickr

Private Sector

Analysis

Financialisation and human rights in the Middle East and North Africa

This briefing explains how the IMF and World Bank have driven the financialisation of MENA states, and the pervasive negative effects this has had on the region’s societies and economies.

27 September 2023 | Briefings

Finance

Analysis

Civil Society calls for rethink of World Bank’s ‘evolution roadmap’ as part of wider reforms to highly unequal global financial architecture

Joint civil society briefing paper highlights concerns with the World Bank’s Evolution Roadmap, and provides a series of recommendations for a Roadmap that prioritises people, participation and the planet over profit and economic growth.

3 July 2023 | Briefings

Environment

News

Resilience and Sustainability Trust’s first loans promote climate PPPs, raising concerns they may create fiscal risks

Initial financing for Costa Rica, Barbados, Rwanda, Bangladesh and Jamaica tied to efforts to ‘green’ PPP frameworks.

5 April 2023

Private Sector

News

World Bank’s financial inclusion agenda blind to growing gendered over-indebtedness

The World Bank’s financial inclusion agenda in time of cost-of-living crisis, austerity and financialisation promotes indebtedness of the poor, especially women.

5 April 2023

Social services

News

World Bank issues new guidance on PPPs legal frameworks, ignoring long-standing concerns with the model

New World Bank guidance on PPP legal frameworks evidence of institution’s continued reliance on PPPs as key to addressing SDG financing gap despite well-documented failures. Previous World Bank PPP contracts template criticised for incompatibility with human rights norms.

4 October 2022

Private Sector

Analysis

How IMF and World Bank support for financialisation undermines human rights

IMF and World Bank policies and programmes work in tandem to expand and deepen financialisation, exacerbating the inequality crisis and harming human rights, financial stability and democratic governance

6 April 2022 | At Issue

Private Sector

News

World Bank’s re-labelled Business Enabling Environment Project does little to address substantial flaws of Doing Business Report

Civil society calls for urgent evaluation of Doing Business impacts as the World Bank announces a rebranded Business Enabling Environment Project, failing to address underlying issues.

6 April 2022

Private Sector

Commentary

Submission to the World Bank Consultation for the Business Enabling Environment (BEE) Project

A coalition of CSOs have delivered a submission to the World Bank raising the BEE is just a rebranding exercise that does not address longstanding issues in the Bank's engagement in private sector advice.

16 March 2022 | Statement

Other news

Private Sector

News

19 July 2023

B-Ready for more ill-founded private-sector solutions

The World Bank released a concept note of Doing Business report replacement, B-Ready project, ignoring civil society demands of an independent evaluation.

Infrastructure

News

5 April 2023

MIGA’s support for gas projects raises concerns about its climate credentials

World Bank’s commercial insurance arm provided nearly $850 million in guarantees for gas projects in Bangladesh and Mozambique in fiscal year 2022.

Land

News

5 April 2023

Corporations are expanding control over Ukraine’s land with help from the IMF and the World Bank

New report from the Oakland Institute exposes the stealth take-over of Ukrainian agricultural land known as the “breadbasket of Europe”.

Social services

News

21 July 2022

World Bank’s IFC ends funding for fee-paying primary and secondary schools

Independent Evaluation Group report highlighted private sector education provision can exacerbate inequality and undermine the public sector school system.

Private Sector

Background

29 March 2021 | Minutes

Private sector accountability in times of crisis

Notes from the virtual Civil Society Policy Forum session on 29 March.

IFI governance

Background

25 March 2021 | Minutes

An economic future for whom? The Cascade/MFD and recovery

Notes from the virtual Spring 2021 Civil Society Policy Forum on 25 March 2021.

Knowledge

News

23 March 2021

Doing Business Report to be published after temporary suspension over data irregularities

World Bank plans to publish latest DBR in March and undertake an external review of the report’s methodology.

Social services

Background

5 October 2020 | Minutes

World Bank Group’s ‘Maximizing Finance for Development’ in times of Covid-19

Notes from the virtual Civil Society Policy Forum at the 2020 World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings 5 October session on the World Bank's 'Maximizing Finance for Development' and the Covid-19 response.