Rights

Analysis

World Bank, IMF and armed conflicts

2 February 2004

Recent involvement in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq has put the World Bank and the IMF work post-conflict in the spotlight, with serious implications for their mandates and work methods.

IFI governance

News

Extractives report tables harsh criticism, many suggestions

In mid-January the report of the Extractive Industries Review was tabled, containing many strong criticisms of the Bank's record in the oil, gas and mining sector and a series of detailed recommendations.

2 February 2004

Rights

News

Knowledge Bank evaluation criticises “reluctance to consider alternatives”

An official review has echoed many external criticisms of the World Bank's knowledge roles, but has buried some of the most important feedback from officials and researchers in the South. A recent study by the World Bank's Operations Evaluation Department found significant problems with the Bank's self-appointed role as guardian and dissseminator of the world's development knowledge, but produced only extremely bureaucratic conclusions which do not match the degree or nature of the concerns expr

28 January 2004

Environment

News

World Bank rewards Cambodian government despite forest mismanagement

Despite its failure to improve forest management, the World Bank has released further funding to the Cambodian government. NGOs argue that this shows that the Bank is not serious about social and environmental issues. The Bank's anti-corruption credentials are also in doubt as it has awarded a contract for forest monitoring to a company with convictions for bribery.

16 January 2004

Trade

News

High-level conference on "trade, growth and poverty"

Organised by the UK Department for International Development, the World Bank, IMF and UNDP, a two-day conference held in London 8-9 December gathered officials, agency representatives and academics to discuss the links between trade, growth and poverty. The objective of the conference was to provide direction on how to integrate trade into national development strategies.

14 January 2004

Rights

News

World Bank Loans to Andhra Pradesh: Financing bloodshed and impunity?

Human rights activists in Andhra Pradesh have strongly objected to World Bank plans for a new economic reform loan to the state government.

3 February 2004

Private Sector

News

IFC Haiti project funding goes ahead despite investigation’s "mixed results"

The IFC committed $20 million to an industrial park in a Haitian free trade zone on 15 January, after an independent investigator found that "the project deserves continued strong support given its development impact, even if some wrongdoing was demonstrated."

3 February 2004

IFI governance

News

Legislators courted but oversight insufficient

The Parliamentary Network on the World Bank (PNoWB) will hold its annual conference February 15-16 in Paris. Oversight of relations between governments, the IMF and the Bank by legislators is still insufficient in the North and in the South.

3 February 2004

Finance

News

Can economic models bridge the policy gap?

Top researchers met in Washington last October to discuss the 'state of the art' in…

2 February 2004

Accountability

News

In through the back door: capacity building or concession taking?

Some of the recommendations made in the diagnostic studies of the Integrated Framework touch upon sensitive areas in development policy such as privatisation, trade liberalisation and investment and competition policy.

28 January 2004

Rights

News

WSF 2004: IMF, World Bank “out of South”

Over 100,000 participants were drawn to this year's World Social Forum (WSF) in Mumbai, 16 - 21 January. Held on an enormous industrial complex in the north of the city, the panels, workshops, and cultural displays were held in hangars previously used as stage sets and ad-hoc tents. Innumerable marches poured through the streets outside, powerfully illustrating the depth of grassroots organising in India.

28 January 2004

IFI governance

News

A 40 million dollar question: why fund the Development Gateway?

Despite the negative comments in the official evaluation of the Knowledge Bank, the World Bank's Development Gateway internet scheme is seeking 40 million of further public funding. The Gateway is an Internet portal on development issues through which users can access studies and information, exchange services. It has been criticised since its inception for being poorly conceived and executed and representing unfair competition to the many independent sites which existed previously.

28 January 2004