Human rights: little progress

The Bank is taking a softly-softly approach to human rights despite announcements earlier in the year that it wanted to clarify its position. Bank staffer Alfredo Sfeir-Younis told NGOs that the Bank was at the start of “a long intellectual journey” to consider what rights it can support and how. Bank President Wolfensohn said his staff were addressing individual rights but without using the language of rights, as this can act as a “red flag” to some World Bank member governments. The IFC‘s Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman also recently sponsored a meeting on human rights.

Meeting report

Bank declaration of human rights , Bretton Woods Update 29