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Analysis

cover illustration of the Observer Summer 2024

Finance

Analysis

IMF board’s reluctance leaves Special Drawing Rights as an underused tool in Fund's toolbox

IMF board's lukewarm endorsement of SDR rechanneling through MDBs stands in stark contrast to continued calls from Global South governments for additional SDR allocations, amid growing debt crisis.

3 July 2024
Civil society representatives participate in townhall during the World Bank Annual Meetings in Marrakech, October 2023. Credit: World Bank / Flickr

Accountability

Analysis

Is the World Bank rolling back commitments to citizen engagement, again?

Understanding the Bank’s chequered history with public, community and civil society participation is key for understanding what is at stake and what to do next.

3 July 2024 | At Issue
Civil society member holding a sign: Stop IMF Surcharges

Finance

Analysis

No false solutions: IMF surcharges must go

The IMF’s surcharges review presents a golden opportunity to eliminate these harmful and counterproductive fees.

3 July 2024 | Guest analysis

Gender

Analysis

IMF’s Interim Guidance Note on Mainstreaming Gender fails to address negative gendered impacts of IMF austerity

Gender Guidance note offers non-mandatory advice to staff on mainstreaming gender but integration of existing in-depth critiques from feminists and civil society needed to tackle gender inequality is missing.

3 July 2024
Flags at the 2023 World Bank Annual Meetings, Marrakech, Morocco. Credit: World Bank / Franz Mahr

IFI governance

Analysis

A way out for IMF reform

New paper analyses the IMF 16th Quota Review and identifies key governance reforms feasible in the current economic and geopolitical context.

3 June 2024 | Briefings

IFI governance

Analysis

G20 press conference analysis Spring Meetings 2024: Concrete actions fail to materialise despite strong Brazilian push

In the absence of a G20 Communiqué or Chair statement, Brazilian minister of finance, head of the central bank and other senior officials took questions at a short press conference, with discussion focused on the impact of continued restrictive US monetary policy on the global debt and development finance and the need for more responsive and better capitalised MDBs.

24 April 2024

IFI governance

Analysis

V20 communiqué analysis Spring Meetings 2024: Climate vulnerable countries issue call to action, as net-negative flows result in ‘millions in, billions out’ amid growing debt burdens

V20 members are expected to pay $904.7 billion in debt service between 2022-2030, as debt, lack of financing and low projected growth hampers prospects for green economic transformation.

24 April 2024

IFI governance

Analysis

IMFC chair’s statement analysis Spring Meetings 2024: Tinkering at the margins while global crises unfold  

IMFC chair’s relatively sanguine view of the global economy does not reflect the IMF’s own projection that the five-year global economic growth forecast is “at its lowest in decades”.

24 April 2024
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Other news

Finance

Analysis

Our world in 2020

As the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated and helped reveal pre-existing injustices and structural flaws in the global economy - and the IMF and World Bank proved unable to reverse course on broke policy prescriptions - calls for reforming the international financial and development architecture gained strength. 

22 February 2021

Gender

Analysis

The IMF and Gender Equality: Operationalising Change

This briefing raises critical questions on the latest developments in the IMF’s approach to gender.

10 February 2019 | Briefings

IFI governance

Analysis

CSO roundtable with World Bank Group executive directors

Sponsor: World Bank Group Chairs: Merza Hasan (WB Executive Director, MENA Constituency), Lindsay Coates (Acting…

14 April 2015 | Note

Environment

Analysis

CIFs and the private sector

Information on the private sector and the CIFs taken from each section of CIF Monitor…

23 October 2013

IFI governance

Analysis

Annual meetings 2014: communiqués coverage

G24 communiqué (09 October): analysis, original document G20 finance ministers' communiqué (10 October): original document…

2 October 2014

Environment

Analysis

NGOs call for halt of World Bank’s climate initiatives

In July 2012 NGOs called on governments to pivot away from funding the Bank-housed Climate…

23 October 2013

Environment

Analysis

CIFs Monitor: past issues

Climate Investment Funds Monitor 7 25 April 2013 This briefing, including references, can also be…

13 October 2013

Accountability

Analysis

Submission to the International Development Committee of the UK parliament: inquiry into the World B

The UK should not increase its contribution to IDA in the current replenishment. Instead, it should focus on achieving substantial reforms of the World Bank and IFC in key areas, including health, gender, climate and energy, and the private sector, and in radically improving the legitimacy, transparency and accountability of the institution.

19 October 2010 | Paper
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