The Bretton Woods Project has published a briefing providing a critical analysis of the IMF's latest work on gender equality. The briefing questions the sustainability of the Fund's new approach to gender equality and reveals that the Fund's analysis so far is limited and inconsistent with the full achievement of women's economic empowerment.
New edition of the Bretton Woods Project's biannual Climate Investment Fund (CIFs) Monitor, published to coincide with the World Bank-hosted CIFs trust fund committee meetings.
The upcoming Clean Technology Fund (CTF) resource shortfall continues to raise concerns. A proposal for “CTF 2.0” will be discussed, including two proposed modalities: CTF Green Markets and the Risk Mitigation Facility. Concerns were raised over safeguards for a geothermal energy project in Indonesia.
The Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR) has called for urgent donations to be able to finance projects pending approval. The CIF strategic directions paper proposed for a new private sector window to be set up. Concerns were raised about community consultations in Samoa and around resettlement risks related to a Haiti project.
The rationale for adding new pilot countries to the Forest Investment Program (FIP) given funding constraints has been questioned, as well as the focus on providing loans rather than grants. The CIF strategic directions paper noted challenges for the FIP, and proposed a new private sector window. Questions were raised about the consultation of ethnic minorities in relation to a Laos project.
Concerns continues over slow progress in implementing the Scaling up Renewable Energy Program in Low Income Countries (SREP) investments plans and lack of funding for new pilot countries, as well as constraints on grant resources. The CIF strategic directions paper proposed an enhanced private sector programme for energy access. Questions on consideration of indigenous peoples were raised in relation to Liberia and Tanzania projects.
The Bretton Woods Project review of the most important developments at the World Bank and IMF in 2015.
Bretton Woods Project coverage of the 2016 spring meetings in Washington DC with links to analysis of the communiqués and notes from key civil society and official meetings.
Analysis of the official communiqués from the 2016 World Bank-IMF spring meetings, Washington DC.
While the recent reforms to the IMF and World Bank governance reforms and the establishment of new Southern-led IFIs are symbolically important, they are thus far not a rupture with the Western-dominated international financial architecture.
The World Bank and other multilateral development banks continue to push for public-private partnerships for infrastructure projects, despite concerns of debt risks and lack of transparency.
World Bank updates the International Poverty Line and claims a continued decrease in numbers of poor, but long-standing questions about the methodology used and whether the instrument is fit for purpose persist.
New briefing by ActionAid USA and the Bretton Woods Project highlights research showing that IMF policy advice has undermined a just energy transition since the Paris Agreement was signed.
