A new brick in the financial architecture has been put in place with the disclosure of the members of the group of 20 globally important financial nations, known as the G20.
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Conditionality
News
IMF takes on poverty mandate
Important changes to the IMF’s remit in the poorest countries were announced at the IMF-WB Annual Meetings in September.
Trade
News
IMF/WB/WTO: unholy trinity?
At the Seattle meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in late November, the World Bank confirmed that it will expand its work on trade.
Finance
News
IMF and WB to assess financial stability
The Bank and IMF have established the Financial Sector Assessment Programme (FSAP) to assess financial stability in all member countries and prevent crises.
Finance
News
Capital punishment
A new report from UK NGO CAFOD criticises the IMF response to the financial crisis as “inadequate and at times harmful to the interests of the poor” and urges “deep reforms”.
Rights
News
Prague 2000
A small group of NGOs has begun to discuss common initiatives towards the World Bank/IMF annual meetings in Prague next September.
Conditionality
News
UK ED quizzed on UK role in Bank and Fund
In October UK Executive Director Stephen Pickford was called before the Treasury and International Development Select Committees for questioning by MPs.
Conditionality
News
The IMF’s ESAF: is it working?
In August the IMF produced a “question and answer” paper on its Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility.
IFI governance
News
Bank/Fund voting challenged
In late August India’s central bank chief told a meeting of bankers in Sri Lanka that the voting structure of international funding agencies should be changed to reflect the economic strengths of developing nations.
News
Monitoring the monitors
The external evaluation reports on the IMF's surveillance and research activities have been discussed by…
Conditionality
News
WB-IMF orthodoxy rivalled by Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), led by its new head Masaru Yoshitomi, has mounted an attack on the IMF’s use of conventional policies for dealing with the crisis in Asia and plans to hold meetings and seminars to challenge the IMF’s approach at the Bank/Fund annual meetings.
Finance
News
IMF policies fuel social crisis in Ecuador
In July, rising transport and fuel prices in Ecuador led to strikes and public protests, and an up-rising by thousands of indigenous people who are also concerned about privatisation plans.
Featured briefings
16 October 2024
The Bretton Woods Observer: Autumn 2024
16 October 2024
The lost call for international financial architecture reform in the G20
At the 80th anniversary of the World Bank and IMF, global civil society must maintain pressure on the Brazilian and South African G20 presidencies to ensure the forth Financing for Development Conference in 2025 results in urgently required international financial architecture reform.
1 October 2024