The final report of the World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group's (IEG, the Bank's arms-length evaluation unit) assessment of the Bank's response to the 2008/09 global economic crisis confirms that Bank measures followed pre-crisis patterns and often failed to reach those most affected, leaving the Bank vulnerable to future crises.
IDA
Accountability
News
Appointment of the World Bank president
A letter to all World Bank governors calling for reforms to the selection process for a new World Bank president signed by over 50 civil society groups
Social services
News
World Bank-funded "toxic dumping ground"
Ugandan newspaper New Vision called attention to the "horrific sanitation conditions" of a Bank-funded waterway in Uganda in November 2011
IFI governance
Background
Country classifications
A state's relationship with the IFIs and the type of assistance it receives is determined by its country classification. Some crucial types of classifications are: the World Bank's operational lending categories; the Bank's analytical categories used in the World Development Report; the IMF's operational and analytical categories, the IFC's frontier market category; the Bank's fragile state category; and the distinctions used by the Bank and IMF in deciding on and reporting success in governance
IFI governance
News
World Bank-IMF annual meetings 2011
Analysis, news, and about the events inside and around the World Bank/IMF annual meetings 2011. This page is being updated regularly.
Accountability
Background
Notes of meeting between UK Executive Director to World Bank and Civil Society Groups
Civil society organisations met UK Executive Director to the World Bank and staff from the Department for International Development to discuss water, the Bank's private sector approach, health and nutrition, safeguards review and energy strategy.
Environment
Analysis
A faulty model?
This paper critically assesses the appropriateness of the Bank-housed Climate Investment Funds (CIFs) as a model for the Green Climate Fund (GCF). It takes proposals and recommendations by civil society groups and uses them as benchmarks to analyse the CIFs. It finds that in terms of institutional arrangements the CIFs have achieved some notable progress, however, in operations and performance there are serious concerns.
IFI governance
News
World Bank-IMF spring meetings 2011
Analysis of governance reforms and other decisions made at the 2011 World Bank and IMF spring meetings
Accountability
Background
Notes of meeting between UK Executive Director to World Bank and Civil Society Groups
Civil society organisations met UK Executive Director to the World Bank and staff from the Department for International Development to discuss the World Development Report on conflict, security and development; the spring meetings and food security; the World Bank's energy strategy and performance in the health sector.
Accountability
News
World Bank safeguards and independent scrutiny at risk?
Civil society groups have challenged Bank plans to rush through a new lending instrument, Program-for-Results, that would mean safeguards or equivalent standards no longer apply to a major portion of Bank lending. Meanwhile, a secretive review could strip the Bank's accountability bodies of their independence and safeguards could be scaled back for projects deemed "low risk".
Gender
Background
The World Bank's approach to gender mainstreaming
The World Bank's current approach to gender mainstreaming promotes women's empowerment as "smart economics" that serves a dual equality-development purpose. This approach, which largely ignores non-economic sources of gender inequality, has been criticised for its narrow, market-driven focus.
Accountability
News
Donor IDA pledges fall flat
The World Bank gained a 12 per cent inflation adjusted increase from the 16th fundraising round for its low-income country arm, the International Development Association (IDA), despite flat donor contributions, amid renewed criticism of its overall approach.
