Despite lofty rhetoric, Bank’s attempts to use scarce concessional finance to build investable project pipelines to secure power sector decarbonisation faces significant hurdles.
Climate finance
Finance
Analysis
World Bank Group Evolution: Technical fixes or urgently needed reform?
World Bank Evolution Roadmap’s proposed superficial technical patches favouring the ‘logic’ of the market will likely fail to deliver the structural changes needed to support borrowing countries amidst global crises.
Environment
News
MIGA’s new insurance for voluntary carbon offsets risks propping up junk assets, say campaigners
World Bank’s political insurance arm to provide risk cover to existing offsets if they are affected by governments efforts to better regulate problem-plagued offset schemes.
IFI governance
News
Marrakech CSO working group launches statement ahead of 2023 Annual Meetings
Marrakech working group calls on the BWIs to cancel the debt, stop imposing austerity and ensure a just energy transition.
Environment
News
Resilience and Sustainability Trust’s first loans promote climate PPPs, raising concerns they may create fiscal risks
Initial financing for Costa Rica, Barbados, Rwanda, Bangladesh and Jamaica tied to efforts to ‘green’ PPP frameworks.
Infrastructure
Analysis
World Bank and IMF influence casts shadow over South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Partnership
World Bank’s support for fossil fuel projects, including problem-riddled Medupi coal power station, leaves its reputation in tatters with South African civil society.
Environment
Commentary
Bridgetown Initiative calls for new Global Climate Mitigation Trust financed via Special Drawing Rights
IMF’s lending instruments fail to provide swift and large-scale funding for climate transition. The Bridgeton Initiative proposes a new trust backed by $500 billion in SDRs for climate and development.
Environment
News
World Bank’s update on Paris alignment fizzles at COP27 as countries demand MDBs evolve to face climate emergency
Despite continued public rhetoric about importance of civil society engagement, Bank is yet to commit to holding a public consultation period on its Paris alignment approach.
Environment
Analysis
World Bank’s failure to disclose details of climate finance accounting opens its claim to be leading green financier to scrutiny
Newly released study by Oxfam finds that the Bank’s claims of climate finance for FY2020 could be off by as much as 40 per cent, or $7 billion, highlighting the urgent need for greater public disclosure.
Environment
News
IMF seeks to ‘unleash’ private climate finance, as experts question ‘de-risking state’ model
In the face of growing calls to ‘de-risk’ green investments for the private sector, academic experts call for developmental allocative green credit regimes, rather than market-led approaches.
Featured briefings
5 October 2023
World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings 2023
4 October 2023
The Bretton Woods Observer: Autumn 2023
4 October 2023
The IMF and World Bank talk good governance, but walk with state- capturers
From South Africa to Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, the Bank and Fund have demonstrated they are not appropriate allies to address the scale of the crisis the world is facing, especially, given their record.