German minister for economic cooperation and development, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul held a now-customary meeting with NGOs. On the agenda was debt, financing of the MDGs and so-called 'voice' issues.
Debt
IFI governance
Background
Grants or Loans? The Full Debate
The session considered the arguments surrounding the provision of grants or loans by IDA. It considered the recent call by President Bush for the World Bank and other development banks to provide more of their funds to the poorest countries as grants, in recognition of the pivotal role that grants play in providing prudent financing for pressing development needs.
Environment
News
Town hall meeting between civil society and Bank Fund heads
Highlights from a meeting between Bank president Wolfensohn, Fund director Rato, South African finance minister Trevor Manuel, UK chancellor Gordon Brown, and NGOs.
Finance
News
Debt sustainability: Oasis or mirage?
UNCTAD has launched a fourth report on economic development in Africa.
Conditionality
News
IMF role in low-income countries
Highlights of a Fund staff meeting with CSOs to discuss the role of the Fund in low-income countries.
Conditionality
News
Debt cancellation? Or an exercise in book-keeping?
Talk of full multilateral debt cancellation has been in the air since the June G8 summit against the backdrop of the impending end of the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) Initiative. The US Treasury Department is apparently pushing for full multilateral debt cancellation and could announce this at the G8 ministers meeting ahead of the Bank and Fund annual meetings.
Conditionality
News
The Bank, the Fund, the debt threat
Researcher Noreena Hertz, in her latest book I.O.U: The debt threat and why we must…
Conditionality
News
Moving the goalposts: Zambia’s misery prolonged
Despite intensive efforts to implement the necessary conditions, Zambia has been told that it will have to wait even longer for debt relief.
Finance
News
Debt sustainability debates; new proposals for cancellation
Preliminary analysis of the Debt Sustainability framework, early June by US based CNES, points out that if implemented this proposal will emphasise the rights of creditors over all other development challenges, the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) included
Finance
News
Who will assess the assessments?
Civil society organizations remain concerned that impact assessments will not not deliver the desired outcomes.
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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.