A recent report by the Australian NGO RESULTS International criticises the Bank for its lack of consideration of gender and disability in its education projects.
Education
Social services
News
IMF's focus on austerity proved "wrong, wrong, wrong", say critics
While Christine Lagarde and staff at the Fund begin to acknowledge that too much austerity is risking jobs and growth and civil society groups call for an end to IFIs policy conditions, IMF programmes continue to promote fiscal retrenchment.
Accountability
News
IEG annual report slates World Bank's education work
The Bank's Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) released its annual report at end August, again finding shortfalls and uneven results across the World Bank Group. While the Bank's leadership has steered the institution towards more private sector work, outcomes in the education sector and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have dropped substantially.
Finance
News
World Bank admits failures in East Timor
In April the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG), the Bank's arms-length evaluation body, released a critical report assessing Bank operations in East Timor from 2000 to 2010.
Social services
News
World Bank's privatisation approach to social services fails to deliver
While the Bank is developing a new social protection and labour strategy, its approach to health and continuing push for privatisation of public services have come under fire again.
Accountability
News
World Bank launches new Africa strategy
In March, the World Bank launched its new Africa strategy, outlining three main areas in which it will focus its operations: competitiveness and employment, vulnerability and resilience of citizens, and governance and public sector capacity.
Social services
News
World Bank draft education strategy slated
A number of criticisms of the World Bank's latest draft of its new education strategy emerged before the document was discussed by a committee of the Bank's board in late January.
Rights
Analysis
At issue: The World Bank as a new global education ministry?
In early 2011 the World Bank will approve a new education sector strategy amid trends that mean that international goals on education will not be met. Zoe Godolphin of the University of Bristol argues that the Bank’s proposed approach fails conceptually because it does not accept that education is a human right. It also fails pragmatically because it continues to advocate a template approach instead of supporting genuinely country-driven priorities in education planning.
Conditionality
Background
Civil Society Townhall Meeting with Robert Zoellick and Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Notes of the seminar of annual meetings 2010
Accountability
Background
Meeting on the World Bank between DFID and UK NGOs
Notes of a meeting between UK civil society and DFID staff.
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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.