The World Bank and IMF have announced new facilities to support countries hit by public health disasters.
Health
Social services
Commentary
How will the Global Financing Facility deliver for sexual and reproductive health and rights?
The Global Financing Facility, hosted by the World Bank, aims to scale up support for sexual and reproductive health, however, concerns remain that funds may be transferred from existing programmes.
IFI governance
Background
UK civil society meeting with UK World Bank Executive Director Gwen Hines
Notes of a meeting with UK World Bank Executive Director Gwen Hines 25 February 2015.
Finance
News
Debt relief for Ebola-affected states delayed
IMF debt relief plan to Ebola-affected states overdue after G20, US, Guinean president, as well as CSOs, call for urgent support and debt forgiveness.
Social services
Analysis
Health care for the few: the IFC’s Health in Africa initiative
New research reveals that Bank’s private sector arm, the IFC's Heath in Africa initiative is benefitting wealthy elites not the poorest.
Social services
Analysis
The IMF’s role in the Ebola outbreak
IMF conditionalities attached to loans to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea drained health services, damaging countries’ ability to handle the recent Ebola crisis.
Social services
News
Will the World Bank deliver? New fund for maternal and child health launched
A newly launched World Bank-hosted fund provides cash injection to maternal and child health services. However, questions remain about how the funds will be raised and the implications for other Bank health programmes
Social services
News
A poor diagnosis: the World Bank’s health record
World Bank health financing benefits wealthy elites not poorest according to new IEG evaluation and Oxfam analysis
IFI governance
Background
UK civil society meeting with UK World Bank Executive Director Gwen Hines
Notes of a meeting with World Bank executive director Gwen Hines in October 2014.
Social services
Commentary
Reproductive health: What’s the Bank's score?
The Bank has produced mixed results on reproductive health; it is imperative that as the post 2015 agenda is set, it maintains the funding and political profile of this hugely impactful public health issue.
Featured briefings
6 April 2023
World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings 2023
5 April 2023
The IMF at the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: The need for governance reform
As the world celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is time the IMF’s shareholders use the opportunities provided by the anniversary and growing calls for reforms to the international financial architecture to redesign the IMF’s governance structures and programmes to ensure they are consistent with the commitments outlined in 1948 and with international human rights law.
5 April 2023
The global financial architecture and the international debt crisis: An urgent call for reform
Influence of unreformed international financial institutions and creditor interests in debt solutions in low- and middle-income countries plagued by delay and ineffective when undertaken.