In February Iraq's cabinet approved the IMF supported draft oil law
Human rights
Land
News
Human rights trump internal procedures
As the UN human rights council holds its fourth session, the last few months have witnessed dynamic processes on human rights and development finance that bolster arguments to hold international financial institutions accountable under international law.
Accountability
News
Bujagali funding imminent
Funding from the World Bank and the European Investment Bank for the controversial Bujagali dam in Uganda is imminent.
Gender
Commentary
Huge gaps in the World Bank's Gender Action Plan
The World Bank's new Gender Action Plan (GAP), aptly named Gender equality as smart economics, is tightly framed in the Bank's economic policy framework.
Environment
News
Congo: mining, conflict and complicity
A confidential World Bank memo dated September 2005 finds that three of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s biggest mining contracts were approved with “a complete lack of transparency”.
Environment
News
Indian forestry project violates safeguards
An Indian forestry project is found to violate Bank safeguards.
Rights
News
Bank mining advice boosts private profits
Two recent reports question the World Bank's involvement in the mining sector.
Rights
News
Bank directors bound by rights obligations
A report by a coalition of German NGOs finds that Germany extra-territorial obligations extend to its role in multilateral development banks.
Environment
News
CAO fails to reduce conflict in Peru
A report by Friends of the Earth finds that the 'roundtable dialogue' set up by the World Bank's Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) has been unable to fulfil its objectives to intervene effectively in conflicts between the IFC-supported Yanacocha mine company and affected communities in Cajamarca, Peru.
Environment
News
Global energy solutions bank on carbon trading
In the midst of climate talks in Nairobi and the release of the Stern review on the potential catastrophic economic impacts of climate change, the World Bank has been touting the most recent draft of its investment framework on clean energy and development, and stepping up its role in devising market-based solutions to climate change. Critics have decried the hypocrisy of the Bank's role in funding fossil fuel projects, and the perverse rationale behind carbon trading
Featured briefings
6 April 2022
The Bretton Woods Observer: Spring 2022
8 December 2021
The Bretton Woods Observer: Winter 2021
8 November 2021
IMF surveillance and climate change transition risks
New briefing by ActionAid USA and the Bretton Woods Project highlights research showing that IMF policy advice has undermined a just energy transition since the Paris Agreement was signed.