Coverage of the communiqu
Voting rights
Accountability
Background
Videoconference between UK civil society and Alex Gibbs, UK IMF Executive Director
Minutes of a meeting between UK civil society, UK IMF Executive Director Alex Gibbs, and UK Treasury staff
IFI governance
News
G20 versus UN: the battle continues
The future of international economic governance and financial reform is still being debated separately at the United Nations and the G20, but little progress is being made.
IFI governance
News
Rebranding hides little change for IMF lending
The IMF has launched a rebranding exercise for all of its lending to low-income countries, and while the new facilities will deliver more resources, the money seems destined to come with the usual damaging conditionality attached.
IFI governance
Commentary
The Byzantine governance of the IFIs
On August 28, in Bariloche, Argentina, the presidents of twelve South American countries met to discuss a life-or-death issue for their newly created Union of South American Nations (Unasur): the Colombian-US agreement allowing for extra-regional military to set up a chain of bases very close to the heart of the Amazon.
IFI governance
News
Bank hired in Israel without bidding process
The World Bank was awarded a $500,000 contract to examine the Israeli Electricity Corporation's financial condition with no bidding process. If this were a Bank-funded project, such a procedure would not be allowed.
IFI governance
News
SDRs allocated, bonds sold, IMF gold next
In early September the IMF completed the allocations of special drawing rights (SDRs) that were agreed by the G20 in April, with a $250 billion general allocation and a $34 billion special allocation designed to help members of the IMF who joined the institution after 1981. The IMF also completed its first ever sale of bonds, with $50 billion worth of SDR-denominated bonds being sold to China in early September. Also, the IMF executive board agreed in mid September to the modalities for the sale
IFI governance
News
Delivering the insufficient?
Despite spin doctoring that called it a triumph for cracking down on banking bonuses, the G20 finance ministers’ statement in early September produced an accounting for how the G20 met or did not meet existing promises and little new agreement. Once again the UK government excluded critical civil society from the discussions.
IFI governance
News
HM Treasury's IMF report: late and without ambition
Finally in mid-2009, the UK issued a report on its relationship with the IMF for 2007-2008, covering two years instead of the normal one to rectify the complete failure to issue an 'annual' report for 2007. It lacks ambition for further reform at the Fund, and because so little was achieved in the two years it covers, the report mostly hails agreements that were achieved in 2009 to strengthen the IMF.
Accountability
News
The DFID white paper and the World Bank: Missing the point?
The latest DFID white paper strengthens the UK's target setting for the World Bank, but fails to adequately tackle the crucial questions of governance, conditionality, human rights accountability, and climate finance. A recent Tory Party policy paper leaves it unclear whether they would do any better.
