Eastern Europe & Central Asia

Social services

News

IMF-sponsored pension reform prompts Turkish strikes

In early March Turkish unions conducted a two hour "warning strike" to protest against IMF-supported plans for pension plan and health insurance reform.

1 April 2008

Accountability

News

IMF rebukes Tajiks over false information

Tajikistan has gotten itself in hot water with the IMF over poor reporting of information while the country was borrowing money from the Fund.

1 April 2008

Conditionality

News

Turkish bankers, unions question need for IMF

The governor of the Turkish central bank, Durmuş Yılmaz, cast doubt on whether Turkey would renew its arrangement with the IMF.

5 October 2007

IFI governance

News

Serbia pays out, Turkey next?

Serbia became the latest country to retire its debt to the IMF earlier than anticipated. The National Bank of Serbia paid out 15 March the final $230 million of debt that was not due for full repayment until 2010.

2 April 2007

Rights

Commentary

Mercury rising: The World Bank and the Nura river clean-up

In 2003 the World Bank approved a $40 million loan for the Nura river clean-up project in central Kazakhstan, however without the World Bank’s respect for basic public participation and environmental impact assessment standards, the project is at risk of causing unexpected and badly mitigated effects.

2 April 2007 | Guest comment

Accountability

News

Third researchers’ conference on the World Bank

The 2007 Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics (ABCDE) will take place 17-18 May in Bled, Slovenia. The third researchers' conference on the World Bank will be held in parallel.

2 April 2007

Accountability

News

BTC: destruction, abuse and betrayal

In July, as the oil in the IFC-supported Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline finally began flowing a year behind schedule, civil society groups from affected countries and elsewhere presented evidence of destruction, abuse and betrayal.

11 September 2006

IFI governance

News

Research network on the World Bank

In April, a conference of doctoral students and senior researchers was held to reflect on the past operations, policies and programmes and future directions of the World Bank.

13 June 2005

Accountability

News

IFC oil field in Kazakhstan flouts disclosure, safeguards policies

Summary of environmental health problems and human rights violations related to the Karachaganak oil and gas condensate field

10 April 2005

Environment

News

Italian bank dumps troubled World Bank Caspian pipeline

Italian bank pulls out of IFC-backed oil pipeline in the Caspian

2 February 2005

Environment

News

Baku Ceyhan pipeline under scrutiny

The Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline has come under renewed scrutiny just over one year after receiving…

22 November 2004

Environment

News

Georgia puts BP pipeline project on hold

The Georgian government has put a two week halt on BP's controversial Caspian oil pipeline project citing a breach of the environmental permit and other security concerns

28 July 2004