In early March Turkish unions conducted a two hour "warning strike" to protest against IMF-supported plans for pension plan and health insurance reform.
Eastern Europe & Central Asia
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Environment
News
Italian bank dumps troubled World Bank Caspian pipeline
Italian bank pulls out of IFC-backed oil pipeline in the Caspian
Environment
News
Baku Ceyhan pipeline under scrutiny
The Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline has come under renewed scrutiny just over one year after receiving…
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