On March 24 the World Bank Board will hold a special consultation session about likely changes to the Bank’s Independent Inspection Panel.
International
Finance
News
New credit line means more IMF conditionality
The G7 proposal to establish a Contingency Credit Facility has met with opposition from some European and developing countries.
IFI governance
News
Bank participation in carbon fund in doubt
The World Bank may have failed to secure European financial support for the Prototype Carbon Fund, one of the controversial carbon-trading schemes devised to implement the Kyoto climate change protocol.
IFI governance
News
Bank seeks balanced development strategies
Bank President James Wolfensohn has announced a new initiative which aims to balance economic with non-economic analysis and enable real participation and transparency in drawing up country strategies.
IFI governance
News
Financial Stability Forum agreed
The G7 will establish a Financial Stability Forum (FSF) to improve the monitoring and regulation of financial markets.
News
IMF “serious” about improving NGOs relations
Useful Contacts
Conditionality
News
Selectivity: conditionality by any other name
Government officials met the World Bank in March to discuss new criteria for allocating its IDA (soft loan) resources among countries.
IFI governance
News
IMF social staff appointed
The UK Department for International Development is funding 2 social advisors to join the IMF’s Africa department to advise on the social implications of the IMF’s ESAF programmes.
News
IMF forecasts in doubt again
Just two weeks after it published its “World Economic Outlook” in September the Fund admitted some of its figures were out of date and would have to be revised downward.
Land
News
Mexico project reveals Bank planning, supervision failings
A detailed paper by Trasparencia traces the history and execution of the Mexican Rainfed Areas Development Project.
Accountability
News
IFC new ombudsman, consultation document
The IFC is appointing an environmental and social compliance ombudsman to monitor implementation of environmental and social policies.
Finance
News
IMF Articles change on hold
Action to change the IMF’s Articles of Agreement to extend the Fund’s purview to cover capital account liberalisation has been put on hold since the financial crisis.
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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.
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The global financial architecture and the international debt crisis: An urgent call for reform
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