In February World Bank President James Wolfensohn met the leaders of nine religious faiths to discuss views on development.
International
Knowledge
News
Are the 2015 targets realistic?
A new World Bank paper asks whether and how the international development targets (formerly known as “DAC targets”) for reducing poverty and improving social and environmental indicators might be achieved.
Finance
News
J2000 mobilise 70,000
An estimated 70,000 people demonstrated in Birmingham to call on G8 leaders to cancel poor countries’ unpayable debts.
IFI governance
News
Bank reform: what’s new?
In April the Bank’s Board discussed a progress report on the Strategic Compact: Wolfensohn’s reform package agreed one year ago.
Private Sector
News
Bank "Business Partnerships" scheme launched
The World Bank has committed $3 million to a “Business Partners for Development” initiative to undertake studies and pilot projects involving companies, NGOs and governments.
Finance
News
Private flows slowdown
Private capital flows fell sharply in the latter half of 1997 after having risen in the beginning of the year, as short-term capital flowed out of emerging markets in the wake of the Asian crisis.
News
International Finance Guide
A Citizen’s Guide to the Globalisation of Finance outlines current trends, and examines the recent financial crash in Southeast Asia and the potential for a similar crisis in India.
Knowledge
News
Bulletin dissects Bank report on the State
The April 1998 Institute for Development Studies Bulletin critiques the Bank’s World Development Report, The State in a Changing World.
IFI governance
News
Sibling rivalry: can the Fund and Bank cooperate?
UK Secretary of State for International Development Clare Short told the Financial Times in April: “We are in a very silly situation. The international institutions are meant to be complementary, but the IMF keeps charging around taking other peoples’ jobs in areas where it is not necessarily competent”.
Knowledge
News
Knowledge report discussions
The Bretton Woods Project is about to be sent the yellow cover draft of the Bank’s 1998 World Development Report.
IFI governance
News
Bank builds muscle to deal with crises
The Bank will spend $50m over the next two years recruiting financial sector experts for a new Special Financial Operations unit.
IFI governance
News
IFC slammed by Anthropologists Association
In April Jane Hill, President of the American Anthropological Association, wrote a strong letter to Bank Group President James Wolfensohn and Carol Lee, IFC Vice President and General Counsel.
Featured briefings
6 April 2023
World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings 2023
5 April 2023
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.
5 April 2023
The global financial architecture and the international debt crisis: An urgent call for reform
Influence of unreformed international financial institutions and creditor interests in debt solutions in low- and middle-income countries plagued by delay and ineffective when undertaken.