Finance

News

New book on debt origins and impacts

Brazilian activist Marcos Arruda exposes the problems with his government’s economic policies and the role of the IMF in a new book.

Finance

News

IMF “Lending Into Arrears” In Ecuador

The new IMF policy of “lending into arrears”, that is lending to countries in financial crisis with debts owing to the private sector, has been applied to Ecuador.

Environment

News

Ecuador mining demands

The Organizacion Defensa y Conservacion Ecologica de Intag has written again to the Ecuadorian environment minister to request that mineral surveys from the Cotacachi-Cayapas national park are not released.

Rights

News

Bankrupt the World Bank!

As 80% of the money the World Bank uses to make its loans actually comes from the sale of bonds to institutional investors (pension funds, universities, municipalities, etc.

Accountability

News

Panel claim in Ecuador

The Prodeminca mining project in Ecuador, officially called the Ecuadorian Mining and Environment Technical Assistance Project, involves a loan for $14 million that was approved in 1994.

Accountability

News

Brazil land reform Panel request denied

The second Inspection Panel claim on the pilot phase of the Brazilian land reform project, commonly known as Cedula da Terra, was denied for reasons of eligibility of the requesters.

Finance

News

Ecuador crisis leads to indigenous peoples’ uprising

In January, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), and other social movements led an uprising in protest at the worsening economic situation which resulted in the resignation of the president, Jamil Mahuad.

WB/IMF roles

News

Brazil IMF rep blunder over poverty programme

In February, government and opposition parties called for the Brazilian IMF representative, Lorenzo Perez, to leave the country and accused the IMF of meddling in its domestic affairs.

Land

News

Swiss delegation to Brazil

In late November a delegation of Swiss NGOs, parliamentarians and senior aid officials travelled to Brazil to examine recent World Bank lending to that country.

Finance

News

IMF policies fuel social crisis in Ecuador

In July, rising transport and fuel prices in Ecuador led to strikes and public protests, and an up-rising by thousands of indigenous people who are also concerned about privatisation plans.

Conditionality

News

Strikers in Colombia in protest at IMF and debt

In late August Colombian labour unions began an indefinite national strike in protest at the government’s political, social, and economic agenda and calling on the government to declare a moratorium on the payment of its internal and external debt.

Conditionality

News

Bank support for social sector in Brazil an illusion

Last year the World Bank lent billions of dollars to Brazil, claiming that they would support social safety-nets during the financial crisis.