The World Bank’s efforts to increase security of land tenure have largely amounted to a ‘formalisation’ of land property rights, which reinforce land inequalities and the disenfranchisement of rural peoples.
View all articles
View all articles
View all articles
Ethiopia
Finance
Analysis
Learning lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic: The World Bank’s macroeconomic policies and women’s rights
This briefing argues that the Bank’s current framework for analysing the impacts of its macroeconomic policy advice on gender equality are insufficient.
Land
Analysis
The World Bank’s investments in the Great Green Wall: A desert mirage?
World Bank commits to invest additional $5 billion in the Great Green Wall over the next five years, despite shortcomings in its existing investments in the initiative highlighted by IEG.
Rights
News
Landmark report finds attacks on human rights defenders in name of 'development' on the rise
World Bank and IFC identified as key funders of projects that endanger human rights defenders.
Infrastructure
News
Warming of Ethiopia-Eritrea relations puts proposed LAPSSET mega-project under microscope
Significant concerns also remain about environmental and social impacts of mega-infrastructure project partially financed by World Bank.
Social services
Analysis
Pro-poor or anti-poor? The World Bank and IMF’s approach to social protection
Stephen Kidd critiques Bretton Woods Institutions' approach to targeted social protection systems, arguing the poor lose out the most.
Conditionality
Commentary
Protecting the victories of the ‘IMF Spring’
The IMF's recognition of the importance of inequality is under threat. Concerns have been raised about complacency and even the reversal of the IMF's recent progress on inequality, while IMF staff continue to operationalise new policy advice on inequality in surveillance and lending programmes.
Social services
Analysis
GFF falls short on family planning
Investments by the World Bank-hosted Global Financing Facility (GFF) do not reflect the family planning priorities identified by developing countries and local communities. The GFF also continues to suffer from a lack of transparency and meaningful civil society participation, raising doubts about the new mechanism’s effectiveness.
Other news
Environment
News
Civil society research finds World Bank over-reported adaptation finance
New report raises uncomfortable questions for World Bank leadership about the credibility of the Bank’s climate finance accounting methods.
Rights
News
World Bank failed indigenous peoples in Ethiopia
A report by the World Bank’s Inspection Panel has confirmed that the Bank was non-compliant with its policies on a project in Ethiopia, including on indigenous peoples' rights.
Rights
News
Update on the World Bank safeguards review
A July presentation on the safeguards review included parts of a proposed integrated framework and next steps. A July report by Human Rights Watch called on the Bank to ensure it does not contribute to human rights abuses.
Rights
News
Ethiopia refuses Inspection Panel investigation
Ethiopia has said that it will not cooperate in a proposed investigation by the World Bank's accountability mechanism, the Inspection Panel (IP), into a programme linked to the Bank that according to the indigenous peoples filing the complaint led to "forced villagisation".
Infrastructure
News
World Bank engaged in controversial Ethiopian dam?
In May, over 30 NGOs worldwide issued a letter telling IFIs, bilateral development agencies, and export credit agencies to stop investing in the Ethiopian hydropower project Gilgel Gibe III.
Social services
Background
Evaluating the impact of the PRGF: The cases of Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia
Highlights of a civil society dialogue on the IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility, at the World Bank spring meetings in Washington, 20 April 2006.
Accountability
News
Wolfensohn: African governance “polluted”
The latest soundbite from Bank president James Wolfensohn has to be read to be believed.
Rights
News
Iraq and Ethiopia treatment shows debt relief double standards
The differing treatment given to Ethiopia and Iraq in debt relief suggest that geopolitical considerations are again outweighing internationally agreed criteria for fair debt cancellation.
