This page will be updated regularly with the latest news from the 2009 World Bank and IMF spring meetings
A civil society event organised by World Resources Institute (WRI) at the World Bank spring meetings 2009
There are two major problems which interacted together to cause the crisis: the failure of the financial regulatory and supervisory systems and the failure of the international monetary system. These problems are outlined in written evidence submitted to trhe UK Treasury Committee.
In this paper we assess the outcomes of the London Summit and the UK government's progress towards the 12 recommendations set out by the Put People First platform in March 2009. The G20 London Summit on 2 April 2009 issued "a global plan for recovery and reform". G20 leaders have not yet gone far enough on the fundamental changes the world needs. The communique appears to have made progress on some critical issues but there were also missed opportunities, especially on building a green economy,
A recent paper by Bank staff, which argues for enhanced support of large hydropower projects, has reignited controversy over the Bank's approach, with NGOs claiming that project planning and implementation still show disregard for social and environmental considerations.
A number of 'pilot' funds are underway to develop climate related interventions in key sectors. Significant UK financing has been dedicated to these funds, primarily through the World Bank. These pilot programmes must be seen as building blocks towards an appropriate post 2012 financial architecture. Based on an emerging UK civil society consensus this paper highlights the form that this architecture should take, what development models it should build upon and what technological approaches it s
The first major conference on the financial and economic crisis to involve all countries ended with rich countries blocking substantive reforms demanded by developing countries. The UN conference did however push key issues up the international agenda, such as the need for a better system of international reserves, and for genuine policy space for developing countries.
Current climate pilot projects, many of which are housed under the World Bank, are not leading us towards an equitable and effective post 2012 climate architecture envisioned by NGOs in the UK and beyond.
In Hungary, the IMF seems to be modestly improving its flexibility and conditionality compared to its dreadful practices in previous decades. However, a still distinctively neoliberal vision of how economies work is in play attributable as much to the Hungarian government as to the IMF. The deficits of democracy and poor economic governance in Hungary make our indebted future increasingly bleak.
An article in the Economist highlights that no market has been formalised for trading carbon credits generated by programmes for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD)
Reviews of World Bank development policy lending and poverty and social impact analysis leave questions as to the extent to which the Bank's budget support in developing countries targets pro-poor initiatives.
The International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), part of the World Bank Group, is an arbitration forum between governments and foreign investors to settle investment disputes. Two thirds of international investment disputes go through ICSID.
New BWP briefing finds the World Bank counted 70 per cent of energy-sector reforms in Development Policy Financing as having 'climate co-benefits' between 2018-2023 - but most of these promoted a private-led energy transition.
