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.
Finance
Rights
News
Jakarta activists call for local initiatives
NGO activists in Jakarta wrote an open letter to World Bank President James Wolfensohn in February, asking him to meet directly with the people to hear their own solutions to reverse Indonesia’s economic decline based on small-scale, local initiatives.
Finance
News
Mozambican NGO rejects Bank emergency lending
The Mozambican Debt Group (MDG) has protested against the one-year moratorium on Mozambican debt service payments granted by the World Bank in response to the devastation caused by the worst floods experienced by the country, and against the Bank providing loans to support emergency efforts.
Finance
News
IMF changes its tune on capital controls
A new report from the IMF, Country Experiences with the Use and Liberalization of Capital Controls, reviews experience with the use of capital controls in 14 countries and provides detailed studies of the experience of the use of controls in Chile, India and Malaysia.
Finance
News
Controlling capital flows
A new report by UNCTAD, Capital Flows to Developing Countries and the Reform of the International Financial System, concludes that until ways can be found at the international level to limit financial instability then developing countries should maintain national control over capital flows.
Finance
News
Global Gamblers
A new report from War on Want, The Global Gamblers, British Banks and the Foreign Exchange Game, finds that banks profit substantially from trading foreign currency during periods of financial instability.
Conditionality
News
UK ED quizzed on UK role in Bank and Fund
In October UK Executive Director Stephen Pickford was called before the Treasury and International Development Select Committees for questioning by MPs.
Conditionality
News
Southern organisations demand end to adjustment
Organizations and activists in more than 20 Southern countries have launched a campaign against the destructive lending policies of the World Bank.
Finance
News
Jubilee South summit
Jubilee 2000 representatives held a South-South Summit in South Africa in late November.
Conditionality
News
IMF takes on poverty mandate
Important changes to the IMF’s remit in the poorest countries were announced at the IMF-WB Annual Meetings in September.
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.