Notes of a meeting, Washington DC, 21 September 2011
Social services
Accountability
Background
Notes of meeting between UK Executive Director to World Bank and Civil Society Groups
Civil society organisations met UK Executive Director to the World Bank and staff from the Department for International Development to discuss water, the Bank's private sector approach, health and nutrition, safeguards review and energy strategy.
Finance
News
UK announces priorities for World Bank
In August the UK released its priorities for reform of the World Bank.
Land
News
Red-Dead sea plan in hot water
Three civil society groups have filed a complaint with the World Bank's Inspection Panel, its complaint mechanism, over the Bank's feasibility study for a project to channel water from the Red Sea to replenish the Dead Sea.
IFI governance
News
Big infrastructure, small participation
The World Bank, in conjunction with the G20, is prioritising massive, cross-border infrastructure with private sector involvement, but has failed to involve any local communities.
Social services
News
Bondholders vs the public: Outcry over IMF-EU eurozone loans
The sovereign debt crisis in the eurozone, where Greece now needs a second round of loans, threatens major economies like Spain and Italy, but IMF-backed lending packages that demand deep austerity with insufficient attention to lenders' responsibilities anger the public.
Social services
Commentary
IFC helping Western multinationals exploit Ghana's water crisis
The water supply crisis in Ghana is being exploited by all manner of pro-market corporate bodies ranging from the World Bank to Coca-Cola. While the World Bank is licking its wounds from failed private water management initiatives, such as the Aqua Vitens Rand Limited management contract in Ghana, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), its private sector arm, is investing in small-scale private water ventures via WaterHeath International (WHI).
Accountability
News
IEG annual report slates World Bank's education work
The Bank's Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) released its annual report at end August, again finding shortfalls and uneven results across the World Bank Group. While the Bank's leadership has steered the institution towards more private sector work, outcomes in the education sector and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have dropped substantially.
Environment
Analysis
A faulty model?
This paper critically assesses the appropriateness of the Bank-housed Climate Investment Funds (CIFs) as a model for the Green Climate Fund (GCF). It takes proposals and recommendations by civil society groups and uses them as benchmarks to analyse the CIFs. It finds that in terms of institutional arrangements the CIFs have achieved some notable progress, however, in operations and performance there are serious concerns.
Environment
Commentary
World Bank's Africa strategy remains rutted in comfort zone
A critical analysis of the World Bank's new strategy for Africa
