Bretton Woods Update No.47 September/October 2005

World Bank support for extractives: complicity in human rights violations

Resource|12 September 2005

Refers to the Bank's failure to adequately and explicitly address human rights in its policies, as well as the causality between Bank supported extractive projects and the exacerbation of conflict. Looks at case studies from Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala and Chad and Camerooon. read article...

IMF accused of exacerbating famine in Niger

News|12 September 2005

The IMF's external relations department has spent the last two months furiously rebuffing charges that the Fund has exacerbated famine in Niger. The debate centres around the impact of structural adjustment measures and accusations that donors initially refused to allow the government to distribute free food to affected areas. read article...

IMF conditions blocks achievement of goals in education, health

News|12 September 2005

Two papers by ActionAid International, released at the UN Millennium Review Summit in New York in September, point the finger at the IMF for blocking achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. read article...

Controversy surrounds Bank role in India water privatisation

News|12 September 2005

Accusations emerged in late July that the World Bank had pressured the Indian government to select Price Waterhouse Coopers for advisory work undertaken as part of the Delhi Water Sector Project. read article...

The World Bank, the apartheid wall and the ghettoisation of Palestine

by Jamal Juma

Comment|12 September 2005

Comment by Jamal Juma, campaign coordinator of the Palestinian anti-apartheid wall campaign: StoptheWall. read article...

UK cuts through World Bank spin on conditionality

News|12 September 2005

The business-as-usual findings emerging from a Bank review of conditionality released late July have been challenged by the British government and are contradicted by the findings of a study by Irish NGO Debt and Development Coalition. read article...

Fund economists whistle different trade tune

News|12 September 2005

In two recent papers, Fund economists have questioned the institution's strict adherence to the free trade doctrine. read article...

Decision-making at the IMF

Inside the inst|12 September 2005

A description of the IMF's governance structure and process, including the executive board, board of governors and the International Monetary and Financial committee. read article...

UK reports on its activities at the World Bank and IMF

News|12 September 2005

The UK's Department for International Development published its first annual report of the UK's involvement with the World Bank in March. Treasury published its annual report on UK activities at the IMF in late July. read article...

Climate change and the World Bank: dubious green credentials

Resource|12 September 2005

Critique of the new role assigned to the World Bank by the G8 in tackling climate change by creating a framework for clean energy and development. Summary of recent documents examining the Bank's perpetuation of fossil-fuelled economic expansion and false claims made in relation to the Clean Development Mechanism read article...

Pick and choose:Bank on extractive recommendations

Resource|12 September 2005

Summary and highlights of IFC's response to civil society regarding the implementation of the World Bank Group's own recommendations of the Extractive Industry Review (EIR) read article...

Dam review 5 years on: lessons not learned

Resource|12 September 2005

Brief update of some of the key concerns and projects in relation to Bank-funded hydropower five years on from the WCD and the Bank's failure to adopt many of the WCD recommendations read article...

Indigenous policy undermines rights

Resource|12 September 2005

Summary of the recent paper by UK-based NGO Forest Peoples Programme regarding Indigenous peoples and the World Bank: experiences with participation read article...

Giant taming: 10 years of the Bretton Woods Project

by Alex Wilks

Comment|12 September 2005

Director, European Network on Debt and Development; Coordinator, Bretton Woods Project, 1995-2004 read article...

World Bank - IMF annual meetings 2005

News|12 September 2005

Members of the staff of the Bank and Fund, board members, development and finance ministers are gathered in Washington 23 - 25 September. read article...

How much trust should we put in the funds?

by Jeff Powell

At Issue|16 September 2005

In 2004, the World Bank was responsible for the disbursement of over $3 billion through the 903 trust funds that it manages. The amount of funds being channelled through trust funds looks set to take off as increased international aid commitments chase limited spending channels. Recipients of these funds may see them as manna from heaven - but if trust fund support is not additional to other aid commitments, is this an optimum use of resources or just a cacophony of voices all trying to pull the Bank in different directions? read article...