This post is from Bank Information Center - Amplifying Local Voices to Democratize Development.
As World Bank member governments gather in Myanmar to discuss their contributions to the International Development Association, the Bank’s fund for the poorest countries, the Bank Information Center is calling on donors to make the adoption of stronger safeguard policies a key objective in the replenishment negotiations. In support of this call, BIC has released a compendium of stories demonstrating the devastating impacts of Bank projects, and the urgent need for stronger environmental and social safeguards to protect the world’s poorest and most vulnerable.
The World Bank is nearing the end of a lengthy, controversial review process of its environmental and social safeguards, with an upcoming vote on the new policies set for August. Safeguards are intended to protect communities against displacement, lost livelihoods, pollution and destruction of natural habitats — but many experts, civil society organizations, and even World Bank member governments have expressed doubts that the draft safeguard policies recently proposed by the World Bank are strong enough to avoid devastating impacts on people and the environment that stand in the way of Bank projects.
Between June 21st through 24th, member governments are gathering for the second of four meetings this year to discuss the future of IDA—which funds many of the projects highlighted in BIC’s Human Faces compendium. For decades, IDA replenishment has provided a chance for donors, borrowing countries and the World Bank itself to honestly assess its effectiveness and identify opportunities for reform—and this chance should not be ignored in such a pivotal year for people and the environment that bear the brunt of development impacts.
Just months before governments pledge contributions for IDA in December, now is the time for donors to make clear that funding IDA depends on the adoption of strong environmental and social safeguards.
Contact:
Julia Radomski
Information Services Coordinator
Bank Information Center
jradomski@bankinformationcenter.org
(202) 624-0636
The post Press Release: IDA Replenishment Negotiations and World Bank Safeguards appeared first on Bank Information Center.
Read Full Story from Updates | Bank Information Center http://www.bankinformationcenter.org/press-release-ida-replenishment-negotiations-and-world-bank-safeguards/
This article by Julia Radomski originally appeared on bicusa.org on June 21, 2016 at 06:01PM
