Development Banks Failing in the Fight Against Climate Change

This post is from Bank Information Center - Amplifying Local Voices to Democratize Development.

New research today reveals that not one of the world’s main development banks is on track to help keep the world below 2 degrees warming. Instead, the banks – funded by tax-payers – continue to support fossil-fuel projects in developing countries.

Worst performers include the World Bank’s private sector lending arms[1] which promote fossil fuels in nearly a half of their lending, compared to only a quarter for renewable energy; and the Asian Development Bank which lent nearly a billion dollars to coal projects in just three years. Meanwhile, none of the banks has an overall target to reduce emissions in their lending.

Bank information Center’s (BIC) and Sierra Club’s scorecard assessed the recent record of multilateral development banks (MDBs)[2] in meeting their stated commitments to help poor countries transition to a low-carbon economy, to avoid or reduce project-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to increase support to renewable forms of energy. The verdict? MDBs do not pass the 2 degree test.

Nezir Sinani of Bank Information Center says, “These banks fail the climate test because they simply don’t measure or try to curtail their support for fossil fuels. This support often remains hidden behind incentives, guarantees or in complex investment structures like Public Private Partnerships or lending through third parties. This is an unacceptable use of public funds – which should be promoting a greener, cleaner world.”

The scorecard found that:

• None of the MDBs has a portfolio-wide target to reduce gross GHG emissions in their lending. Nor do they report publicly on this key issue
• None of the MDBs adequately assess or address climate change risks associated with policy-lending, technical assistance, and financial intermediaries.
• The World Bank lags behind all other MDBs with no policy on assessing and reporting project-level gross GHG emissions.
• The IFC/MIGA and EIB are the worst performers due to their continued high level of support for fossil fuels. The IFC/MIGA’s share of fossil fuels in its energy portfolio was by far the worst at 46 percent with RE & EE comprising only 24 percent.
• The ADB scores worst for its continued lending to coal projects. From 2011 to 2013, it provided the most funding, $900 million, to coal projects. The ADB still does not have any policy to restrict lending to coal power projects.
• All of the MDBs fail to assess impacts and risks to forests. This includes indirect impacts from the drivers of deforestation (mining, energy, agriculture and transportation) and policy reforms, such as land tenure reforms.

Overall the World Bank Group (both its public and private sector arms) is lagging behind other MDBs, despite President Kim’s commitment to tackling climate change. The most enthusiastic fossil fuel promoters – in terms of their direct and indirect lending – are the IFC and EIB; while coal’s biggest funder is the Asian Development Bank.

Nicole Ghio of Sierra Club says, “To promote the transition to a low-carbon economy, the banks have to get a clearer idea of the climate impacts of their lending. It’s essential that we see real action now: with banks signing up to emissions-reduction targets, and putting their money where their mouth is by funding truly low carbon economies.”

On the positive side, the MDBs are making progress on many fronts, including new commitments made in Lima, which deserve to be commended. The scorecard identifies the main climate-smart standouts.

For the full report, please visit: http://www.bankinformationcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/MDB-Climate-Change-Scorecard-formatted.pdf

________________________________________
[1] The International Finance Corporation and MIGA
[2] The MDB Climate Change Scorecard assesses the progress of seven MDBs, including: World Bank, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Asian Development Bank (ADB), African Development Bank (AfDB), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and European Investment Bank (EIB).

 

CONTACTS

Nezir Sinani
Climate Change Program Coordinator
Bank Information Center
nsinani@bankinformationcenter.org
+377 44 906 609

Nicole Ghio
Senior International Campaign Representative
Sierra Club
Nicole.ghio@sierraclub.org
+1 202 675 6270

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This article by Julia Radomski originally appeared on bicusa.org on December 08, 2015 at 06:12PM

Zero Deforestation at the World Bank: Development Finance Should Stand Against Forest Loss

This post is from Bank Information Center - Amplifying Local Voices to Democratize Development.

World Bank president urged to commit to Zero Deforestation declaration, speak out on deforestation at COP21 in Paris

Conserving forests is one of the most important climate change mitigation solutions, and is essential to addressing the World Bank’s twin goals of eliminating extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity. As many progressive governments and private sector actors make commitments to zero deforestation, a group of international civil society organizations are calling upon the World Bank Group and other development institutions to pledge to remove deforestation from its lending portfolio.

To position itself as a global leader in climate change and forest conservation, the World Bank Group should make a clear statement at COP21 which underscores the importance of forests in climate change and poverty alleviation, and signals an intention to commit to zero deforestation across the institution’s portfolio. 

Such a commitment is a logical step, given the indispensable nature of forests to forest-dwelling people around the world. An estimated 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihoods, which provide clean and abundant water, food and medicinal plants. Forests also support the agriculture of nearly half the population of the developing world and provide critical climate change mitigation and adaptation, which disproportionately impacts the world’s poorest people.

Halting deforestation will be necessary to put into practice the World Bank’s strong rhetoric on addressing climate change. Globally, emissions from deforestation and forest degradation generate 15-20% of global greenhouse gases, and undisturbed natural forests are net carbon sinks, storing 80% percent of the Earth’s aboveground and 40% of belowground terrestrial carbon. If all deforestation were halted tomorrow, the increased carbon sequestration in tropical forests would offset up to 38 percent of total annual greenhouse gas emissions.

The coalition of civil society organizations has proposed a Declaration on Zero Deforestation in International Finance and Development, which is formulated to apply any international financial institution or development agency. The declaration outlines ten goals, including commitments related to:

1. Ending illegal deforestation
2. Availability of finance to support existing international commitments related to forests
3. Measurement and reporting of forest impacts
4. Community management of forest resources and community land rights
5. Zero financing of deforestation or degradation for a subset of sensitive forest habitats (including primary forests, high conservation value forests, and intact forest landscapes)
6. Deforestation or degradation of other natural forests only in exceptional circumstances, and if compensated.

Civil society organizations including Conservation International, Greenpeace International, Foundation Earth, Wild Foundation, Rainforest Foundation Norway, and Consejo Civil Mexicano para la Silvicultura Sostenible, and BIC wrote to World Bank president Dr. Jim Yong Kim to encourage him to make this vital commitment.

 

Add your voice: share the Zero Deforestation declaration and demand that the World Bank make the pledge!

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This article by Julia Radomski originally appeared on bicusa.org on December 02, 2015 at 01:27AM

UN Forum on Business and Human Rights

This post is from Bank Information Center - Amplifying Local Voices to Democratize Development.

BIC is thrilled to be contributing to the 2015 UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva November 16-18! Board members Katie Redford and Vicky Tauli-Corpuz (pictured right) are in attendance.

BIC Safeguards Program Assistant Margaret Federici was featured as a panelist on “Development Finance Institutions: Human Rights Obligations and the Right to Remedy,” alongside representatives from Human Rights Watch, Accountability Counsel, and Conectas Human Rights.

Check out the videos and live stream at http://webtv.un.org/live/.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This article by Julia Radomski originally appeared on bicusa.org on November 19, 2015 at 01:09AM

New Video: Persons with Disabilities and Lima’s Metropolitano

This post is from Bank Information Center - Amplifying Local Voices to Democratize Development.

Society and Disability and the Peruvian Down Syndrome Society, civil society organizations in Peru advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities, have produced a video on the impact of the World Bank funded Lima Urban Transport Project (Metropolitano) and the Mainstreaming Inclusive Design and Universal Mobility in Lima Project on persons with disabilities.

The Metropolitano represented a unique opportunity for persons with disabilities in Lima to gain access to a public transportation system for the first time as no other mass transit system in the city had been even remotely accessible. However, given the lack of policies at the World Bank that address the specific needs of persons with disabilities, the Metropolitano was not built to be fully accessible which then caused the Bank to reinvest to improve accessibility features of the project. The video shows the importance of ensuring that World Bank projects are inclusive for persons with disabilities so that everyone can benefit from and not be harmed by Bank projects.

Read the full case study on the Metropolitano here.

 

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This article by Julia Radomski originally appeared on bicusa.org on November 09, 2015 at 06:58PM

Video: Disabilities and the National Agriculture Advisory Services in Uganda

This post is from Bank Information Center - Amplifying Local Voices to Democratize Development.

The National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU), an indigenous umbrella organization of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Uganda working to promote the equalisation of opportunities and active participation of PWDs in mainstream development processes, has produced a video on the impact of the World Bank funded National Agriculture Advisory Services (NAADS) in Uganda on persons with disabilities.

Samuel Owere’s experience is not indicative of the experience of the majority of farmers in Uganda with disabilities but exemplifies how very small changes in project design can have great impact on beneficiaries. The video shows the importance of ensuring that World Bank projects are inclusive for persons with disabilities so that everyone can benefit from and not be harmed by Bank projects.

 

 

Full case study: “The impact of the World Bank funded National Agricultural Advisory Services on the livelihoods of Ugandan peasant farmers including farmers with disabilities.”

 

 

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This article by Julia Radomski originally appeared on bicusa.org on October 27, 2015 at 07:43PM

Child Rights at the 2015 World Bank Meetings in Lima

This post is from Bank Information Center - Amplifying Local Voices to Democratize Development.

BIC Panels Explore Challenges and Ways Forward Around World Bank-Funded Mining Projects

During the recent World Bank and IMF Annual General Meetings (AGM) in Lima, Peru, BIC’s Child Rights Program co-sponsored two events to discuss the World Bank’s engagement in mining projects in Peru and their impacts on children. Along with Save the Children, BIC co-sponsored a panel to discuss their joint research project on Yanacocha and Conga, mines in which the IFC, the World Bank Group’s private investment arm, has held a long standing equity interest. This panel brought together a diverse group of commentators from the private sector, civil society, World Bank, and the Catholic Church. Panelists included Morgan Landy, Director of the Environmental, Social and Governance Team at the IFC, Carlos Scerpella, Senior Human Rights Specialist with Newmont, as well as Monsignor Pedro Barreto, an archbishop from another region in Peru who has been a longtime advocate for children impacted by mining projects in the country.

The panel commenced with a presentation by Javier Mujica on the impacts of the mines on children—including missed time in school, devastating health problems, increased sexual abuse and human trafficking, and living in a constant state of fear from the protracted social conflict around the proposed expansion mine. Javier’s presentation also included recommendations based on international human rights law, and specifically the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in order to better protect the rights and interests of children in the region and everywhere that mining projects are carried out.

BIC’s child rights program also participated in the civil society-sponsored Alternative Platform. Together with INFANT and Save the Children, BIC sponsored an event that included two panels. The first panel featured children that participated in BIC’s children’s consultations around the World Bank safeguards review. They were joined by Alfredo Pérsico Gutiérrez, a psychologist and champion of child rights in Peru. The panelists discussed the importance of listening to children, and including them in the design and implementation of development projects and programs. The children made strong presentations clearly demonstrating that they can be strong advocates for their own rights and interests, and that they have valuable opinions on difficult and complicated issues associated with development. Listen to some of their presentations and interviews (in Spanish only) here:

 

The event also included a panel of adults that discussed research commissioned by BIC and Save the Children around the impacts of the World Bank Group-funded Yanacocha and Conga mines in northern Peru. Frank Boeren, the country director for Oxfam International in Peru, as well as Federico Arnillas, the President of the Roundtable for Poverty Reduction commented on the research presented by Javier Mujica, President of Peru Equidad. Mr. Mujica’s presentation included recommendations for the World Bank and Newmont, the American mining company involved in Yanacocha and Conga, on how to avoid and mitigate impacts on children that are commonly associated with extractive industry projects.

The panel discussions highlighted several areas of common ground between these diverse stakeholders, most importantly that that the needs and interests of children must be addressed in the context of mining operations. The panelists also identified several areas where further work must be done to ensure that children’s rights are protected.  Several of the panelists at both the civil society policy forum as well as the Alternative Platform pointed out that children’s rights can often be overlooked in the mining context, and a concerted effort must be made to include them in the design and implementation of these projects.

We look forward to continued dialogue and engagement by all of the parties involved in these important discussions, and we are hopeful that these conversations can lead to better policies and practices that can effectively protect and engage this very important group of stakeholders.

 

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This article by Julia Radomski originally appeared on bicusa.org on October 20, 2015 at 07:42PM

Zero Deforestation: World Bank, make the pledge!

This post is from Bank Information Center - Amplifying Local Voices to Democratize Development.

Conserving forests is essential to achieving the World Bank’s twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. A high percentage of the world’s impoverished people source food, medicine, building materials and fuel-wood directly from forests, and depend on the forest ecosystem services of water provision and purification, flood prevention, and climate change adaptation and mitigation.

To pursue the win-win scenario of promoting the sustainable development while leading on timely and effective solutions to climate change, the World Bank must commit to zero forest loss in its portfolio— both in investments within the forest sector, and external to the forest sector. Such a zero deforestation pledge must include direct deforestation due to the Bank’s investments, as well as extending to deforestation-free supply chains for products used in and generated by Bank investments.

As UNFCCC COP21 in Paris rapidly approaches, the world is watching closely and hoping for a binding post-2020 climate change commitment. A strong commitment from the World Bank to eliminate forest loss from its portfolio would provide the political support and finance necessary to make national climate change goals a reality. The World Bank is ideally positioned to play an integral role in combatting climate change by supporting climate change resilient, zero deforestation development, and by setting important precedents that would have cascading effects on the policies of other development financiers, private corporations, and borrower countries.

To encourage the World Bank to act on deforestation, BIC has launched a campaign encouraging the Bank’s president, Jim Kim, to make a pledge committing to zero deforestation. BIC is currently working with a coalition of CSOs to develop a policy proposal for a zero deforestation commitment. Stay tuned here, on Twitter @BIC_updates, and on our facebook for more news in the coming weeks! Contact Pia Iolster or Rachel Baker for more information and to get involved.

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This article by Julia Radomski originally appeared on bicusa.org on October 20, 2015 at 05:43PM

Disability and Safeguards at the 2015 World Bank Meetings

This post is from Bank Information Center - Amplifying Local Voices to Democratize Development.

The Disability and World Bank Safeguards Campaign, together with its Peruvian focal point organizations Society and Disability and the Peruvian Down Syndrome Society, participated in the World Bank Annual Meetings in Lima, Peru October 6-9, 2015.

(From left) Fernando Bolaños, Catalina Devandas, Vladimir Cuk, Maninder Gill

The Campaign was joined by Catalina Devandas,  Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to advocate for the systematic inclusion of persons with disabilities in World Bank operations, including the World Bank safeguard policies.

As Jose Alejandro Rojas Ramirez, the World Bank Executive Director representing Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Spain, and Venezuela, stated as he moderated the Campaign’s panel on Disability and Inclusive Development at the Civil Society Forum, “Inclusion is the cornerstone to eradicating poverty.”

Without ensuring inclusion for all, including persons with disabilities, in World Bank project benefits, the World Bank cannot accomplish its twin goals of eliminating extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity.

The Disability and Inclusive Development panel also included Catalina Devandas, Vladimir Cuk, Executive Director of the International Disability Alliance, Maninder Gill, Director for the Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience Global Practice at the World Bank, and Fernando Bolaños, Vice Minister of Vulnerable Populations of Peru.

(From left) Vladimir Cuk, Catalina Devandas, Bryan Russell

Additionally, the Campaign hosted a panel on the importance of inclusive development during the Alterative Forum. Panelists included Vladimir Cuk, Catalina Devandas, and Bryan Russell from the Peruvian Down Syndrome Society.

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This article by Julia Radomski originally appeared on bicusa.org on October 19, 2015 at 10:15PM

“Children Left Vulnerable By World Bank Amid Push For Development”- Read the Latest Installment of ‘Evicted and Abandoned’

This post is from Bank Information Center - Amplifying Local Voices to Democratize Development.

Picture of KEMAL JUFRI / Photo credit FERN AND ICIJ

In the latest installment of “Evicted and Abandoned”, a year-long investigation into the ‘hidden toll of development’ financed by the World Bank, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, in collaboration with The Food & Environment Reporting Network, tells the story of Revan Pragustiawan, a little boy who is forcibly displaced from his ancestral home on the Indonesian island of Sumatra by a World Bank-backed palm oil company. Four years later, Revan continues to suffer serious psychological trauma from having seen his home destroyed, as his family struggles to provide him and his siblings with adequate nutrition and other basic necessities where they were forced to resettle.

Revan’s story is a worst-case example of the trauma that children can suffer when they live in the path of initiatives sustained by money from the World Bank Group, the multinational financial giant that styles itself as an anti-poverty champion.

The World Bank’s resettlement policy, one of its environmental and social safeguards, does not adequately address the fact that children suffer differently and disproportionately from forced evictions. BIC’s own Elana Berger, Child Rights Program Manager, is quoted in the article, noting that “even temporary disruptions in schooling, family income and living conditions can have devastating effects on a child’s development.”

It was the World Bank Group’s private lending arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), that supported the palm oil company responsible for displacing Revan and his family in 2011. Complaints filed by indigenous communities like Revan’s affected by expanding palm oil plantations charged that the IFC ignored its own social safeguards that require the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples whose livelihoods and land rights are affected by its loans.

Revan’s story is an unfortunate lesson for the World Bank Group that it cannot reach its anti-poverty objectives without adopting strong policies on resettlement. In order to protect its most vulnerable stakeholders, the World Bank should require that concrete plans are in place to shield children from the negative impacts of resettlement, and to consult children themselves on the policies and projects that affect them. BIC’s Child Rights program will continue to advocate for these goals in the context of the World Bank’s ongoing safeguards review.

 

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This article by Margaret Federici originally appeared on bicusa.org on October 14, 2015 at 11:10PM

U.S. Congressional Hearing Highlights World Bank Aversion to Human Rights Commitments

This post is from Bank Information Center - Amplifying Local Voices to Democratize Development.

On September 30^th, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission held a hearing at the United States Congress on international financial institutions (IFIs) and human rights, chaired by Congressman Jim McGovern. Witnesses included BIC’s Nezir Sinani from Kosovo, Milton Sanchez from Peru, and Obang Metho from Ethiopia, who testified on the human rights impacts of World Bank projects on communities in their home countries. Mr. Philip Alston, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, gave further testimony from a policy perspective on the World Bank’s problematic attitude towards human rights, calling the Bank a “human rights-free zone.”

 As one of the most influential international development agencies in the world, the World Bank’s approach to human rights has enormous global impacts and sets the standards for other development-focused institutions. Nevertheless, the World Bank has resisted committing to fundamental human rights standards, despite its fraught history with issues like forced displacement and environmental pollution. Wednesday’s hearing brought this history vividly to light. Obang Metho of the Solidary Movement for a New Ethiopia told the story of the Bank’s ‘villageization’ project and its devastating and violent impact on indigenous communities and their land rights. Milton Sanchez of the Interinstitutional Platform of Celendin illustrated how Bank-funded mining projects in Cajamarca have resulted and will continue to exacerbate contamination of water sources and erosion of the livelihoods of local communities.

Nezir Sinani, Safeguards and Climate Change Coordinator at BIC, told the story of the Bank’s involvement in coal power plants in Kosovo. The Bank’s well-known climate commitments aside, these projects sparked the forced eviction of several communities who have yet to be compensated. In his testimony, Mr. Sinani noted a recent study that found that World Bank projects have displaced approximately 3.4 million people over the last decade.

Milton Sanchez , Obang Metho , and Nezir Sinani testify at the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on September 30, 2015.

 

The UN Special Rapporteur, Professor Philip Alston, was emphatic in his criticisms of the World Bank’s aversion to human rights in his testimony to the Commission, elaborating on findings he established in a recent UN report on the subject.  At Wednesday’s hearing he described the Bank’s aspirational, non-binding human rights policies and gave recommendations for how to advance them in order to match the commitments of national governments and other international institutions. He argued that the status quo cannot be sustained, as the Bank currently “treats human rights more like an infectious disease than universal values and obligations.”

A full transcript of the hearing is available from the US Congress Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission website.

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This article by Julia Radomski originally appeared on bicusa.org on October 02, 2015 at 08:53PM

Subscribe to the BIC MENA newsletter

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This article by Julia Radomski originally appeared on bicusa.org on September 08, 2015 at 06:27PM

Update on Phase 3 Consultations of the World Bank Safeguards Review

This post is from Bank Information Center - Amplifying Local Voices to Democratize Development.

On August 4^th, 2015, the World Bank released a revised version of its safeguards policies, which it calls the Environmental and Social Framework (ESF). The effectiveness of the revised ESF is compromised by several overarching issues, including an over-reliance on borrowers for safeguard due diligence, lack of clear timing and procedural requirements for risk appraisal, and no updated budget or implementation details. The second draft of the safeguards also debuts even weaker language on the World Bank’s responsibility vis-a-vis universal human rights.

World Bank Management released the new draft for consultation (thus initiating Phase 3 of the safeguards review) despite crippling disagreement among Bank Board members, who remain divided on issues including the draft’s reference to human rights, the definition of vulnerable groups, and the use of borrower frameworks, among others. The Bank Information Center has been informed that 100 Borrower governments have requested to meet with Bank Management on these divisive issues, as well as on the ‘implementability’ of the safeguards and their ability to build Borrower capacity.

At this stage it is unclear how many consultations will take place and in which countries, but they will likely begin in late September/early October, and may only run until December. In order to ensure transparency and to elicit input from the people who are most closely familiar with and/or have been affected by Bank projects, it is imperative that the World Bank involve civil society and project stakeholders in these consultations with governments.

 

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This article by Jamal Hussain originally appeared on bicusa.org on August 25, 2015 at 09:44PM

Tunisian CSOs and University Professors Submit their Comments on the SCD Executive Summary to the World Bank

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The World Bank office in Tunis held a session in June, 2015 to present and discuss its Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD)[1] for Tunisia. Following this session the participating group of university professors and representatives from civil society organizations (CSOs) submitted their comments to the Bank in a brief paper containing their points pertaining to both the SCD and the Country Partnership Framework (CPF).  Among the comments made by the CSOs was that the Bank must reach out to the regions to hold consultations. In response, the Bank has invited the group of CSOs for a half-day session to be held in one of the interior regions during the week of 24 August, 2015, and the CSOs have suggested Sfax as a venue for this session. However, it remains unclear what the nature of that meeting is going to be and what its relation to the ongoing CPF is, especially that the Bank has already published the full SCD document on its website, and so it is not clear whether this session is meant to serve as consultation for the CPF. This is especially important since the CSOs had been advised that the final SCD document is pending the government’s publishing of its five-year developmental plan, which is expected soon. The government is currently organizing regional meetings for the discussion of that plan.

The CSO group continues to collaborate and are currently working on the preparation for this meeting. They remain in wait for more information regarding CPF timeline, upcoming consultations and their locations.

[1] Systemic Country Diagnostic (SCD) is an in-depth study by the World Bank to identify and analyze the main opportunities and obstacles for poverty elimination and shared prosperity in a country. The Bank builds its Country Partnership Framework for a country (its involvement strategy for 4 years) on the findings of the SCD among other inputs.

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This article by Jamal Hussain originally appeared on bicusa.org on August 25, 2015 at 09:43PM

BIC-MENA bids farewell to Nadia Daar, Policy Manager and Yemen Program Coordinator

This post is from Bank Information Center - Amplifying Local Voices to Democratize Development.

After almost seven years with the Bank Information Center, we are sad to have recently said goodbye to Nadia Daar, MENA Policy Manager and Yemen Program Coordinator who has started a new position with Oxfam International. Nadia’s time at BIC saw her work in several MENA countries, acquiring strong expertise on IFI advocacy to allow her to work not just on MENA but also on BIC’s global policy work. Amy Ekdawi, Regional Program Manager at BIC and long-time friend, said “Although Nadia will be missed dearly at BIC, we will continue to build on her many achievements.”

Among Nadia’s many accomplishments were overseeing the growth of BIC’s programmatic work in Yemen to include equipping a large group of CSOs with the tools to engage in project monitoring of World Bank development activities across the country. Nadia also extended the Yemen program to include technical training for parliamentarians to enable them to fulfill their role in foreign aid oversight. In recent years, Nadia was seminal in monitoring the development of the World Bank’s new Country Engagement Model and advocating for greater civil society engagement in the process. Under her direction the campaign succeeded in ensuring that the Bank systematically consults stakeholders on the Systematic Country Diagnostic, a key entry point for CSOs to influence the Bank’s analysis of opportunities for, and constraints to, sustainable development.

Nadia will continue to work on IFI advocacy on behalf of civil society in her new role as IFI Policy Advisor for Oxfam International in its Washington, DC office.

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This article by Jamal Hussain originally appeared on bicusa.org on August 25, 2015 at 09:42PM

Iraqi CSOs Meet With World Bank Country Manager

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Based on a request by a number of Iraqi civil society organizations (CSOs), a meeting was held with the World Bank’s country manager in Baghdad on 9 July 2015. During the meeting, the CSO group learned that going forward, Bank investment in Iraq will be in the form of loans as opposed to grants, which has been the form of Bank’s involvement in the country since 2003. The projects will be in the focused on reconstruction for the areas where ISIS has been pushed back, and are expected to launch by September 2015 in the governorates of Saladin, and Diyala. In Saladin, which includes the districts of Tikrit. Naheyet Al Allam, Naheyet Addor and Naheyet Addulouya, the amount designated by the Bank for reconstruction is $6,500,000 focused on the health sector, services, road infrastructure, in addition to a budget loan that is to be used for infrastructure.

CSOs also learned that the Bank was engaged in providing technical support to the government in its drafting of the Iraqi federal budget for 2016 as part of the government’s plan to make reforms in order to activate the role of the private sector. In addition, the bank is involved in a project with the Shura council in Kurdistan that is aimed at facilitating citizen complaint procedures.

The participating CSOs discussed the possibility of Iraq joining the Global Partnership for Social Accountability (GPSA), which is a fund administered by the Word Bank to offer grants to CSOs in the member countries to monitor and hold their government officials accountable for the use of public money. They were informed that the matter had been presented to the former government before but that the latter showed no interest in joining the GPSA. However, the World Bank’s country manager promised the group to revisit this issue and to discuss it  with the Bank’s GPSA manager. A meeting date between the CSOs and the bank has been set to the end of September 2015 in order to discuss the procedures through which Iraq may be able to join the Partnership. The Bank’s office manager also promised further engagement of CSO groups in Iraq, and showed interest in contacting the head of the NGOs committee of the Iraqi Parliament, Ms. Mirza, in order to bring the discussed ideas to her attention.

In a promising step, Bank officials have contacted the participants following that meeting to inform them of the Bank’s interest in engaging civil society organizations in Iraq in third party monitoring of World Bank projects in the country. This will be a competitive process and many Iraqi CSOs are interested in submitting proposals to the Bank to get the needed financial resources to do the job.

It is worth noting that systemic corruption was identified by many of the World Bank’s own reports as one of the main obstacles to development in Iraq. A few weeks after this meeting, wide protests erupted in Iraq against corruption in the government. The protests led the government to introduce some reforms aimed at combating systemic administrative corruption. This might be an opportune moment for Iraqi civil society groups to pressure their government to join GPSA.

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This article by Jamal Hussain originally appeared on bicusa.org on August 25, 2015 at 08:37PM

World Bank Environmental and Social Safeguards Update

This post is from Bank Information Center - Amplifying Local Voices to Democratize Development.

BIC Statement on New Safeguards Draft

On August 4, 2015 the World Bank publicly released the second draft of its Environmental and Social Framework (ESF), thus initiating Phase 3 of the safeguards review. The ESF contains the safeguard policies designed to protect communities and the environment in World Bank investment projects.

The effectiveness of the World Bank’s new safeguards is compromised by several issues, including an over-reliance on borrowers for due diligence, lack of clear timing and procedural requirements for risk appraisal, and no budget or implementation details. The revised ESF also debuts weaker language on the World Bank’s responsibility vis-a-vis universal human rights.

In a joint press statement, BIC and 18 other organizations noted that the new draft “contradicts World Bank President Jim Yong Kim’s promise to ensure that the Bank’s new rules will not weaken or ‘dilute’ existing mandatory environmental and social protection measures and calls into question the extent to which the Bank has responded to public input.” The World Bank Inspection Panel also critically commented on the draft, highlighting its shaky accountability and monitoring requirements.

BIC has composed a “Guide to a First Look at the World Bank’s Revised Environmental and Social Framework” detailing main areas of concern. This Guide addresses issues with disability rights, children’s rights, gender and SOGIE, environmental and social assessment, climate change, forest and natural habitats, and information disclosure.

For more information on safeguards, visit BIC’s main safeguards page.

Second Draft of the Environmental and Social Framework and Additional Documents

Inspection Panel Comments on the Second Draft of the Proposed ESF

Second Draft Framework for Consultation

Marco Ambiental y Social (Segundo Borrador Propuesto)

وضع المعايير البيئية والاجتماعية لتمويل مشروعات الاستثمار

Consultation Paper

Documento de Consulta

الإطار البيئي والاجتماعي (المسودة الثانية المقترحة) -ورقة التشاور-

Tracked Change Version of Second Draft Framework for Consultation

Indicative List of Issues for Phase 3 Consultations

Summary of Phase 2 Consultations and Bank Management Responses

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This article by Julia Radomski originally appeared on bicusa.org on August 14, 2015 at 07:00PM

U.S. Releases Statement on Proposed Second Draft of World Bank Safeguard, Flags Four Crosscutting Issues

This post is from Bank Information Center - Amplifying Local Voices to Democratize Development.

On Thursday, July 16th, 2015, the U.S. Treasury Department posted to its website the U.S. government’s position at a recent World Bank Board discussion on the revised Environmental and Social Framework (ESF). The statement highlights four cross-cutting issues that the U.S. finds particularly problematic in the newest draft of the Bank’s safeguards policies, which has not yet been released to the public:

1. Timing of preparation and disclosure of key environmental and social impact assessment documents

The revised ESF does not outline clear timing requirements for environmental and social impact assessment documents, which threatens to undermine the ‘Pelosi amendment’ that requires these assessments be disclosed to the World Bank Board and project stakeholders at least 120 days before project approval. Preserving this requirement has been a U.S. priority since the start of the safeguards review in 2012.

2. Use of borrower frameworks

Despite problems cited with the Use of Country Systems Pilot (OP/BP 4.00), the Bank has not retreated from its intention to transfer responsibility for environmental and social risk assessment and management to borrowing countries. The Bank has yet to clarify its methodology for determining if and how borrower frameworks meet Bank safeguards standards. The U.S. maintains (see previous Board statement here) that the Bank should retain safeguards responsibility for high and substantial risk projects until the ESF is evaluated five years after it takes effect.

3. Financing alongside other development partners

Increasingly, the World Bank is investing in projects that are co-financed by other multilateral and private donors. In these more complex lending arrangements, the U.S. insists that the Bank uphold the strongest safeguards policies rather than deferring to the risk evaluation and management systems of other lenders, which may be less rigorous.

4. Monitoring of Borrower compliance with the Environmental and Social Standards (ESSs)

As part of the Bank’s move to use existing national frameworks to safeguard against environmental and social risk, it has placed the bulk of responsibility for project monitoring with borrower governments. The timing and procedural requirements for borrower-prepared monitoring reports remain unclear in the revised ESF, which has prompted U.S. concerns about how project and Bank supervision teams will be kept abreast of necessary changes in project implementation.

The U.S. statement also calls on Bank Management to release a “comprehensive and costed implementation and monitoring plan” that details how the Bank will ensure internal accountability for the ESF, e.g. through “staffing, training and incentives”, and that demonstrates how the Bank will support Borrowers in implementing the new safeguards on the ground.

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This article by Margaret Federici originally appeared on bicusa.org on July 17, 2015 at 11:52PM

BIC Hosts Children’s Delegation to Share Youth Perspectives on World Bank Safeguards Review

This post is from Bank Information Center - Amplifying Local Voices to Democratize Development.

Franciscus Godts, World Bank Executive Director from Belgium, addresses the delegation on the safeguards review.

 

From July 6^th through July 10^th, the Bank Information Center hosted a delegation of nine children from India, Uganda and Albania. The children were invited to DC to share some of their recommendations on the World Bank’s proposed safeguards policies, which protect communities and the environment from potential harm caused by World Bank projects and programs. Four of the children were from communities directly impacted by World Bank Projects. The other five children recently participated in in-country consultations on the World Bank safeguards review, organized by BIC and our partner organizations.

 

Child delegates from Albania pose with their representatives at the World Bank: Executive Director Patrizio Pagano (Italy) and the Bank Advisor for Albania, Greta Minxhozi

Since they launched the safeguards review in July 2012, the World Bank has consulted a wide range of stakeholders on the draft policies, including project-affected communities, governments and members of civil society. However, despite children and youth being one of the most critical constituencies to consider in planning World Bank investments that will benefit the poorest communities and be sustainable for future generations, the World Bank has not included them in any of their consultations on the safeguards to date. To fill this gap, BIC recently completed its second round of consultations with children on the World Bank’s proposed safeguards in an effort to elicit youth perspectives on this landmark policy review.

 

In their meetings last week, the delegation clearly demonstrated that children and adolescents can engage constructively and meaningfully in conversations about how World Bank policies and projects impact their lives. The children met with World Bank Management as well as Bank Executive Directors and advisors. They also met with representatives from the U.S. government, including staff from the US Treasury Department and several Congressional offices. In their meetings, several of the children prefaced their recommendations by noting that they spoke not only for themselves, but on behalf of their peers who also participated in BIC’s in country consultations and wanted their voices to be heard in Washington.

 

The children’s recommended that the World Bank include children in all future consultative processes, and that they conduct impact assessments that look at the unique risks of Bank projects on children. They also discussed the need to ensure that communities are resettled only as a last resort, and are relocated to a place where children can easily access social services like schools and hospitals, and basic services like clean water, sanitation and housing.

 

Special thanks to our partner organizations: Humara Bachpan Campaign (India), Children’s Human Rights Centre of Albania, Straight Talk Foundation (Uganda) and Joy for Children (Uganda).

 

For more information on BIC’s children’s consultations, click here.

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This article by Margaret Federici originally appeared on bicusa.org on July 16, 2015 at 10:06PM

Tunisian CSOs participate in Systematic Country Diagnostic Discussion

This post is from Bank Information Center - Amplifying Local Voices to Democratize Development.

June 2015

Following a letter that multiple Tunisian CSOs sent to the World Bank office in Tunis with their asks regarding the Tunisian Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) and Country Partnership Framework (CPF) consultation process, the signatories of the letter – along with several other CSOs and academics – were invited to participate in a discussion on a finalized version of theSCD on Thursday, June 4^th 2015.

After the SCD executive summary was presented, participants took the opportunity of the Q&A session to provide some of their reactions to the document which a number of CSOs intend to send to the Bank in writing soon. While these CSOs had very much hoped to be involved at an earlier stage of the SCD development process, they were pleased that the Bank’s Maghreb Region Director, Marie Françoise acknowledged the importance of civil society engagement and promised to hold a regular meeting with Tunisian civil society every three months. Participants emphasized their concern that the World Bank’s webpage for Tunisia still has no clear information on the CPF process, including a timeline, and they were promised an update of the Bank’s webpage soon.  The Bank also announced that it is waiting for the Tunisian government to announce its five year strategy for 2016-2020 (currently under discussion), following which the Country Partnership Framework (CPF) process will pick up again.

The session was held at the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management of Tunis (FSEGT) and speakers from the Bank included:  Marie-Françoise Marie-Nelly (based in Rabat); Eileen Murray (Country Manager), Jean-Luc Bernasconi and Sadok Ayari from the Tunis office, and Fabrice Houdart and Joelle Businger from the Bank’s headquarters in Washington, DC.

 

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This article by Dina El Husseiny originally appeared on bicusa.org on July 14, 2015 at 10:57PM

Updates on the World Bank’s Country Partnership Frameworks in Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen

This post is from Bank Information Center - Amplifying Local Voices to Democratize Development.

Since adopting its new country engagement model in 2014, the Bank has commenced with the process of developing Country Partnership Frameworks in a number of MENA countries, including Egypt and Tunisia. As was referenced in an earlier BIC update, the Bank had initially launched the process for developing CPFs in those two countries as well as Yemen with an expectation that drafts be finalized within 2015. However each country has taken a slightly different path than originally expected.

We recently learned that the Bank plans to introduce major modifications to Egypt’s CPF draft which was originally developed with input sought in consultations over two phases in Cairo, Alexandria, and Aswan. However, the rewriting has not yet been announced formally and it is not entirely clear how much of the draft will change or how this will impact the timeline for the CPF finalization. A lingering question is whether or not there will be another round of consultations on the new draft; this would be a critical part of the process, not only to seek input but also to build or maintain stakeholder buy-in and trust in the CPF.

In Tunisia the process has seen delays, especially with the change of Country Director for the Maghreb. Stakeholder consultations were initially planned to take place in April, then deferred to May, and the latest information is that consultations will begin in June. With the new Country Director slated to start her position in July though, it is unclear if we’ll see consultations being postponed again. It is concerning that there is no information about the CPF process in Tunisia either on the Bank’s country webpage or on the Bank’s consultation hub, making it a guessing game for those wishing to be involved in the process.  In addition, as is the case in several of the Bank’s countries of operation where the new country engagement model is being launched, there has been a lack of clarity over whether or not the Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) – an integral initial part of the CPF process – must be consulted on. Staff responsible for writing the Bank’s policies have assured us that SCD consultations are indeed mandatory, while we have asked that that policy be made clear to all country offices to avoid confusion moving forward.

Moving on to Yemen, following the deterioration of the political situation, the World Bank announced in March 2015 that it has suspended all operations in the country. The CPF process had never formally begun there, but while the office is closed, we expect the Bank to prepare some of the analytical work to feed into an SCD. We should not be surprised if, once the situation allows, the Bank re-engages in Yemen with a Country Engagement Note (CEN). A CEN is a shorter-term version of a CPF (one to two years as opposed to four to six) produced when the Bank is unable to develop a medium term program – often the case in countries coming out of conflict.

 

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This article by Dina El Husseiny originally appeared on bicusa.org on May 20, 2015 at 05:44PM