NGOs challenge the institution at the 2010 Annual General Meetings of the World Bank and IMF in Washington, DC, October 6th through 10th.
Press Release
September 29, 2010
Civil society to engage World Bank on transparency and sustainability
NGOs challenge the institution at the 2010 Annual Meetings in Washington
The World Bank and IMF will hold their 2010 Annual General Meetings (AGM) and the accompanying Civil Society Policy Forum in Washington, DC, October 6th through October 10th. While the official meetings of the institutions’ Boards of Governors will take place behind closed doors on October 8-10th, the Annual Meetings present an opportunity for global civil society to engage with and exert pressure on the World Bank and IMF. Much of this dialogue will take place during the Civil Society Policy Forum, a series of events that are jointly organized by the World Bank/IMF and civil society. A number of civil society events will also be held outside the official venue.
During this year’s Annual Meetings, the Bank Information Center (BIC) and our partners will be sponsoring and participating in several events on issues ranging from access to information at the World Bank and the importance of contract transparency in extractive projects, to the dual imperative of tackling energy poverty and climate change concerns.
Launch of toolkit on access to information at the World Bank
In December 2009, after a lengthy process in which BIC worked closely with the World Bank and other civil society organizations, the Bank released a revised policy on access to information. NGOs regard the new policy as a great accomplishment in that it is the most progressive international financial institution access to information policy to date. By establishing clear request mechanisms and opening up new categories of routinely disclosed information, the Bank significantly broadened its transparency horizon.
As part of our ongoing efforts to monitor and ensure successful policy implementation, BIC produced a toolkit entitled “Unlocking the World Bank’s Access to Information Policy: Your key to the vault.” The toolkit is intended to be a resource in assisting civil society to retrieve documents from the World Bank applying the new policy. The publication will be officially launched during the Annual Meetings and can be downloaded at www.bicusa.org/AIToolkit.
Legislative and public oversight of extractive industry agreements and FPIC
In September 2009, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) began the revision of its disclosure policy and the environmental and social safeguards laid out in the Sustainability Policy and Performance Standards. These standards govern how communities and the environment are protected during project implementation and stipulate what information is publicly available for IFC-financed projects. The review presents an important opportunity for civil society to push for stronger standards within IFC’s policies, which also serve as an industry standard and influence how other private companies and financial institutions operate.
As part of this year’s AGMs, BIC will be co-sponsoring a panel entitled “Transparency of Extractive Industry Agreements: the Role of Legislative and Civil Society Oversight.” The panel will explore the role of parliaments and civil society in scrutinizing often convoluted and controversial oil, gas and mining agreements signed by the executive branch and companies with the support of the World Bank. The objective of the discussion is to explore ways the public, acting through their elected legislators, can ensure that natural resources are prudently developed as well as compliance with terms of agreement. The panel will feature Susan Maples, research associate at Columbia University, Henry Banyenzaki, Member of Ugandan Parliament, Antoine Heuty, Deputy Directly at Revenue Watch Institute and Alberto Barandiaran, an advisor member of the MOCICC. The discussion will raise awareness of the role of cooperation between legislature and civil society in promoting good governance in natural resource management and will inform ways the World Bank Group can further facilitate this process.
BIC will also co-sponsor an event called “Community Perspectives on Free, Prior, Informed Consent (FPIC),” examining issues related to the right of indigenous peoples to free, prior and informed consent in the context of World Bank Group lending. The panelists will respond to three recurring questions shaping the debate on FPIC at the World Bank: how FPIC fundamentally differs from “broad community support,” why IFC should uphold this principle now, and how FPIC can be satisfactorily implemented at the project level.
World Bank Energy Strategy review
The World Bank is in the process of revising its Energy Strategy through 2011, presenting a significant opportunity to advocate for a prioritization of energy access for the poor and low carbon development at the institution. The Energy Strategy serves as the framework for the Bank’s significant energy lending portfolio which, in fiscal 2010, amounted to approximately $13 billion. Also noteworthy is the fact that World Bank funding for coal hit a record high of $4.4 billion in FY2010, marking a 356% increase over the previous year, which seems to be at odds with the Bank’s climate-friendly rhetoric as of late.
To further examine the issues surrounding the nexus of energy access for the poor and low carbon development, BIC is sponsoring a panel at the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings entitled “Energy: Poverty, Sustainability and Climate Change,” featuring Dan Kammen, the newly appointed Chief Technical Specialist for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency at the World Bank. Civil society looks forward to an open energy dialogue addressing how the Bank can effectively meet the energy needs of the poor while being mindful of environmental challenges.
Contacts:
- Rebecca Harris, Information Services Coordinator, Bank Information Center: rharris@bicusa.org, 202-624-0632