In the aftermath of the revolution and the new constitution in Tunisia, the Government has made strong commitments to make their vision of a participatory decentralized democratic state a reality. Development agencies such as the World Bank have stepped up to support this transition by financing the Urban Development and Local Governance Program, a $300 …
The World Bank has committed to 100% beneficiary feedback in its projects and aims through its corporate strategy to empower citizens to participate in the development process. At the same time, since 2012 over 60 countries have passed legislation restricting civil society’s ability to freely operate and many communities face intimidation or criminalization when raising …
Without accessible and comprehensible information, stakeholders cannot meaningfully engage in development. Bank Information Center, Fundar-Center of Analysis and Research, Yemeni Observatory for Human Rights, and Egyptian Association for Collective Rights organized a session during the World Bank Spring Meetings Civil Society Policy Forum titled “Breaking Down Barriers to Accessing Development Information”. The panelists presented case …
The term ‘tipping point’ has been used to describe the current state of affairs in the past few months on numerous occasions. From climate change to politics, society is being called into action by the fear of reaching a tipping point – a moment of sudden and irreversible change. Even deforestation isn’t exempt from …
At the 2016 World Bank Spring Meetings, the Office of the Executive Director – EDS 05 won the “Open for Business” award for the most transparent website among the 25 World Bank Executive Directors’ offices. Ursula Müller, Executive Director from the Germany, received the award during the CSO Roundtable with World Bank Executive Directors on …
On Friday, April 15th the Coalition for Human Rights in Development (global coalition of social movements, civil society organizations, and grassroots groups working to ensure that all development finance institutions respect human rights) held a protest outside the World Bank headquarters. Activists highlighted the World Bank’s failure to produce a strong, mandatory set of safeguard …
Conservation International & BIC hosted a panel event at the Civil Society Policy Forum of the World Bank 2016 Spring Meetings on the Bank’s role in supporting forest commitments coming out of COP21. The panel includes Bank staff working on forests and climate change; CSO partners from FPP, WRI, CI, and Honduran indigenous organization MASTA; …
Members of the Bigodi community in Uganda tell the story of what happened in their village as a result of the construction of a road. The road was part of the World Bank-funded Uganda Transport Sector Development Project, which was canceled in December 2015. They discuss the negative social impacts of the project on their …
International activists discussed research gaps, safeguards, and new advisory position at the World Bank On April 11th, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim met with activists from 17 countries to discuss how LGBTI individuals can fully benefit from World Bank projects and programs in light of the powerful discrimination they experience in their countries. The …
This week, BIC is working with civil society partners from around the world to discuss the most pressing social and environmental issues in development finance. These panel events and roundtable discussions are taking place during the World Bank Spring Meetings Civil Society Policy Forum. If you’re in DC for the Spring Meetings, join us in …