World Bank and ADB cautioned against increasing engagement with Burma's military regime

19 June 2008

In a Statement issued June 17, the Ethnic Community Development Forum (ECDF) of Burma cautioned the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) against any engagement with Burma's military rulers in the post-Cyclone Nargis scenario given the human rights situation in the country.

Following the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis, the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -led efforts to conduct a damage assessment exercise called the "Post-Nargis Joint Assessment."

Both Banks committed technical experts to this assessment whose final report is expected in mid-July. Many Burma watchers feel the Banks have been unnecessarily vague and slow in announcing their role in post-cyclone activities. Bound by Charter obligations, neither Bank can directly lend to Burma as the country is in arrears of US$142 million to the World Bank and US$28 million to the ADB.

The Ethnic Community Development Forum (ECDF) recently issued a statement that raises the concern that the Banks should not use the post-disaster phase opportunistically by leaving the door open to a role in the reconstruction efforts. The warning comes on the heels of US$850,000 grant from World Bank to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat for disaster assessment and recovery.

The Statement concludes by calling upon the Banks to be transparent about their involvement in the post-cyclone efforts and to publicly release the Post-Nargis Assessment Report.

The full ECDF Statement:

Ethnic Community Development Forum Statement on WB and ADB post-Cyclone Nargis Assistance, June 17, 2008 (Acrobat pdf, 8 KB)

Additional sources

ASEAN Secretariat Receives US$850,000-Grant from World Bank for Myanmar Cyclone Nargis Response, Press Release, ASEAN Secretariat, 16 June 2008 (ASEAN website)