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Civil society groups continue to raise a number of critical issues concerning the environmental and social policies of the MDBs. These include:

• Incomplete coverage of policies: MDB policies tend to encompass only a limited range of environmental and social impacts of lending operations.
• Lack of impact assessments of adjustment lending: MDB policies apply almost exclusively to project finance while significant portions of MDB portfolios are now comprised of adjustment lending, often not subject to environmental and social policies.
• Weakening of policies: After concerted efforts to establish a set of minimum MDB policy standards in the 1980s and 1990s, many groups fear that the MDBs are chipping away at those standards by asserting a need for greater flexibility and simplicity. The World Bank’s decade-long policy “reformatting” exercise has led to backtracking from the perspective of many NGOs (such as with the resettlement and forestry policies).
• No consistent stakeholder involvement in policy development: While MDBs have established regular procedures for their project cycles, policy development at the MDBs is characterized by ad hoc procedures and timetables. External stakeholder involvement, including by grassroots organizations and NGOs, is not predictable, often rushed, and of questionable impact.
• MDB standards versus international norms and laws: Increasingly civil society groups question whether the MDBs see themselves as a “universe unto themselves” rather than institutions subject to evolving international laws and norms. This is a particularly acute concern of indigenous peoples organizations, many of which consider MDB policies on indigenous peoples as lagging behind current norms and standards of international law.

BIC’s Work on MDB Environmental and Social Policies

BIC has engaged in debates surrounding the following related policy issues. Select the links below for more information.

Accountability

• ADB Accountability Mechanism (Inspection Policy Review)
• EBRD Independent Recourse Mechanism
• IDB Independent Investigation Mechanism
• World Bank Inspection Panel
• IFC Compliance Advisor/ Ombudsman

Energy and Extractive Industries

• BIC’s Energy and Extractive Industries Web page (including information on Extractive Industries Review)

Environment 

• Environment Policy at the MDBs
• ADB Environment Policy
• IDB Environment Policy -This page also available en Español

Forestry

• World Bank Forest Policy
• ADB Forest Policy

Indigenous Peoples

• BIC Indigenous Peoples Program
• Indigenous Peoples at the IDB
• Indigenous Peoples at the World Bank

Information Disclosure/Transparency 

• at the Multilateral Development Banks
• at African Development Bank
• at Asian Development Bank
• at European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
• at Inter-American Development Bank
• at World Bank

Involuntary Resettlement

• World Bank Policy on Involuntary Resettlement

Safeguard Policies

• at World Bank (IBRD and IDA) (includes policies on Environmental Assessment, Natural Habitats, Forestry, Pest Management, Involuntary Resettlement, Indigenous Peoples, Cultural Property, Safety of Dams, Projects on International Waterways, and Projects in Disputed Areas.)
• at IFC (includes policies on Environmental Assessment, Natural Habitats, Pest Management, Forestry, Safety of Dams, International Waterways, Indigenous Peoples, Involuntary Resettlement, Cultural Property, Child and Forced Labor)