http://bicusa.org/en/Index.aspx The latest news from the Bank Information Center 10 http://www.infodev.org/images/infodev.gif http://bicusa.org/en/Index.aspx While the international financial institutions report sharp lending increases due to the global financial crisis, concerns over lack of transparency and accountability remain. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.11015.aspx Fri, 09 Jan 2009 10:54:55 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.11015.aspx Meanwhile, IFC mining investments in Guinea face uncertainty after the government revoked half of the IFC-backed Simandou concession, and over the future of the massive Guinea Alumina Project as Guinea's president dies. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.11001.aspx Tue, 23 Dec 2008 10:11:34 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.11001.aspx African Development Bank also contributing record loans to address power shortage. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10992.aspx Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:20:39 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10992.aspx Read all the headlines concerning the international financial institutions from the past week http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10983.aspx Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10983.aspx Meanwhile, people displaced by the project finally receive monetary compensation, nearly four years after being impoverished through a resettlement process that denied them the option of the land compensation they were entitled to. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10989.aspx Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10989.aspx Plummeting copper prices have caused investors to shy away from the $1.5 billion Kafue Lower Gorge Dam, which is designed exclusively for use by foreign mining companies. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10986.aspx Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:59:23 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10986.aspx Concerned parties threaten to file a court case against the Egyptian government if they do not receive satisfactory answers. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10985.aspx Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:30:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10985.aspx A Mines and Communities (MAC) article spotlights two independent reports critical of the Phulbari coal mining project in northwest Bangladesh. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10984.aspx Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:26:22 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10984.aspx Read all the headlines concerning the international financial institutions from the past week http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10964.aspx Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10964.aspx The Phulbari Coal Project threatens numerous dangers and potential damages, ranging from the degradation of a major agricultural region in Bangladesh to pollution of the world's largest wetlands. The project's Summary Environmental Impact Assessment, and its full Environmental and Social Impact Assessment are replete with vague assurances, issuing many promises of future mitigation measures. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10979.aspx Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:34:44 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10979.aspx Civil society groups argue that the fund is essential to any new global climate agreement involving the large-scale transfer of financial resources to help poorer nations reduce emissions that cause global climate change. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10977.aspx Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10977.aspx Free market policies as part of the Structural Adjustment Programs that the World Bank attached to their aid throughout the 1980s are partially to blame for increased world hunger. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10978.aspx Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10978.aspx Network charges that poor quality of 2nd draft implies that President Kuroda has been unable to convince the ADB bureaucracy to uphold and support his vision of the ADB as the leading regional development organization on poverty alleviation and climate change. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10972.aspx Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:44:36 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10972.aspx A recent meeting between the World Bank and the Yemeni Planning Minister focused on preliminary negotiations on a proposed water sector project. However, the central question remains whether the Bank is ensuring water access for the poor. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10967.aspx Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:22:04 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10967.aspx Read all the headlines concerning the international financial institutions from the past week http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10960.aspx Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10960.aspx The 2nd draft, contrary to Asian Development Bank President Kuroda’s standard-setting public assertions that no weakening of the policy would occur, represents a significant dilution of the Bank’s existing safeguards. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10963.aspx Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:07:18 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10963.aspx Civil society organizations (CSOs) from 10 South American countries have invited the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to engage in dialogue about the use and misuse of Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) in a two-day workshop to be held in Bogota, Colombia (Dec. 2 and 3, 2008). The workshop will feature presentations on the IDB's progress in developing a strategic decision making system that includes clearer rules for SEAs. CSOs will present lessons learned and recommendations for more effective use of SEAs drawn from a decade of experience with high risk infrastructure projects. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10958.aspx Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10958.aspx The President of the Directors of IIRSA and current Director of the Ministry of Planning of Colombia, Carolina Renteria, reported on Monday, November 10 the decision to reject a hearing on IIRSA requested by 20 civil society organizations from 8 countries. The CSOs submitted a proposal to create mechanisms to ensure the participation of civil society in the planning process of integration within the framework of IIRSA, in addition to other potential integration processes as well as for the implementation of Strategic Environmental Studies (SEA) for groups of IIRSA projects. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10936.aspx Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10936.aspx Read all the headlines concerning the international financial institutions from the past week http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10942.aspx Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10942.aspx ADB consults with civil society organizanizations this week on their social and environmental lending criteria. Critics worry that the strategy will not reduce poverty in the region. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10938.aspx Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:56:11 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10938.aspx Internal ADB evaluation finds unsatisfactory returns, lack of focus for selection, weak safeguards. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10939.aspx Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:21:05 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10939.aspx In this edition you will find the following articles: 1) Change and Continuity for the BICECA website; 2) Colombia: Pasto Mocoa Highway - IDB Commitment to Sustainability under Scrutiny; 3) Perú: The restoration of the rights of indigenous peoples has a long way to go; 4) Ecuador: Big Push for Manta-Manaos Corridor. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10935.aspx Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:30:05 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10935.aspx Read all the headlines concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10934.aspx Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:37:05 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10934.aspx The brief details the World Bank's climate change policy, different carbon funds, and the World Bank's climate change mitigation and adaptation work in South Asia. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10931.aspx Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:04:19 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10931.aspx Read all the headlines concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3939.aspx Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:00:43 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3939.aspx The World Bank Group is adhering to its pledge for greater engagement in the Middle East and North Africa. However, data on the development impacts on the poor are lacking, while other data suggest that many Bank projects in the region are at risk. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3936.aspx Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:27:01 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3936.aspx Read all the headlines concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3935.aspx Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:59:33 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3935.aspx Talco, a major aluminum mining company controlled by Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, is being investigated by the IMF to address issues of extreme mismanagement of funds and lack of openness. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3934.aspx Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3934.aspx In the wake of the global financial crisis, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is experiencing a resurgence as the world’s "financial crisis firefighter." The upcoming G20 financial summit has placed the IMF as the central institution in charge of “crisis management” and reform of the international financial architecture. While there is much talk of “overhauling” the IMF through fundamental reforms, the same leaders who say this are also talking about broadening the scope of the IMF’s power and influence. Undoubtedly empowered by the contagion of financial meltdown in middle-income countries, the IMF is now scurrying around the globe signing new multi-billion dollar loan deals with a spate of new countries, most notably the Eastern European “Baltic tiger” countries. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3929.aspx Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:31:02 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3929.aspx The Board of Governors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cleared Managing Director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn of abuse of power. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3925.aspx Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:25:30 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3925.aspx The International Finance Corporation's (IFC) website on extractive industries government payment disclosure has made progress, but certain gaps in data availability remain. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3924.aspx Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3924.aspx Sign-on to the civil society letter, BY OCTOBER 28, supporting the fundamental and far-reaching transformation of the international financial and economic system. The letter supports the major international conference convened by the UN to review the international financial and monetary architecture, its institutions and its governance. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3923.aspx Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:34:35 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3923.aspx Read all the headlines concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3922.aspx Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:21:35 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3922.aspx The governments of the United States and Peru have reached an agreement to reduce Peru’s debt payments in exchange for protecting Peru’s tropical forests. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3921.aspx Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:36:33 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3921.aspx The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is investigating whether its Managing Director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn abused his power. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3919.aspx Sat, 18 Oct 2008 12:47:38 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3919.aspx Read all the headlines concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3916.aspx Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:50:54 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3916.aspx Intrusion exposes vulnerability of the World Bank Group's computer network by compromising confidential information. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3915.aspx Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:16:25 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3915.aspx International Rivers has just released a new report "Power Surge," which chronicles the social and environmental debt created by a boom in hydropower development in Laos. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3913.aspx Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:59:05 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3913.aspx In a deal brokered by the United Kingdom's development secretary, the selection of the next World Bank president will be open to candidates from any country. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3912.aspx Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:33:07 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3912.aspx Read all the headlines concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3910.aspx Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:45:02 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3910.aspx To broaden its use among civil society organizations in China, the Bank Information Center’s World Bank Toolkits for Activists is now available in Chinese. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3909.aspx Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:47:53 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3909.aspx Read the special Annual Meetings edition of the Bretton Woods Update, co-produced with Afrodad, Bank Information Center, Choike, and Eurodad. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3908.aspx Tue, 30 Sep 2008 08:57:47 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3908.aspx In this edition you will find the following article: IIRSA CCT Meeting on Infrastructure and the Amazon: IIRSA’s future in doubt (also in Spanish on our Spanish language page) http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3907.aspx Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3907.aspx On Sept. 4, the Technical Coordinating Committee of IIRSA (CCT) hosted a small day-long meeting to discuss infrastructure and the Amazon. The meeting was motivated by a growing perception that IIRSA and related investment trends in the Amazon region are inducing perverse and unsustainable effects that are undermining the legitimacy of the infrastructure integration initiative. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10920.aspx Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10920.aspx Report by 2007 panel accuses the World Bank of causing "grievous and irreversible damage to those they intend to serve" in India. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3905.aspx Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3905.aspx The World Bank Group (WBG) loans to countries in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) increased by 30% between FY07 and FY08. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3904.aspx Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3904.aspx Read all the headlines concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3903.aspx Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3903.aspx The "Weekly Roundup" is a compilation of select news articles, blogs or other media concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3901.aspx Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3901.aspx Amazonian civil society organizations demand that the World Bank adhere to international standards by increasing the participation of indigenous peoples in meetings on forests and climate change. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3899.aspx Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3899.aspx In the worst violent act in the history of Bolivia's democracy, a campaign by opposition Prefects in Bolivia seeking to destabilize the MAS government, took the lives of as many as 30 people, and wounded dozens more, in the Amazonian province of Pando. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10917.aspx Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10917.aspx Brazil's environment minister fought off charges that a new international Amazon conservation fund set to receive a large contribution from Norway could threaten the nation's sovereignty. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10916.aspx Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10916.aspx In the worst violent act in the history of Bolivia's democracy, a campaign by opposition Prefects in Bolivia seeking to destabilize the MAS government, took the lives of as many as 30 people, and wounded dozens more, in the Amazonian province of Pando. Most regional governments expressed condemnation, while the United States remained silent. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3895.aspx Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3895.aspx The World Bank’s request amounts to an admission of failure in one of its most controversial and disastrous projects – once touted as a “model” for high-risk projects - after the Chadian government repeatedly used its newfound oil wealth in contravention of its agreements to invest in poverty reduction. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3892.aspx Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:34:20 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3892.aspx The "Weekly Roundup" is a compilation of select news articles, blogs or other media concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3891.aspx Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:54:01 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3891.aspx New estimates from the World Bank reveal that there are more poor people in the world than previously thought. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3887.aspx Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:14:28 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3887.aspx Hobbled by the credit crisis, Wall Street firms and many state governments are hoping that a pockmarked strip of Pennsylvania highway could provide a road out. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10909.aspx Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10909.aspx International Financial Institution (IFI) lending through financial intermediaries (FIs) has become particularly significant in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region, but the IFIs lack adequate policies to ensure social and environmental best practices are applied to subsequent FI lending. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3884.aspx Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3884.aspx IFI involvement in mining and oil projects in the Timan-Pechora basin raises environmental and social concerns. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3882.aspx Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3882.aspx The "Weekly Roundup" is a compilation of select news articles, blogs or other media concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3880.aspx Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3880.aspx The IFIs are set to invest billions of dollars in transportation infrastructure in Central Asia, primarily under the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC). http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3879.aspx Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3879.aspx Since the Chinese economy has taken off and it has increasingly looked to Africa to provide raw materials, the World Bank and IMF have been confronted with the question of how to respond. Recent statements by the institutions have shown that these responses are careful and at times contradictory. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3877.aspx Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3877.aspx The international financial institutions (IFIs) have offered aid to Georgia, as the conflict winds down. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3875.aspx Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3875.aspx The International Finance Corporation (IFC) fails to provide adequate links to government payment disclosures by its extractive industry clients. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3874.aspx Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3874.aspx James Wolfensohn, a former World Bank president, may have assisted a corrupt businessman seeking control of Azerbaijan’s state oil company. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3873.aspx Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3873.aspx The "Weekly Roundup" is a compilation of select news articles, blogs or other media concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3872.aspx Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3872.aspx The International Finance Corporation's (IFC) $35 million investment in a Guinea iron mine is in jeopardy after the government rescinded a deal with mining company, Rio Tinto. At the same time, the IFC is exploring the possibility of a $500 million stake in a massive aluminum project in the West African country. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3871.aspx Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:39:36 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3871.aspx As the great powers seek energy security, Turkmenistan is at the center of a number of pipeline proposals. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3870.aspx Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3870.aspx A fire on the Turkish segment of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline has led to declined oil production, pipeline closure, and security fears. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3867.aspx Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3867.aspx The "Weekly Roundup" is a compilation of select news articles, blogs or other media concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3866.aspx Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3866.aspx The "Weekly Roundup" is a compilation of select news articles, blogs or other media concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3863.aspx Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3863.aspx The author, Shripad Dharmadhikary, examines why being a knowledge provider is so important to the World Bank, and how the Bank uses its research and knowledge services to intervene in the policy making of borrowing countries. The Bank Information Center supported the distribution of this book so as to highlight this little discussed role of the World Bank. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3859.aspx Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3859.aspx A new report released by an independent researcher from the Burmese community says that many victims of Cyclone Nargis are still not getting adequate relief material from international aid groups, including the United Nations agencies. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3858.aspx Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3858.aspx The "Weekly Roundup" is a compilation of select news articles, blogs or other media concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3856.aspx Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3856.aspx On July 11th a bus carrying activists from different social movements collided with a truck transporting gas. The explosion of both vehicles caused the death of fourteen people, four of them activists of the Movement for Dam-Affected People (MAB). http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3855.aspx Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3855.aspx Civil society access to information is often impeded by the Asian Development Bank. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3854.aspx Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:34:56 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3854.aspx The World Bank Caucus aims to foster dialogue between the World Bank and members of the U.S. Congress on development, poverty and trade issues. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3852.aspx Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:26:56 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3852.aspx Europe’s pursuit of new energy routes has helped secure Central Asia’s eligibility for funding from the European Investment Bank (EIB), leading to concerns about further extractive industry financing in the region. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3851.aspx Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3851.aspx On July 8-9, 2008, Indonesian NGOs held a two day workshop in Bandung, West Java on the ADB’s pipeline Integrated Citarum Water Resource Management (ICWRM) Project. The occasion marked the launch of the Peoples Alliance for Citarum (Aliansi Rakyat untuk Citarum-ARUM). http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3850.aspx Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:54:32 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3850.aspx On July 9-10, 2008, the International Monetarty Funds’s (IMF) Working Group on Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) held a two-day meeting in Singapore to address concerns around SWFs and consider possible guidelines. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3849.aspx Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3849.aspx The "Weekly Roundup" is a compilation of select news articles, blogs or other media concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3848.aspx Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3848.aspx Regional government authorities are taking action to boost the South American infrastructure integration initiative (IIRSA) http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10880.aspx Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10880.aspx The "Weekly Roundup" is a compilation of select news articles, blogs or other media concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3841.aspx Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3841.aspx As the World Bank prepares to launch two new climate investment funds at the upcoming G8 summit, and positions itself as the "climate bank," new statistics developed by the Bank Information Center show that the World Bank's private sector arm, the International Financial Corporation (IFC), increased its lending for fossil fuel projects by a staggering 165% in FY2008. Taken as a whole, the World Bank Group increased its fossil-fuel lending by 60% in the same period. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3840.aspx Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3840.aspx July riots signal the importance of transparency and responsible revenue management for Mongolia’s political stability. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3837.aspx Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3837.aspx Senior IDB officials have made it a practice to meet with civil society representatives in a special meeting once per year then again during the Bank’s Board of Governors meeting. Despite having direct access to the IDB president Moreno at these meetings, their quality and in turn civil society interest has declined precipitously. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10863.aspx Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10863.aspx Bank Information Center has recently released it's new "Handbook for Advocacy on Extractive Industry Revenues: Good Practices and the IMF’s Guide on Resource Revenue Transparency." http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3836.aspx Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:34:41 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3836.aspx For the first time, the Europeans have decided to stay out of the bidding for the chair of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC). http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3835.aspx Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:58:36 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3835.aspx The World Bank will buy 325,480 tons of carbon credits from Egyptian Company for Solid Waste Utilization (ECARU) on behalf of governments and companies in Organisation for Econmic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3842.aspx Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:02:01 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3842.aspx On June 24, 2008, the Jubilee Act passed the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The bill must now be considered and passed by the full U.S. Senate before it can go to the President and be signed into law. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3831.aspx Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3831.aspx The workshop introduced BIC's work to Egyptian media and civil society organizations, and focused on the activities of the international financial institutions in the country. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3819.aspx Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:55:12 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3819.aspx The "Weekly Roundup" is a compilation of select news articles, blogs or other media concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3826.aspx Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3826.aspx The launching will take place on June 25th in Porto Velho, Brazil. There will be a roundtable with experts and affected communities who will share the conclusions. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10853.aspx Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10853.aspx World Bank involvement in the proposed Inga and Kafue dams has brought criticism over the continued reliance on hydro in a warming world, and intentions to power foreign mining companies. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3822.aspx Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3822.aspx River diversion work for the Estreito project in Brazil has been stopped by a court in Maranhao state but the rest of the construction activity is unaffected, IWP&DC has learned. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10850.aspx Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10850.aspx 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. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3818.aspx Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:33:10 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3818.aspx The World Bank's Tiger Conservation Initiative aims to raise global awareness about the plight of the endangered tiger and to work with local and international communities to stave off its extinction. The initiative is unprecedented for an institution whose stated mission is to fight poverty in developing countries rather than conserve endangered species. But a day after the launch, India is reported for have refused the World Bank's "offer" for a loan for the inititiative. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3807.aspx Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:53:13 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3807.aspx The world is closing in on the few remaining people who live in such remote isolation as to seem not of this world. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10843.aspx Sun, 08 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10843.aspx The recent Palestine Investment Conference concluded with pledges amounting to $1.4 billion in private sector investment in the Palestinian Territories, including $75m from the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Meanwhile, the World Bank’s conditionalities on utility fees and eliminating public sector jobs raises doubts about the institution’s adherence to its poverty reduction mandate. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3805.aspx Sun, 15 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3805.aspx Kazakhstan has signed into law a 2006 agreement to transport oil through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, while making plans to connect its oil to the BTC route through additional domestic and trans-Caspian pipelines. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3804.aspx Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3804.aspx Shareholder Meeting Told Houston Oil Major’s Rainforest Plans Would Also Lead to Deforestation and Exacerbate Global Warming http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10842.aspx Wed, 28 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10842.aspx Chevron’s Victims from Burma, Ecuador and Nigeria Confront CEO David O’Reilly at Shareholder Meeting http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10841.aspx Wed, 28 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10841.aspx The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will earmark 40% of its Russian lending to infrastructure. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3803.aspx Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3803.aspx The "Weekly Roundup" is a compilation of select news articles, blogs or other media concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3802.aspx Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3802.aspx Brazil’s new environment minister takes office on Tuesday in the middle of a spat over an apparent recent increase in deforestation in the Amazon region http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10837.aspx Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10837.aspx The "Weekly Roundup" is a compilation of select news articles, blogs or other media concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3791.aspx Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3791.aspx Read highlights from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's (EBRD) Annual Meeting, held last month in Kiev, Ukraine. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3787.aspx Mon, 02 Jun 2008 09:52:39 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3787.aspx During the French environment minister's recent visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Congolese civil society organizations released a statement drawing attention to the alarming situation in the Congo forests and the destructive activities of logging companies. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3785.aspx Fri, 30 May 2008 13:31:56 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3785.aspx The World Bank announced today that it has set up a financing facility in the order of $1.2 billion to assist with the global food crisis. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3784.aspx Thu, 29 May 2008 15:16:41 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3784.aspx The International Monetary Fund (IMF) lending is at an all time low, and the institution is forced to redefine its role as developing countries benefit from the availability of other sources of finance. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3783.aspx Wed, 28 May 2008 11:57:54 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3783.aspx Donors, led by the World Bank, still insist on linking aid for the Palestinian Authority to the removal of subsidies from basic services, in spite of a recent Bank study that highlights increasing poverty and unemployment rates in the West Bank and Gaza. The suggested cuts in the wage bill in the security, health and education sectors could further hinder Palestine's ability to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3706.aspx Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:24:10 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3706.aspx The Belo Monte dam will swallow thick rain forest and harm rare fish, as well as the livelihoods and homes of roughly 15,000 people who live in this remote area of northeastern Para state, critics say. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10835.aspx Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10835.aspx The "Weekly Roundup" is a compilation of select news articles, blogs or other media concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3781.aspx Fri, 30 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3781.aspx This is a new feature from BIC! This "Weekly Roundup" is a compilation of select news articles, blogs or other media concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3779.aspx Fri, 23 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3779.aspx The Consórcio Energia Sustentável do Brasil (CESB) group led by France's Suez has presented the winning bid to build and operate Brazil's 3.3GW Jirau hydro plant on the Madeira river. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10827.aspx Mon, 19 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10827.aspx Latin America should be looking to European-style tax reform rather than subsidies or export bans to help manage the inflationary threat posed by the global food crisis http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10826.aspx Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10826.aspx I was on the panel discussing the impacts of Belo Monte Dam, when about eight Kayapó Indians incensed at the defense of the project by state company Eletrobrás' project manager http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10825.aspx Wed, 21 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10825.aspx Many major European banks are funding the rapid expansion of agrofuel production in Latin America, leading to large scale deforestation, increasing human right abuses and threatening food sovereignty, according to a new report http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10818.aspx Mon, 19 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10818.aspx Marina Silva's resignation is linked to her opposition to many of the major megaprojects planned and underway in the Brazilian Amazon, including two large hydroelectric dams on the Madeira River http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10813.aspx Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10813.aspx The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved new Environmental and Social Policy as well as a Public Information Policy, a week before the EBRD Annual Meetings. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3767.aspx Thu, 15 May 2008 14:37:52 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3767.aspx Marina Silva's resignation is linked to her opposition to many of the major megaprojects planned and underway in the Brazilian Amazon, including two large hydroelectric dams on the Madeira River. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3766.aspx Wed, 14 May 2008 11:26:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3766.aspx After ignoring civil society demands that called for a halt to public consultations, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has finally agreed to issue an additional draft and consultation. The announcement comes a week before the Asian Development Fund (ADF) replenishment wrap-up, and ADB watchers believe the concession was made after the U.S. tied its ADF contribution to a satisfactory resolution of the review. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3765.aspx Tue, 13 May 2008 14:59:47 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3765.aspx Skyrocketing food prices have forced the international financial institutions (IFIs) to articulate responses to the situation. The World Bank has conjured a "New Deal for Global Food Policy" to pump agriculture-oriented loans and programs into Africa and to address emergency financing needs. The IMF has voiced concern over the likely macroeconomic shocks of the food crisis in low-income countries. But the Bretton Woods Institutions must wrestle with a legacy that helped set the stage for diminished food security in many low-income countries. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3763.aspx Fri, 09 May 2008 10:31:29 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3763.aspx This is a new feature from BIC! This "Weekly Roundup" is a compilation of select news articles, blogs or other media concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3762.aspx Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3762.aspx Less than a week after 591 employees at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) opted to take a buyout package, the IMF’s chief economist announced his resignation. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3761.aspx Wed, 07 May 2008 16:25:57 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3761.aspx In a recent sign-on statement, multiple civil society organizations rejected the Asian Development Bank's new strategy, arguing that it will push for more private sector involvement in development and lead to more harmful impacts on services, livelihoods, food security and the environment. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3753.aspx Tue, 06 May 2008 14:37:09 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3753.aspx Three and a half months after the resignation of Suzanne Rich-Folsom, the controversial head of the World Bank's Department of Institutional Integrity (INT), the Bank has appointed Leonard McCarthy as the new head of its internal anti-corruption unit. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3752.aspx Tue, 06 May 2008 14:29:56 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3752.aspx This is a new feature from BIC! This "Weekly Roundup" is a compliation of select news articles, blogs or other media concerning the international financial institutions from the past week. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3749.aspx Fri, 02 May 2008 10:47:40 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3749.aspx As the International Monetary Fund (IMF) continues to face escalating deficits and a crisis of credibility, almost a quarter of its 2,400 full-time staff in Washington, D.C. have voluntarily applied for resignations. At the same time, the Board of Governors of the IMF has approved the proposed quota and voice reforms with a 92% majority vote. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3747.aspx Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3747.aspx As the Asian Development Bank prepares to meet for its upcoming annual meeting, it faces criticism from shareholders concerned about its role and relevance in the region and by civil society over its handling of the global food crisis. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3746.aspx Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:01:13 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3746.aspx Brazil's military will regulate environmental, religious and other foreign groups working in the Amazon region under a law. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10794.aspx Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10794.aspx More of the Amazon rain forest should be cut down to make way for farmland to help ease the global food crisis, the governor of a big Brazilian farming state was quoted on Friday as saying. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10793.aspx Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10793.aspx A confidential report by the Asian Development Bank's evaluation unit reveals that the Bank is violating its own rules by investing more in private equity firms than it is allowed. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3744.aspx Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:51:34 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3744.aspx While the U.S. remains committed to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and its mission of reducing poverty in Asia, objections to the Bank's lending policies and its function are causing concerns that U.S. funding commitments could be cut because of the dispute. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3741.aspx Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:01:29 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3741.aspx Brazilian agents have caught loggers in Alta Floresta, in central Brazil. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10784.aspx Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10784.aspx In response to requests from the Bank Information Center (BIC) and other civil society organizations, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) has begun providing links to where IFC extractive industry clients disclose their payments to host governments. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3734.aspx Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:52:05 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3734.aspx The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and ITUC-Asia Pacific represents 18.6 million members in 48 national affiliates from 29 countries in the region. In a letter to President Kuroda of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the ITUC and ITUC-AP point out that the ADB draft omits mention of all labor issues except one brief mention. They urge the ADB to adopt a policy on core labor standards and other basic labor conditions. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3730.aspx Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3730.aspx Read the special Spring Meetings edition of the Bretton Woods Update, co-produced with Afrodad, Bank Information Center, Choike, and Eurodad. The issue is also available in Spanish. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3724.aspx Mon, 07 Apr 2008 20:18:31 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3724.aspx Environmental groups accused the bank of pumping billions of dollars into projects that harm the environment. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10767.aspx Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10767.aspx Environmental groups urged to stop lending money to big companies piling into the booming ethanol business. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10766.aspx Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10766.aspx BID announced an energy initiative to encourage Latin America to pursue sustainable power with an emphasis on biofuels. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10765.aspx Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10765.aspx Updated April 10, 2008: The World Bank's Inspection Panel is recruiting qualified applicants to fill a vacancy in its three-member team. Regional balance considerations could likely mean selection of a candidate from the South East Asia region. The closing date for applications has been extended to April 30, 2008. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3716.aspx Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:29:05 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3716.aspx As part of its North America leg of consultations, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) held a half day event in Washington, DC on April 1 to seek feedback on its draft Safeguard Policy Statement. Several NGOs declined attendance in support of the position taken by the NGO Forum on ADB which calls for a "halt" in consultations given the weakness of the consultation draft. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3714.aspx Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:36:25 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3714.aspx A publication of civil society groups working to reform the Inter-American Development Bank. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3713.aspx Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3713.aspx As a result of the Inter-American Development Bank's (IDB) recent realignment, indigenous issues are now demoted within a Bank that touts its credentials for social inclusion. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3711.aspx Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3711.aspx With the realignment of the Inter-American Development Bank, the Indigenous Peoples and Community Development Unit was repackaged into a new Gender and Diversity Unit. This shows a weakening commitment to the Indigenous Peoples work. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10763.aspx Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10763.aspx This week some 6,000 government finance officials, international bankers and the groups they lend to will converge on Miami Beach for the Inter-American Development Bank's annual meeting. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10761.aspx Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10761.aspx Loan conditions imposed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are blamed for lifting measures that protect the farm sector. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3710.aspx Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3710.aspx With China’s commodity demand on the rise, analysts see a buffer for Latin America economies from a U.S. downturn through Chinese hunger for products ranging from soya to copper to gas. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10757.aspx Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10757.aspx A struggle over selecting the successor to the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has divided donor and recipient countries in a manner that is reminiscent of the recent debates over succession at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3705.aspx Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:28:29 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3705.aspx After reporting a truck loaded with mahogany illegally logged from the Amazon rainforest, Julio Gualberto García Agapito, a local authority, was gunned down by an illegal timber operator. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10748.aspx Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10748.aspx Rising global food prices have led to outbreaks of civil unrest in West and Central Africa. While the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank plan their responses to the growing crisis, Cameroon, site of worst strife, relaxes IMF policies on wages and prices. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3702.aspx Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3702.aspx Although the U.S. Treasury has voiced its support for International Monetary Fund (IMF) gold sales under its own set of reform priorities, the ultimate leverage rests with the U.S. Congress. Civil society has started to conduct policy advocacy to the U.S. Congress, calling for the attachment of a number of key policy reforms for development in low-income countries. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3698.aspx Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:56:16 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3698.aspx World Bank Group General Counsel Ana Palacio is resigning her position, effective April 15, further diminishing former World Bank president, Paul Wolfowitz's legacy. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3697.aspx Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:21:57 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3697.aspx Representatives of the U.S. Senate judiciary and House financial services committees, urge Hank Paulson, the U.S. Treasury secretary, to demand that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) stick to tougher environmental and social criteria. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3696.aspx Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:36:12 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3696.aspx The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) recently published a draft of its newly revised Environmental and Social Policy. EBRD is soliciting public comments on the draft policy document until April 9, 2008. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3694.aspx Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3694.aspx As a significant rebel threat to his government appears to recede, Chadian President Idriss Deby has clamped down on political opponents and bypassed controls established by an agreement with the World Bank to redirect oil revenues for military use. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3693.aspx Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:14:58 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3693.aspx Groups from Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Burma have refused to attend the Asian Development Bank's safeguard policy update consultations held this week in Hanoi, citing weakness of the draft. As a result, only three (3) NGOs attended the consultation adding another blow to ADB's beleaguered efforts to pass off the consultation process as credible. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3692.aspx Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:39:35 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3692.aspx Burmese civil society groups have sent an open letter to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) stating that the ADB's weak Safeguard Policy Statement draft will cause not only social and environmental harms but may also lead to human rights violations. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3691.aspx Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:14:12 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3691.aspx Following similar announcements by other multilateral development banks, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) last week endorsed the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3689.aspx Mon, 03 Mar 2008 17:45:26 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3689.aspx In a nod to Brazil, World Bank president Robert Zoellick said the expansion of the ethanol market could contribute to fighting climate change if trade barriers are minimized. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10720.aspx Mon, 03 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10720.aspx New threats and opportunities have pushed the World Bank toward a new form of engagement in the Middle East and North Africa region. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3687.aspx Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:20:52 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3687.aspx Read the preliminary assessment of the implementation of project level revenue transparency commitments for the extractive industry projects financed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3685.aspx Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:08:37 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3685.aspx Directors from several non-governmental organizations in Vietnam have sent a letter to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) stating their refusal to participate in upcoming ADB consultations in Hanoi on March 5-6, 2008. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3682.aspx Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3682.aspx Proposed projects would include transcontinental transportation corridors that would require a huge outpouring of money. They would serve to benefit exporters and, by extension, transnational companies that profit the most from Africa’s commodities. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3679.aspx Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:54:25 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3679.aspx Panel's suggestions include merging of the African Development Fund (ADF) with the African Development Bank (ADB), and eliminating the performance-based allocation (PBA) system. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3677.aspx Fri, 15 Feb 2008 10:37:35 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3677.aspx In a press release, members of the Manila-based NGO Forum on ADB ask the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to stop its public consultations and revise the draft document known as the Safeguards Policy Statement (SPS) released in October 2007. The coalition demands ADB re-draft the policy before resuming consultations because the SPS is an “unacceptable and unsuitable basis for public review and consultation.” http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3675.aspx Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:46:16 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3675.aspx Robert Zoellick told Africa's leaders the World Bank wanted to expand its "efforts to help countries produce their own food, instead of relying on imports.” This would represent a complete reversal of Bank policy which has focused thus far on encouraging Africa to devote more land and resources to growing commodities, and to rely on international markets to purchase the food they were no longer growing. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3673.aspx Fri, 08 Feb 2008 09:42:30 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3673.aspx While the World Bank has expressed its support for the move, calling the new fiscal regime "more equitable," critics counter that the Bank was responsible for insisting on rock-bottom tax rates in 1998 that have deprived the government of much-needed revenue as copper prices soared. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3672.aspx Thu, 07 Feb 2008 13:22:07 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3672.aspx Iraq’s renewed Stand-By Arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) includes macroeconomic policy reforms that may restrict fiscal space for public spending, particularly on the public wage bill. It also continues the deep involvement of international financial institutions in Iraq’s oil sector. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3671.aspx Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3671.aspx BIC and Oxfam Australia have closely followed the review of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Safeguards Policies since it was first announced in August 2005. Both organizations believe the dilution and weakening of the October 2007 Consultation Draft of the Safeguard Policy Statement (SPS) contradicts assurances the ADB publicly made on several occasions, and both have stated that unless revised, the current consultation process is not worthy of further engagement. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3670.aspx Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:08:56 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3670.aspx Kashagan Oil Field threatens local livelihoods, health, and endangered species. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3669.aspx Mon, 11 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3669.aspx Terna SpA CEO Flavio Cattaneo said the group will take part in at least three bids for grid operations in Brazil in 2008. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10694.aspx Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10694.aspx The Inter-American Development Bank will be hosting its Annual Meeting in Miami and the issue of Free Trade Agreements will be at the top of the list. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10693.aspx Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10693.aspx On December 9, standing before the flags of their countries, the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay and Venezuela, along with a representative from Uruguay, gathered in Buenos Aires and signed the founding charter of the Banco del Sur, or Bank of the South. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10692.aspx Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10692.aspx World Bank hopes leading academic's appointment will help strengthen ties with China. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3668.aspx Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:50:25 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3668.aspx BIC has joined the international campaign that advocates for increases in the quantity and quality of assistance for agriculture, rural development and food to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3665.aspx Mon, 04 Feb 2008 11:00:27 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3665.aspx Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn attempts to fix the IMF’s fractured legitimacy and financial fiasco through an ambitious, opaque, and inaccessible "Interim Work Program." http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3664.aspx Mon, 04 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3664.aspx The Arab newspaper Azzaman reported last week that the Iraqi government plans to reduce its food rationing program "in line with the obligations it has made to the World Bank." http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3663.aspx Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3663.aspx The World Bank President also spoke of the need to “speed up the process of clearing the arrears of countries that have fallen behind in payments to multilateral lenders.” http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3662.aspx Fri, 01 Feb 2008 10:09:09 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3662.aspx The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has launched a tender to study the potential of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification plant that would supply Argentina and Uruguay. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10688.aspx Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10688.aspx The Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank today announced approval of financing for two non-reimbursible technical cooperation projects in Peru and Ecuador, totaling US$1.6 million and US$1.5 million, respectively. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10686.aspx Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10686.aspx Following the resignation of Suzanne Rich-Folsom, the previous head of the World Bank's anti-corruption unit and the embarrassing revelations of extensive fraud in several of its health projects in India, the World Bank announced on January 23, 2008 that it would implement all the recommendations of the Volcker Panel Review. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3657.aspx Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:00:07 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3657.aspx Leading donors to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have demanded that the institution overhaul its staffing and oversight procedures. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3655.aspx Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:57:45 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3655.aspx An Inspection Panel report on the World Bank’s safeguard policy violations in its Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) forest sector operations prompts discussion on new approach and greater role for Pygmies in decision-making about the future of the world’s second-largest rainforest. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3645.aspx Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:43:34 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3645.aspx Close to fifty people representing social movements in India and other parts of South Asia delivered a boycott statement to Asian Development Bank officials in New Delhi on January 16th, at the start of the Bank's consultations on its Draft Safeguard Policy Statement. The organised protest consisted of slogans and plackards, one of which read: "End to Lending." http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3644.aspx Wed, 16 Jan 2008 12:24:50 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3644.aspx Citing violations of five of the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) own policies, non-governmental organizations from around the world have petitioned the ADB to discontinue its pre-appraisal of the Phulbari Coal Project and remove it from the funding pipeline. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3642.aspx Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:04:37 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3642.aspx Resignation comes after internal review reveals Bank's ineffectiveness in addressing corruption in health projects in India. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3641.aspx Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3641.aspx Internal memo raises questions about the institution's political neutrality in Kenya. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3638.aspx Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3638.aspx Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez replaced his finance minister and vice president as part of a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle after voters rejected his proposal to overhaul the constitution. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10653.aspx Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10653.aspx On January 3, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released a report by its Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) on the use of structural conditionality in IMF programs. The IEO has a record of often making sharp criticisms of IMF practice, though its recommendations are sometimes criticized for being too moderate in relation to the severity of its critique. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3636.aspx Fri, 04 Jan 2008 17:07:30 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3636.aspx Marcos Chambilla Copari recalls arriving in the of village of San Lorenzo, in the southwestern Peruvian rainforest, in 1986, a refugee from flooding around Lake Titicaca in Peru’s southern highlands. “There was no road to get our products to market,” he said. “Everything rotted in the field.” http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10646.aspx Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10646.aspx BID approved a $400 million loan to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Peru's Camisea field. But environmentalists and indigenous groups have inquired: At what cost? http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10641.aspx Wed, 19 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10641.aspx The Compliance Review Panel is part of the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Accountability Mechanism. It is a citizen’s complaint panel where people affected by ADB projects can request an independent investigation into problems they face and policy violations committed by the ADB. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3634.aspx Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3634.aspx AfDB President Donald Kaberuka praises the United Kingdom's “concretization of commitments to double aid to Africa” made at the Gleneagles G-8 summit in 2005. However, Kaberuka’s willingness to credit the UK with “concretizing” its pledges appears overly generous. To date, the UK and the G-8 have fallen well short of the mark in meeting their promises. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3633.aspx Tue, 18 Dec 2007 12:18:26 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3633.aspx http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10636.aspx Tue, 18 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10636.aspx Favorable World Bank assessment of Palestinian economic reform program helps pave the way for major donor support. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3631.aspx Mon, 17 Dec 2007 18:17:30 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3631.aspx Five persons were arrested in the breakup of a peaceful protest by a group of activists against the construction of hydroelectric dams on the Madeira River. The detention was justified with the argument that an act of protest harms of Bolivian-Brazilian relations. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10635.aspx Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10635.aspx Seven South American leaders launched the Bank of the South (Banco del Sur) on Sunday, touting it as the continent's alternative to U.S.-backed lenders. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10629.aspx Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10629.aspx Last week, the Financial Times published an article on the World Bank's errors in its forest operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and allegations of support for illegal logging in the country by the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Just two days later, the IFC announced it would sell its stake in Olam International Ltd., the Singaporean commodity trading company accused of "environmental malpractice" in the world's second largest rainforest. As those gathered in Bali for the United Nations conference on climate change discuss the importance of forests to the future health of the planet, the Bank's missteps in Congo deserve a closer look. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3619.aspx Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3619.aspx Seven South American leaders launched the Bank of the South (Banco del Sur) on Sunday, touting it as the continent's alternative to U.S.-backed lenders. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3614.aspx Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:20:24 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3614.aspx Começou por volta das 12h35 o leilão da hidrelétrica de Santo Antônio, no Rio Madeira (RO), organizado na sede da Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (Aneel), em Brasília. Na primeira etapa, os investidores farão uma proposta única para o preço da energia que será produzida pela usina. Nenhum dos três consórcios inscritos terá como saber qual foi o lance oferecido pelos demais interessados. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10616.aspx Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10616.aspx The annual destruction of the Amazon rainforest is tallied every August and announced to a world sadly accustomed to the idea that its greatest tropical forest is being wiped off the face of the Earth. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10615.aspx Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10615.aspx In an exclusive interview with the Wall Street Journal, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the new Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), reveals plans for significant layoffs at the institution, by as many as 300-400 jobs. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3607.aspx Fri, 07 Dec 2007 10:11:06 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3607.aspx With the auction for the Rio Madeira Project approaching, civil society is accelerating campaigns against the dams. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10602.aspx Thu, 06 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10602.aspx A prominent New York Times article describes how Malawi went from food aid recipient to regional food provider in just two years after re-introducing fertilizer subsidies for its low-income farmers. The move contravened years of policy guidance from the World Bank and IMF, which warn against such distortions of the “free market.” But donors find it hard to argue with success, especially because in violating what its wealthy benefactors in Europe and North America say, Malawi is doing precisely as they do. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3601.aspx Thu, 06 Dec 2007 10:46:11 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3601.aspx One World Trust’s 2007 report identifies vital accountability standards for global actors. Ratings of policies and systems, however, do not reflect the most critical dimension of accountability: on-the-ground practice. Asian groups disagree with top scores for ADB. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3598.aspx Thu, 06 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3598.aspx The IADB approved on Thursday a $62 million loan for a commercial airline in Ecuador. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10590.aspx Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10590.aspx “Mercosur has become irrelevant and too complicated, and even more when Venezuela is finally incorporated to the block”, said former Brazilian Foreign Finance minister Mailson da Nobrega. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10589.aspx Sun, 02 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10589.aspx "A state becomes a violator of human rights when it fails to guarantee, promote or defend them," said Argentine ambassador to Colombia Martín Balza during the Third International Conference on Colombia. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10588.aspx Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10588.aspx Destruction and exploitation of rain forests spark an idea: Paying to preserve them. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10587.aspx Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10587.aspx Working session aims to update the Indonesian civil society organizations and movements on the old and new trends in the governance and operations of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as they relate to Indonesia. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3594.aspx Tue, 04 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3594.aspx As the World Bank prepares to launch the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) -- its flagship initiative to address deforestation-related greenhouse gas emissions -- at the United Nations climate change conference in Bali, Indonesia, we offer some background on the FCPC and outline the concerns surrounding this controversial new mechanism. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3593.aspx Tue, 04 Dec 2007 10:17:28 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3593.aspx The second Latin American Congress of National Parks and Protected Areas held in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina was the largest gathering of environmental organizations working in Latin America since the last Congress in 1997, held in Santa Marta. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10578.aspx Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10578.aspx The workshop introduced BIC's work to Yemeni media and civil society organizations, and focused on the activities of the international financial institutions in the country. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3591.aspx Tue, 04 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3591.aspx Partners and readers from the Middle East and North Africa region can now access information on BIC's MENA Program in Arabic. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3589.aspx Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:35:03 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3589.aspx Resolution is welcomed by NGOs campaigning to have export credit agencies and public investment banks be held accountable for their actions. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3586.aspx Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:36:41 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3586.aspx The World Bank touted it's meeting with a delegation of Pygmies from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during the Bank's Annual Meetings in October. But as Simon Counsell of Rainforest Foundation UK points out, the Bank has consistently ignored the findings of the quasi-independent Inspecition Panel and violated its own "safeguard policies." http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3585.aspx Tue, 27 Nov 2007 19:51:55 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3585.aspx Eight countries are planning to inaugurate the Bank of the South on December 5, 2007 in Caracas. Joining ALBA countries (Venezuela, Bolivia), Ecuador Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, Colombia decided two weeks ago that it too would join the initiative. Peru and Chile have so far remained silent. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10565.aspx Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10565.aspx In 2006, the World Bank’s Inspection Panel (IP) issued its investigation report for the Bank-funded Pakistan National Drainage Program (NDP). The inspection requesters strongly feel the World Bank Board should ask the Inspection Panel to monitor progress of Management's Action Plan so as to provide the Board with an independent assessment of progress or lack thereof. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3584.aspx Wed, 21 Nov 2007 11:11:22 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3584.aspx The European Commission and Inter-American Development Bank signed a Memorandum of Understanding on November 19th in Brussels to strengthen their cooperation in the Latin American region. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10547.aspx Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10547.aspx The National Report plans a mission to Rondonia to investigate the human rights violations from the Madeira Complex. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10546.aspx Mon, 19 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10546.aspx A coalition of U.S. development and environmental groups has released a joint platform containing needed World Bank reforms, ahead of the 15th replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA) negotiations in Dublin, Ireland. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3579.aspx Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:48:32 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3579.aspx Thousands of teachers and hundreds of nurses in Burundi went on strike last month to protest the government’s inability to meet its commitments to increase wages and improve working conditions. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3577.aspx Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3577.aspx Eight countries are planning to inaugurate the Bank of the South in December 2007. The Bank of the South represents the cornerstone to a more wholesale renovation of the regional financial architecture long dependent on Northern banks. Read Vince McElhinny's new info brief on the Bank of the South and what it means for Latin America, and the continued relevance of the international financial institutions for the region. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3573.aspx Wed, 14 Nov 2007 16:58:22 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3573.aspx The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced yesterday that it will write off Liberia's debt by securing $842 million from its own institutional reserves and donor country pledges. The move comes after the Fund endured heavy criticism in the international media last month for not following through on its commitment to Liberia, eighteen months after the country had met the IMF's stringent policy conditions. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3568.aspx Tue, 13 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3568.aspx Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sought on Wednesday to play down gas shortages in Rio de Janeiro, saying that the country's energy supplies were guaranteed until 2012. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10534.aspx Sun, 07 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10534.aspx For the first time, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has publicly disclosed the official terms of appointment for its new Managing Director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn. His terms include an annual salary of $420,930 (net of income taxes), an annual allowance of $75,350 for maintaining “a scale of living,” and the ability to resign from his position at any time. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3564.aspx Wed, 07 Nov 2007 20:02:24 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3564.aspx A coalition of non-governmental organisations from Europe, North America, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) launched an international appeal today demanding the publication of the final report of the ministerial commission on the review of mining contracts without delay. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3563.aspx Wed, 07 Nov 2007 17:31:15 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3563.aspx The NGO Forum on ADB, on October 24 and 25, raised several issues with the ADB around the review of its Safeguard Policies. The ADB responded by agreeing to change dates of two regional consultations and to provide Vietnamese and Bahasa translations of the Consultation Draft. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3562.aspx Tue, 06 Nov 2007 16:04:31 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3562.aspx Transnational companies tighten their grip on region’s water resources. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10522.aspx Sat, 03 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10522.aspx "The bank, which will be officially launched on Dec. 5, will make development loans to its member countries, with a focus on regional economic integration.(...) The Inter-American Development Bank, which focuses entirely on Latin America, devotes only about 2 percent of its lending to regional integration." That was Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil - not Washington's nemesis, Hugo Chavez -speaking in the Republic of Congo just two weeks ago. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10521.aspx Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10521.aspx In 2006, Bolivia broke with the International Monetary Fund and signaled its desire for independence. Now this week the Andean nation becomes the first country ever to withdraw from the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, a World Bank body that referees contract disagreements between foreign investors and host countries. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10516.aspx Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10516.aspx A people's tribunal against the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank was announced in Dhaka, Bangladesh yesterday, hours before World Bank President, Robert Zoellick's arrival in the country. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3559.aspx Mon, 05 Nov 2007 16:34:52 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3559.aspx Peruvian Government abandoned controversial plan to open up part of the Amazonian rainforest to oil and gas exploration. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10515.aspx Wed, 31 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10515.aspx On November 1, Jubilee South and other civil society organizations unveiled an open letter to the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela calling for a sovereign, supportive, sustainable and integrated Bank of the South. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3557.aspx Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3557.aspx Announcement shows the growing internal pressure at the institution to push lending for major energy initiatives. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10513.aspx Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10513.aspx As the World Bank President, Robert Zoellick, embarks on his first official visit to South Asia, non-governmental organizations in Pakistan urge the Bank to cease funding for large infrastructure projects. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3555.aspx Thu, 01 Nov 2007 10:42:12 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3555.aspx Dominique Strauss-Kahn, former Finance Minister of France, takes over as the new Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on November 1. DSK, as he is generally known, inherits an institution experiencing crises of legitimacy, identity, and solvency, yet is unlikely to implement real changes at the institution. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3554.aspx Wed, 31 Oct 2007 17:49:45 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3554.aspx In July, 2004, the IMF and World Bank commemorated the 60th anniversary of their founding at Bretton Woods, NH to provide a financial framework of assistance for the postwar world after the expected defeat of Germany and Japan. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10510.aspx Mon, 29 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10510.aspx As World Bank President Robert Zoellick works to secure IDA funds, an influential U.S. Democratic senator calls for changes at the institution. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3551.aspx Mon, 29 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3551.aspx The IFC, IDB and BNDES signed an agreement on October 19th to create a $3.99 million private sector participation trust fund to invest in infrastructure projects in Brazil. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10508.aspx Fri, 19 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10508.aspx Robert Zoellick’s first World Bank annual meeting passed with little fanfare or flak – a marked contrast to the boisterous semi-annual meeting in April, when the pressure on his predecessor, Paul Wolfowitz, to resign reached a fever pitch. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3549.aspx Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3549.aspx Study by Amigos da Terra warns investors: Methodology is based on credit rating agencies approach. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10504.aspx Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10504.aspx In a letter to the Asian Development Bank's Environment Division, non-governmental organizations raised substantial concerns about recent developments with the Safeguard Policy Update (SPU) process, calling into question the possibility of genuine participation by civil society organizations. It reminds the ADB to honour its previous commitments about the process of these consultations. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3548.aspx Thu, 25 Oct 2007 16:17:16 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.3548.aspx The idea by Hugo Chávez, Venezuela’s president, to create a Bank of the South to finance regional development projects is moving forward, aided by the tacit approval of Brazil, which has South America’s largest economy. http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10497.aspx Tue, 23 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://bicusa.org/en/Article.10497.aspx Brazil’s Mines and Energy Minister Nelson Hubner announced Wednesday that the auction of the rights to build M