27 April 2007
Global sign-on letter regarding the current scandal at the Bank demands not only Wolfowitz’s resignation but fundamental reforms in the governance of the institution itself. Please provide an organizational sign-on if you agree with the demands and pass on to others who may also be interested.
Please provide an organizational sign-on if you agree with the demands and pass on to others who may also be interested. Contact the Bank Information Center at to add your organization's name to the list of signatures. Thank you.
Versión en Español
Русский вариант
To: World Bank Member Government Representatives
cc: World Bank Executive Directors
Global civil society organizations demand Wolfowitz resignation and broader governance overhaul
The World Bank is an institution in crisis. Recent events highlight the failures of Paul Wolfowitz’s leadership and are a result of more fundamental and systemic governance flaws at the institution. The legitimacy and effectiveness of a public body depends on its ability to embrace transparency, accountability and democracy in its own decision-making.
For this reason, Paul Wolfowitz must go. The Bank faces important challenges in the coming years, including the IDA-15 replenishment process. Wolfowitz’s admitted mishandling of the Riza affair, poor judgment in appointing senior staff and inability to provide effective leadership leave him ill-prepared to head the institution. The president of an international institution must be someone who can inspire confidence in staff, member governments and civil society. Paul Wolfowitz has squandered all trust that may have been invested in him.
Wolfowitz’s resignation is necessary but not sufficient to address the current scandal. Meaningful governance reform requires a transparent and democratic leadership selection process open to individuals from any country. By tradition, the US currently appoints the World Bank President and Europe selects the IMF Managing Director. This is wrong.
Moreover, decision-making on the Board of Directors of the World Bank is largely in the hands of the rich world. This must change. Developing and transition countries must be given greater voice and vote in the World Bank (and in other similar multilateral institutions) in light of their rights, population and growing influence in the world today.
Finally, the Bank continues to take decisions behind closed doors. This secrecy, among other reasons, perpetuates its image as a technocratic power far removed from the reality on the ground and out of reach of ordinary citizens. This secrecy has directly contributed to the current crisis. Transparency in Board deliberations and broader stakeholder participation in Bank decision-making at all levels are essential.
The Development Committee communiqué issued on Sunday 16th April said: “The current situation is of great concern to all of us. We expect the Bank to adhere to a high standard of internal governance". We agree: the Bank needs to practice what it preaches by resolving these current structural and political failures immediately. The decision is in your hands.
Signed:
- 11.11.11 - The coalition of the Flemish North-South movement (Belgium)
- Acção para o Desenvolvimento, Pesquisa e Cooperação Internacional (ADPCI) (Angola)
- ActionAid International USA (United States)
- ActionAid-Vietnam (Vietnam)
- Action for Economic Reforms (AER) (Philippines)
- African Forum on Alternatives (Senegal)
- AFRODAD (African Forum and Network on Debt and Development) (Zimbabwe)
- AID/WATCH (Australia)
- Albertine Rift Conservation Society (Uganda)
- Alliance contre la Pauvreté (Mali)
- Alliance des Radios Communautaires (Mali)
- Alliance Sud (Switzerland)
- Amazon Watch (United States)
- Angikar Bangladesh Foundation (Bangladesh)
- Anthropolis (Hungary)
- Anti Mangla Dam Extension Action Committee (India)
- AOSED (Bangladesh)
- Arab NGO Network for Development (Lebanon)
- Arom Pongpangan Foundation and Labour Resource Centre (Thailand)
- Asociación Civil Labor (Peru)
- Asociación de Trabajo Interdisciplinario (Colombia)
- Association algérienne de lutte contre la corruption (AACC) (Algeria)
- Association El Irchad wal Islah (Algeria)
- Association Tunisienne de Femmes Democratiques (Tunisia)
- Bahrain Coalition Against Poverty (Bahrain)
- Bahrain Youth Democratic Society (Bahrain)
- Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (Bangladesh)
- BanglaPraxis (Bangladesh)
- Bank Information Center (United States)
- BOTH ENDS (Netherlands)
- Bretton Woods Project (United Kingdom)
- Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation (Bulgaria)
- Bureau on Human Rights and Rule of Law (Kyrgyz Republic)
- Buryat Regional Association for Baikal (Russia)
- Campagna per la riforma della Banca Mondiale (Italy)
- CEFEMINA (Centro feminista de Información y Acción) (Costa Rica)
- CENSAT AGUA VIVA FOE (Colombia)
- Center for Community Development and Education (CCDE) (Indonesia)
- Center for Human Rights and the Environment (CEDHA) (Argentina)
- Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) (United States)
- Center for Orang Asli Concerns (Malaysia)
- Center of Concern (United States)
- Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) (Sri Lanka)
- Centre for Human Rights and Development (Mongolia)
- Centre for Organisation Research & Education (India)
- Centre for Rights and Development (Seychelles)
- Centro de Estudios Aplicados a los Derechos Económicos Sociales y Culturales (CEADESC) (Bolivia)
- Centro de Información y Servicios de Asesoría en Salud (CISAS) (Nicaragua)
- CEE Bankwatch (Czech Republic)
- Christian Aid (United Kingdom)
- Christian Aid Ireland (Ireland)
- Church Development Service (EED) (Germany)
- Civic Response (Ghana)
- Coastal Development Partnership (Bangladesh)
- Comunidad en Movimiento AC (Mexico)
-
Corporate Accountability International (United States)
- Creed Alliance (Pakistan)
- Crude Accountability (United States)
- DebtWATCH Indonesia (Indonesia)
- Democracy Monitor (Azerbaijan)
- Down to Earth: the International Campaign for Ecological Justice in Indonesia (United Kingdom)
- ECOA (Brazil)
- Ecological Society Green Salvation (Kazakhstan)
- Economic Justice and Development Organization (Pakistan)
- Economic Research Centre (Azerbaijan)
- Environmental Defense (United States)
- Equipo Pueblo (Mexico)
- Espace Associatif (Morocco)
- Essential Action (United States)
- European Network on Debt and Development (EURODAD)
- Fondation pour le Développement au Sahel (FDS) (Mali)
- Forest Peoples Programme (United Kingdom)
- FOCO - Foro Ciudadano de Participación por la Justicia y los Derechos Humanos (Argentina)
- Freedom from Debt Coalition (Philippines)
- Friends of the Earth-CEPA (Slovakia)
- Friends of the Earth International (Netherlands)
- Friends of the Earth US (United States)
- Fundación por la Naturaleza y la Vida (FUNAVI) (Bolivia)
- Government Accountability Project (United States)
- Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) (Philippines)
- Global Association for People and the Environment (GAPE) (Canada)
- Global Village Cameroon (Cameroon)
- Gender Action (United States)
-
GRAPR/NAD (Congo)
- Green Alternative (Georgia)
- Greenpeace International (Netherlands)
- Green Policy Institute (Bulgaria)
- Grupo Moçambicano da Dívida (Mozambique)
- Habitat International Coalition (Egypt)
-
Halifax Initiative Coalition (Canada)
-
Indonesia Harm Reduction Network (Indonesia)
- INESC (Brazil)
- Instituto del Tercer Mundo (Uruguay)
- Instituto latinoamericano de Servicios Legales Colombia (ILSA) (Colombia)
- Intercultural Resources (India)
- International Accountability Project (United States)
- International Council of Adult Education (Uruguay)
- International Labor Rights Fund (United States)
- International NGO Forum for Indonesian Development (INFID) (Indonesia)
- International Rivers Network (IRN) (United States)
- ISDE (Bangladesh)
- Jubilee Australia (Australia)
- Jubilee Centre (Zambia)
- Jubilee Debt Campaign UK (United Kingdom)
- Jubilee Netherlands (Netherlands)
- Jubilee South Africa (South Africa)
- Jubilee USA Network (United States)
- Karen Environmental & Social Action Network (Burma)
- Latin American Center Social Ecology (CLAES) (Uruguay)
- Lawyers' Environmental Action Team (Tanzania)
- Living River Siam-SEARIN (Thailand)
- LOKOJ (Bangladesh)
- Maria Amalia Reyes Cartagena (Honduras)
- Marianists International (United States)
- Migrant CARE (Indonesian Association for Migrant Workers Sovereignty) (Indonesia)
- MWENGO (Zimbabwe)
- National Center for Ecological Reporting (Azerbaijan)
- National Committee for Protection of Natural Resources (NCPNR) (India)
- National CSO Network on MDGs (Indonesia)
- National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers (NFFPFW) (India)
- National Society of Conservationists - Friends of the Earth (Hungary)
- Network for Environmental & Economic Responsibility/United Church of Christ (UCC) (United States)
- Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (USA)
- New Economics Foundation (NEF) (United Kingdom)
- New Rules for Global Finance Coalition (United States)
- NGO Federation of Nepal (Nepal)
- Norwegian Church Aid (Norway)
- Observatorio de la Deuda en la Globalización (Spain)
- Oikos - Cooperaçao e Desenvolvimento (Portugal)
- Oil Change International (United States)
- One Earth (Greece)
- One World Action (United Kingdom)
- OpenSpace (India)
- Our Common Home (Azerbaijan)
- Pakistan Institute of Labour Education & Research (Pakistan)
- Palang Thai (Thailand)
- Participatory Development Initiatives (PDI) (Pakistan)
- Partido ng Manggagawa (Worker's Party) (Philippines)
- People's Alliance for Debt Cancellation (GARPU) (Indonesia)
- Peoples Forum Against Asian Development Bank (PFAADB) (India)
- People's Forum on MDGs (Bangladesh)
- Prayas Energy Group (India)
- Priority Africa Network (United States)
- Rede Brasil sobre Instituições Financeiras Multilaterais - Brazil Network on Multilateral Financial Institutions (Brazil)
- River Basin Friends (India)
- Rural Reconstruction Nepal (Nepal)
- Sakhalin Environment Watch (Russia)
- Save America's Forests (United States)
- Shushaner Jonno Procharavijan (SUPRO) (Bangladesh)
- Sierra Club US and Canada (United States and Canada)
- Sindhi Association of North America (SANA) (United States)
- SOBREVIVENCIA, Amigos de la Tierra Paraguay (Paraguay)
- Social Watch (Uruguay)
- Solidaritas Perempuan Kinasih (Indonesia)
- Solidarity Workshop (Bangladesh)
- Spitak Development Association (Armenia)
- Sustainability Watch Network (Uganda)
- Taller Ecologista (Argentina)
- The Corner House (United Kingdom)
- The Development GAP (United States)
- The Social Justice Committee (Canada)
- Third World Network Africa (TWN) (Ghana)
- Trade Union Center (Bangladesh)
- Trocaire (Ireland)
- Universal Human Rights Network (United States)
- Unnayan Onneshan (Bangladesh)
- Urban Research Centre (India)
- Urgewald (Germany)
- VOICE (Bangladesh)
- Wana Na Todo Abhiyan (India)
- WEED (World Economy, Ecology & Development) (Germany)
- Women and Modern World Centre (Azerbaijan)
- Womyn's Agenda for Change (Cambodia)
- YAYASAN DUTA AWAM (YDA) (Indonesia)