Independent People's Tribunal on World Bank gets underway in Delhi

21 September 2007 | Washington, DC

The four-day Independent People's Tribunal on the World Bank, the first of its kind in India, begins today. The Tribunal is an opportunity for impacted commununities and concerned groups to discuss how the World Bank has influenced their lives.

Over the past few years, several groups have systematically come together to closely monitor the World Bank’s functioning in India, especially with regard to its Country Assistance Strategy; its review of its social and environmental standards; its proposal of using Country Systems in lowering regulatory standards, etc. As part of this process, it has been considered important to undertake a broad-spectrum enquiry into the World Bank and the functioning of its allies and to review their impacts nationally. This is the origin of the Independent People’s Tribunal on the World Bank Group in India. The purpose behind the Tribunal is to provide a just and unbiased forum for people who have faced the impact of projects and policies funded or promoted by the World Bank Group. It provides an opportunity for them to express their grievances and propose alternatives.

The Tribunal will be a four day event (21-24 September, 2007) made up of presentations and discussions on the various consequences of the World Bank's involvement in India. The presentations will take the form of legal depositions that will be heard by a panel of distinguished individuals, from both within and outside of India, who have been jointly selected by the convenors, advisors and secretariat. Panelists include three retired Supreme and High Court Indian Judges, prominent academics and activists such as Amit Bhaduri, Bruce Rich and Arundhati Roy, the spiritual leader Sivak Suvaraska and many others.

NOTE: Information for this article was taken directly from the website of the Independent People's Tribunal website.