9 October 2007
On October 15th, a public hearing on the World Bank will take place in The Hague. The hearing aims to raise the debate on the legitimacy of the World Bank and influence the aid distribution process.
The World Bank Campaign Europe, a coalition of more than 70 non-governmental organizations, is preparing a public hearing titled “World vs. Bank,” in co-operation with the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal. It will take place on October 15, 2007 in The Hague, Netherlands, at the beginning of the week of the Annual Meetings of the World Bank/IMF.
The World Bank faces increased criticism of its policies and actions by donor and borrower governments as well as civil society organizations and local communities. Critics call into question the World Bank's effectiveness in reducing poverty as well as whether it is still relevant in today’s world. The organization is at a crossroads and new president Robert Zoellick is in a position to decide its future direction. Furthermore, as donor governments negotiate their commitments to the 15th replenishment of funds to the International Development Association (IDA), the Bank's mechanism for lending to poor countries, it is an opportune time to pressure these governments to set more stringent objectives on how IDA money will be spent and to closely monitor its performance.
The Tribunal's jury will analyze two policy ‘cases’ of the World Bank: economic conditionalities and the funding of extractive industry projects. As in the recently held Independent People's Tribunal on the World Bank in India, the European Tribunal will hear from witnesses from Southern continents who will give testimony of the impacts of World Bank policies and practices, especially in the areas of conditionalities and fossil fuel project funding. The hearing will also serve as a "forum for a debate on the future of the World Bank, the current development model and potential alternatives."
The entire hearing will be streamed live on the Internet.
- Watch the hearing live on October 15th (World Bank Campaign Europe website)
- Learn more about the “World vs. Bank” hearing, including detailed program and registration (World Bank Campaign Europe website)