(July 17, 2006) The World Bank’s high-profile focus on curbing corruption looks set to continue but to what effect can the Bank implement its anti-graft agenda when the Bank itself has been “the cause of corruption, and odious and illegitimate debts, in the past?” asks Gail Hurley of the Brussels-based NGO network Eurodad.
UK calls for IMF reform
(July 16, 2006) Britain is pushing for a radical shake-up of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, including an end to the post Second World War stitch-up which split the top jobs between Europe and the US, reports Heather Stewart for The Observer.
£100 million [US$185m] fund to combat corruption among developing world leaders
(July 14, 2006) Britain has announced the creation of a ¬£100 million fund to fight corruption and improve political accountability in the developing world, as part of an undertaking by the Tony Blair administration to address how Third World challenges identified at last year’s G8 summit could be met, reports Tania Branigan for The Guardian.
Combat corruption: commit to the conventions
(July 12, 2006) Activists worry that “the failure” of G8 member states to renew existing commitments to monitoring corruption will undermine negotiations at the forthcoming Conference of the States Parties.
‘Aid only feeds Africa’s corruption’
(July 8, 2006) In a recent address on western aid to Africa, outspoken Ugandan journalist Andrew Mwenda said "the best thing the West can do" for Africa "is nothing."
On the road to forgiveness, justice is forgotten
(July 7, 2006) The World Bank’s high-profile focus on curbing corruption looks set to continue but to what effect can the Bank implement its anti-graft agenda when the Bank itself has been "the cause of corruption, and odious and illegitimate debts, in the past?" asks Gail Hurley of the
Brussels-based NGO network Eurodad.
Smelling a boomtown rat
(June 27, 2006) This time last year, I spent a fruitless Saturday night touring pubs in Nairobi trying to find a Kenyan who was watching Live 8. There were plenty watching Wimbledon, but no one who had even heard of Bob Geldof. When I explained what was going on in Britain, they replied briskly that pop music was for children – and if you borrow money, you ought to pay it back.
Prevent a man-made disaster
(June 23, 2006)”As Indonesia struggles to rebuild after this weekend’s devastating earthquake – striking less than two years after the 2004 tsunami – world leaders must move quickly to cancel Indonesia’s onerous debt burden. While donors pledge emergency assistance in the form of more loans to Indonesia, the country would be better served through full debt cancellation.”
Opening statement for hearing on UN Convention Against Corruption
(June 21, 2006) The US administration has sent the UN Convention Against Corruption to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for Senate advice and consent. A hearing chaired by Dick Lugar is now underway and the treaty is expected to be discharged.
Free the Third World of export credit agencies
(June 21, 2006) The evidence of boondoggles made possible by Export Credit Agency (ECA) support – the Three Gorges dam, the Norwegian shipping deal to Ecuador, the Manantali dam in the Senegal River basin, the Bataan nuclear power station in the Philippines, pulp and paper mills to Indonesia, the OK Tedi mine in Papua New Guinea, military exports to Iraq – is extensive and well documented.
Export credit debt prevention
(June 20, 2006) Three steps to protecting future generations from export credit agencies.
Evaluation echoes civil society critique of World Bank-IMF debt relief efforts
(June 19, 2006) Countries in the midst of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative have seen a worsening of their debt and fiscal management, claims a new World Bank evaluation; other countries went back into debt trouble after completing the programme.
Norwegians push for examination of illegitimate debt
(June 19, 2006) Norway has reportedly established a $20,000 fund for the World Bank to undertake a study of odious and illegitimate debt.
Lugar begins hearing on the UN Convention Against Corruption
(June 11, 2006) The chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Dick Lugar resided over the first hearing on the UN Convention Against Corruption last month which had been sent by the US Administration for Senate advice and consent.
Let’s launch an enquiry into the debt! A manual on how to organise audits on Third World debts
(June 10, 2006) A new guide to launching debt audits hopes to ‘untangle the web of debt.’ the Third World debt can seem like a real gold mine, for the people living in the Third World, it feels more like a straight jacket," reads the promotional material for a new how-to guide on auditing Third World debts.
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