PHA-Exch> Bank failing small farmers, Fund fighting capital controls, the Bank's climate contradictions and the IMF flees Bangladesh

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Bretton Woods Project subs at brettonwoodsproject.org


For a list of all articles in this edition, please see
http://brettonwoodsproject.org/update/58
For a pdf version of this edition, please see
http://brettonwoodsproject.org/update/58/bwupdt58.pdf

Highlights

Failing small farmers: The World Bank and agriculture
Stinging from a critique from its own evaluation unit on its work on
agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa, the World Bank released its flagship
annual report on agriculture in October to heavy criticism from civil
society.
<http://brettonwoodsproject.org/agriculture58>

The International Finance Corporation: Behind the rhetoric
There is evidence that the IFC's financing of small and medium enterprises,
almost all of which occurs via financial intermediaries, is
under-supervised, and that direct lending is still focused on large
companies in emerging market economies with questionable value-added.
<http://brettonwoodsproject.org/ifcatissue58>

Climate contradictions: World Bank sets up shop in Bali
The key role that the World Bank is preparing to play in December's
international climate change conference in Bali sits uncomfortably with its
continued commitment to fossil fuel funding and failure to make a meaningful
shift in its energy lending
<http://brettonwoodsproject.org/climate58>

Fund fights capital controls, not turbulent capital markets
Despite concerns about the consequences of the credit market breakdown in
rich countries spilling over into other countries, the IMF is nagging
developing countries to open their capital accounts and looking to regulate
sovereign wealth funds.
<http://brettonwoodsproject.org/capcontrols58>

IMF flees Bangladesh
An IMF mission visited Dhaka in September 2007 to sign a PSI and put another
chain around the country's neck. But the people of Bangladesh did not behave
as the mission expected. They said a loud "NO" to the IMF mission.
<http://brettonwoodsproject.org/comment58>

New World Bank financing instruments: Who bears the risk?
Two areas that Robert Zoellick's Bank is likely to focus on are the
promotion of risk management instruments, and developing local currency bond
markets.
<http://brettonwoodsproject.org/swaps58>

Less carrot, more stick please: Disappointing reforms at IDA 15
As negotiations close over donations to the World Bank's financing arm for
low income countries, civil society groups have expressed disappointment
over the failure to make progress on conditionality, debt sustainability,
allocation or impact assessment.
<http://brettonwoodsproject.org/ida1558>

World Bank: head in the sand over 'peace conduit'
NGO Friends of the Earth Middle East has expressed concern over the World
Bank's involvement in the Red Sea to Dead Sea water conveyance project, in
particular its failure to consider alternatives that would tackle the root
cause of the Dead Sea's degradation
<http://brettonwoodsproject.org/reddeadsea58>

IFC: carbon cowboys in the Amazon
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Inter-American
Development Bank (IDB) risk breaching their own social and environmental
safeguards if they provide funding for the Peru liquefied natural gas
project, or Camisea II.
<http://brettonwoodsproject.org/camisea58>

Ungovernable debate over Fund governance reform
With the wait for new leadership at the IMF over and the deadline for a deal
on quota reform looming, the hard bargaining over power at the Fund will now
begin. Still no end to European dominance of the institution is in site.
<http://brettonwoodsproject.org/imfgov58>

Your support of the Bretton Woods Project is crucial
Bretton Woods Project seeks reader support
<http://brettonwoodsproject.org/support58>

Additional articles include :
Strauss-Kahn to make $500,000 as IMF head <
http://brettonwoodsproject.org/dsksalary58>
G7 calls for budget cut at the IMF <
http://brettonwoodsproject.org/imfbudget58>
More IMF staffing to deal with poor countries? <
http://brettonwoodsproject.org/imfinlics58>
Senegal joins the ranks of PSI countries <
http://brettonwoodsproject.org/psisenegal58>
The IMF and financial sector reform <http://brettonwoodsproject.org/inside58
>
More Bank 'aid for trade' <http://brettonwoodsproject.org/aidfortrade58>
Ecuador withdraws from ICSID? <http://brettonwoodsproject.org/icsid58>
Public campaigns to reform IDA <http://brettonwoodsproject.org/wbce58>
Addressing the legacy of big dams <http://brettonwoodsproject.org/dams58>
2007 Bankspeak and resources <http://brettonwoodsproject.org/bankspeak58>
A virtual World Bank to add to the real one? <
http://brettonwoodsproject.org/secondlife58>

See them all at http://brettonwoodsproject.org/update/58/
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