In November, Dr. Beatrice Edwards, Director of International Programs for the Government Accountability Project (GAP) came to Armenia to discuss how we can better impress upon the World Bank’s Department of Institutional Integrity (INT) the need to have our claim investigated.

Dr. Edwards also wanted to meet with Prime Minister Sargsyan, who had announced to the press that he was ready to re-open the matter, and with Vahan Hovhanissian, who in October, after three years of silence, admitted to the press that the findings of the study I managed for him in 2004, constituted a sound basis for a full criminal inquiry. Prime Minister Sargsyan still has not replied to my letter to him of the 15th October, and Vahan Hovhanissian could not find time for a meeting.

After nearly a year of indifference from the the various parties, together with GAP, we are now inviting signatures to a petition which GAP will submit 15th February to Robert Zoellick, World Bank President, requesting him to instruct the INT to Carry Out a Full INT Investigation

The support of your readers to this important action will be greatly appreciated.

Please follow the link below and Join the Petition

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/FightingWorldBankCorruption/

Bruce Tasker
Blowing the World Bank Whistle

Bank off!

Countries are booting out the World Bank

Paul Wolfowitz’s indiscretions are not the only cause of headaches at the World Bank. Latin American countries are paying off their loans early, cutting ties with the institution, and creating their own financing instruments instead.

Since its creation over 60 years ago, the World Bank has provided trillions of dollars in loans to poor countries. In Latin America, financing by the Bank accounts for 20 per cent of multilateral lending, and comes with policy prescriptions, made into ‘conditions’, that interfere with governments’ rights to make sovereign decisions.

At the same time, persistent poverty in Latin America has barely budged. Now there is a clear backlash. In 2006, presidential elections were held in 12 Latin American countries. In six, leftwing candidates won, and in another four, Left parties made considerable progress. Economic policy was a dominant theme in all the campaigns. Candidates who were critical of the conservative, pro-business, free-market economic policies of their predecessors fared much better than supporters of the Washington-favoured status quo.

[…]

In a clear departure from the undemocratic and paternalistic governance structure of the World Bank – where voting privileges are based on financial contribution, giving the US Treasury the largest share of the vote – Banco del Sur assures potential members that no-one will be the ‘sole owner’. Although not yet fully defined, indications are that voting power will be based on financial need, rather than monetary contribution or political weight.

The real challenge will be to create an institution that not only looks different to its predecessors, but actually thinks and acts differently.

http://www.newint.org/columns/currents/2007/07/01/world-bank/

Probably won’t, but it should be, I think.