world vs bank announcement

WORLD vs. BANK

A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE WORLD BANK

15 OCTOBER 2007

THE HAGUE

THE NETHERLANDS

find our more about the  witnesses and experts

live video streaming at www.engagetv.com

We are proud to announce that the World Bank Campaign Europe is preparing a Public Hearing on the World Bank under auspices of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal. It will take place on the 15th of October in The Hague, Netherlands, one week before the Annual Meetings of the World Bank.

The Background

The World Bank is being criticised more strongly than ever by donor and borrower governments as well as civil society organisations and local communities for increasing rather than reducing poverty by imposing harmful economic policy conditions; for environmental devastation; for contributing to conflict; and for failing to respect local peoples’ rights.

2007 is the year where donor governments negotiate the 15th replenishment of funds to the concessional arm of the World Bank, the International Development Association (IDA), and also the year in which the World Bank is developing its 'Clean Energy Investment Framework'. In various regions, alternatives to the World Bank are being discussed or even established, such as the Bank of the South in Latin America. It is the right time for a new Hearing!

The Hearing

On October 15 2007, Witnesses from all Southern continents will give testimony of the impacts of World Bank policies and practices, especially in the areas of conditionalities and fossil fuel project funding. Well-known and respected experts will listen to testimonies from all parts of the world about the impact of World Bank financing and ask questions. In the evening, the expert panel will convene to draft a declaration to be presented in a press conference the next morning.

The conclusions of the Oct 15 Hearing will put donor governments under pressure to set more precise objectives for how taxpayers’ aid money should be spent, and to withdraw their contributions to the World Bank if real change is not happening. The documentation of the Hearing will also provide a solid source for an intensive debate about the future of the IFIs, the current development model and potential alternatives.

There will be live video streaming for the entire event on www.engagetv.com

Already now you can cast a vote on the website to tell your development minister to act now and to seriously question World Bank policies.

PROGRAMME

15th October 2007

9.15-9.45

Introduction

Overview of the history of the World Bank with reference to the Tribunals in 1988 and 1995, and the reasons for this Update Hearing

Lidy Nacpil (Jubilee South, Philippines), Antonio Tricarico (CRBM, Italy)

9.45-10.00

Artist presentation

10.00-16.00

Testimonies

Testimonies on the impact of privatisation, liberalisation and fossil fuel project funding with questions from the expert panel

Witnesses

• Gonzalo Salgado, National Consumer Defence Network, Nicaragua
• Miguel Palacin, CONACAMI Peru
• Collins Magalasi, Action Aid Malawi
• Temo Tamboura, CAD Mali
• Svetlana Anosova, Berezovka Initiative Group, Kazakhstan
• Michael Karikpo, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria

Expert Panel

• Maartje van Putten, Former member of the World Bank Inspection Panel
  
• Francesco Martone, Senator, Italy
• Marcos Arruda, TNI and PACS Brazil
  
• Medha Patkar, Founder of the National Alliance of People's Movements, India
• Charles Abugre, Development Economist, Ghana

16.00-16.30

Video interview

Video interview with Bert Koenders, Dutch Development Minister

16.30-17.00

Concluding remarks

Concluding remarks and looking forward by the President of the Expert Panel

17.00-18:30

Reception

With music from the Philippines

16th October 2007

10.00-12.00
Press Conference

Venue: Nutshuis, Riviervismarkt 5, The Hague, Netherland

Information, registration and live internet streaming at:

www.worldbankcampaigneurope.org

Friends of the Earth International, Tel +31 20 622 13 69, Eurodad, Tel +32 2 543 90 60