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Friday, August 21, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Eye on the IFIs
ECONOMY: ‘Too Early To Declare Success’
The official opening of the annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is scheduled for Oct. 6, but political activities and tension have already taken control of the daily life of Istanbul.FINANCE: World Bank Head Acknowledges Shifting Global Order
The world economic crisis has called attention to shifting international power structures as emerging economies gain more influence and the failure of globalisation to assist the poorest countries becomes clear, said World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick in anticipation of the bank's annual meeting in Istanbul, Turkey next week.G20: Europeans Resist More Clout for South in IMF
An initiative to reform the International Monetary Fund (IMF) voting structure is causing tension at the G20 here as European delegations resist a U.S.-spearheaded effort to give greater clout to emerging economies, primarily because it would decrease European voting power.G20: IMF Finds a New Unpopularity
When some Eastern European states faced economic collapse as the financial crisis took hold, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stepped in and offered governments huge loans.
ECONOMY: "Put Africa on the G20 Agenda in Pittsburgh"
With South Africa being the only African country with a seat on the Group of 20 (G20), while serving as co-chair of the working group on reforming the International Monetary Fund, it has "a moral obligation towards the continent to call for more responsible management of the global financial system".
LAOS: What People Cannot Eat is of Great Importance to Women – Part 2
"When I was born my mother could not eat anything but tiny fish and tea made from herbs for one whole year," says Dr Bhounsouane. "She was so weak that she could hardly walk. Post partum food taboos (phit kam) are a major problem in Laos for women," he said.
LAOS: Land Legislation Disempowers Women – Part 1
Ki is seven years old but looks more like three. His legs are bowed and skull misshapen. He looked at me with a blank stare. The health worker, Kheo, suggests rickets.FINANCE: World Bank, NGOs Exhort G20 Not to Forget the Poorest
The World Bank and major non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are calling on leaders who will gather for next week's Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Pittsburgh not to forget the needs of the world's poorest countries, which have been severely affected by the last year's financial crisis.
Q&A: "Political Elites Ensure Continuing Flight of Dirty Money"
Illegal capital flight in the form of corrupt, criminal and illicit commercial proceeds out of developing economies could be as high as one trillion dollars a year.DEVELOPMENT: NGOs Question World Bank’s Clean Energy Roadmap
The World Bank's 2010 World Development Report (WDR), released Tuesday, calls on the developed world to lead global efforts to cut carbon emissions, but some civil society groups remain highly sceptical of the bank's role in brokering climate finance.
ECONOMY: "Africa Is Paying Most for a Crisis Not of its Making"
The global economic crisis has hit the African continent especially hard despite not being involved in its making, civil society organisations gathered in the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo heard at the fifth people’s summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
AFRICA: "Have Your Own Policies, as Long as They’re Like Ours"
The controversial conditionalities attached to World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans over the past 20 years may, from the World Bank’s point of view, no longer be necessary as African countries are of their own accord imposing similar policy restrictions on themselves.G20: Moving Up BRIC by BRIC
Every one of these 'G' meetings becomes now an occasion for the developing countries - say the emerging economies - to turn that extra energy into a louder voice in the business of global decision-taking.DEVELOPMENT: Brazil, India, South Africa to Broaden “Voice of the South”
The sixth ministerial meeting of the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) forum agreed Tuesday in Brasilia to strengthen the dialogue between the three emerging powers in order to establish common positions on regional and international matters and boost South-South cooperation.AFRICA: UNCTAD Recommends Privatisation to Mali
How can an African country define its own policy without getting lost in dozens of treaties and international commitments and the jungle of studies prepared by foreign donors and so-called experts, compounded by policy interference by international financial institutions and governments in the North?CARIBBEAN: Returning to the IMF, on Their Own Terms
In 1995, then Jamaican Prime Minister PJ Patterson had a few choice words for the International Monetary Fund (IMF). "Goodbye, ta-ta, au revoir," he said.FINANCE: Africa Wants Greater Voice at IMF
Civil society in Kenya has urged the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for greater representation within its decision making boards and the formation of a dispute resolution body.FINANCE: Congress, Activists Push for Conditions on IMF Funding
Development groups and some U.S. lawmakers are urging the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama to use its power on the governing board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to make the global financial body more transparent, democratic and responsive to the needs of its poorest borrowers.G8: Politely, a Revolution Under Way
It is with too much ease that we all sometimes use the word 'revolution'. Because all too often the change being championed is one that too many others simply do not notice. But that isn't the case here: the change pushed for at the G8 summit in Italy, and at other such forums, is no less than revolutionary, and can only be seen as historic.DEVELOPMENT: MDG Goals Face ‘Triple Crisis’
The developing world faces a "triple crisis" as global economics, food prices and the impact of climate change affect the world's most vulnerable people, a new UN report warns.POLITICS: U.N. Plan for Financial Crisis Derided as Weak
When the General Assembly adopted a proposed plan of action aimed at overcoming the global financial crisis, one of the political surprises was that all 192 member states gave their blessings to the wide range of proposals spelled out in an "outcome document".« Previous Page — Next Page »
They underpin the world's financial architecture, with the power to revamp whole economies and channel billions of development dollars each year. But the so-called International Financial Institutions -- the World Bank Group, International Monetary Fund and regional investment banks -- face a new era of public scrutiny and challenges to their relevancy. How are the IFIs responding to growing demands from the South and civil society groups for greater democracy and accountability? And are they living up to their stated mission of promoting economic prosperity for all? IPS reports.
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