Policies and Recommendations
Section Articles 1-20 of 36
Policy Brief: Halifax Initiative position on IDA 15
The Halifax Initiative's position with respect to the current discussions around the 15th replenishment of the International Development Association, the World Bank's soft loan and grant-making facility.
Issue Brief: World Bank Extractive Industries Review - June 2006
In preparation for the 2006 National Roundtables on Corporate Social Responsibility and Extractives in Developing Countries, the Halifax Initiative has prepared this issue brief backgrounder, "World Bank Extractive Industries Review - Lessons Learned (and promptly ignored)"
Issue Brief: The IFC's Performance Standards - June 2006
In preparation for the 2006 National Roundtables on Corporate Social Responsibility and Extractives in Developing Countries, the Halifax Initiative has prepared this issue brief backgrounder, "The International Finance Corporations's Performance Standards - the New 'Gold Standard' or 'Fool's Gold?'"
Two Reports - Driving under World Bank and IMF Influence (October 2005)
Two reports, prepared in 2005 by the Social Justice Committee, look at the role of the World Bank and the IMF in Guyana and Senegal, highlighting how excessive control of the institutions over development plans undermines democracy and the programs themselves.
Letter to Finance Minister re Safeguard Policies (November 2005)
As IFC nears the final stages of its safeguard policy revision process, it is essential that Governments and Board members actively encourage International Finance Corporation (IFC) to make further improvements to its Sustainability Policy and Performance Standards during the public comment period, which ends November 25th.
Letter to Prime Minister Martin (March 2005)
We the undersigned organizations find Paul Wolfowitz to be an unsuitable candidate for the next president of the World Bank. We call on the Government of Canada to oppose the U.S. nomination and instruct the Executive Director, Marcel Mass', to vote against Mr. Wolfowitz's nomination.
Letter to Minister Goodale (March 2005)
We are writing to express our strong concern with the nomination by the US government of Paul Wolfowitz to become the next President of the World Bank. We call on the Government of Canada to direct its Executive Director to the World Bank, Marcel Massé to strongly oppose the nomination and to vote against it.
Comments on Bank Operational Policy on Indigenous Peoples (February 2005)
The Halifax Initiative Coalition sent official comments to the World Bank's Indigenous Peoples Coordinator highlighting the need for the World Bank to strengthen its draft Operational Policy (OP 4.10) on Indigenous Peoples in order to ensure that it sufficiently meets international standards and guarantees on the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Letter to Minister Goodale (January 2005)
On behalf of the Halifax Initiative Coalition and the Africa Canada Forum, a working group of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation, we call on you to recognize this moment and champion the unconditional cancellation of 100% of the multilateral debts owed by impoverished countries and set out a timetable for the provision of additional Official Development Assistance (ODA) to enable them to meet the Millennium Development Goals.
Letter to World Bank Canadian ED re Glamis Gold (January 2005)
This letter to the Canadian Executive Director to the World Bank Group informs Mr. Massé about the recent protests and death along the road to the Glamis gold mine in Guatemala, a project being financed by the International Finance Corporation. Among other things, it recommends that WB should suspend any further processing of the existing loan and insist on the establishment of an independent and thorough review of the project, including the tragic events of recent days.
KAIROS Statement on Global Day of Action Against Debt Domination (December 2004)
A statement by KAIROS calling for multilateral debt relief, greater action on the part of G7 nations and recognition that odious and illegitimate debt should not have to be repaid.
Who's Minding the Store? (October 2004)
Halifax Initiative's new paper, "Who's Minding the Store? Legislator Oversight of the Bretton Woods Institutions" examines to what extent national legislatures maintain democratic oversight of the World Bank and IMF. The survey reveals that legislators are inadequately aware, unevenly informed and largely not consulted on issues related to the institutions. The democratic link to bind citizens and institutional decision-makers is therefore fragile, at best.
Government of Canada Response - NGO/PRESS Pass
Response to August 10, 2004 letter expressing concerns over the World Bank and International Monetary Fund decision to cancel the NGO/PRESS pass for this year's Annual Meetings.
Government of Canada Response to IDA letter (September 2004)
Government of Canada response to IDA governance letter.
At the Table or in the Kitchen? (September 2004)
The Halifax Initiative Coalition and the Canadian Council for International Co-operation have co-authored the report "At the Table or in the Kitchen? CIDA's New Aid Strategies, Developing Country Ownership and Donor Conditionality," which seeks to understand the implications of three converging elements in CIDA's implementation of its 2002 policy the agency's reliance on PRSPs to define country priorities for poverty reduction, its support for program based approaches to deliver increasing aid budgets for poverty reduction, and its increased coordination with the World Bank and other major donors in these PBAs.
Impoverishing a Continent: The World Bank and the IMF in Africa (July 2004)
The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are the two most powerful institutions in global trade and finance. Since 1980, the United States government which dominates both bodies has used them to economically subjugate the developing world. The World Bank and the IMF have forced Third World countries to open their economies to Western penetration and increase exports of primary goods to wealthy nations. These steps amongst others have multiplied profits for Western multinational corporations while subjecting Third World countries to horrendous levels of poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, illiteracy and economic decline. The region worst affected has been Africa.
Letter from Canadian Executive Director at World Bank (April 2003)
This letter is in follow-up to a face-to-face meeting between Halifax Initiative representatives and the Canadian Executive Director at the time of the Spring meetings.
Issue Brief: The World Bank & Water Privatization - March 2004
A short summary of the influential role the World Bank plays in the privatization of water in developing countries
The Case for an Independent International Development Association (October 2003)
The International Development Association is the arm of the World Bank Group that loans or grants financing to low-income countries. It is controlled by donors and by the World Bank's overall failed approach to people-centred, country owned development.
Rebuttal to IFC response to NGO comments on BTC pipeline (November 2003)
Letter to IFC which is a rebuttal to the IFC's dismissal of the NGO analysis of the environmental impact assessment for the BTC pipeline which found up to 173 partial or full violations of World Bank policies.
