Articles
World Bank's 'Doing Business' reformed indicators will favour land grabbing
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Instead of taking suggestions on board from CSOs or its own monitoring bodies, the World Bank continues to push its agenda at the expense of small-scale farmers. In essence, this makes it easier for foreign investors, at the potential cost of local farmers.
This week, the World Bank published the 2016 edition of the Doing Business report. Since 2002, this publication has annually ranked 189 countries’ business climate through 11 indicators1 such as corporate taxation and access to credit. This edition concluded a series of methodological changes that were taken on after extensive criticism of the report from the Bank’s own Independent Evaluation Group, an Independent Panel appointed by the Bank, and civil society organisations.
Read more: World Bank's 'Doing Business' reformed indicators will favour land grabbing
Nigeria and Illicit Financial Flows
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NIGERIA lost $83.3 billion from 1960 to 2011 through illicit financial flows, Africa Development Bank (ADB) Country Office Director, Dr. Orismane Dore has said.
NGOs disappointed with final round of climate negotiations
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Civil society groups have expressed disappointment over the outcome of the final round of U.N. climate change negotiations in Bonn — 38 days ahead of the upcoming summit in Paris.
The weeklong negotiations, which concluded Oct. 23, triggered mostly negative comments from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) monitoring the talks.
Denise M. Fontanilla, Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development, told IPS technically, this is the last round of climate negotiations before Paris.
“But anything can happen – especially given the hype,” she added.
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New e-book:From social protection to the social commons
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Ideas for social justice in postneoliberal times
Social protection is high on the international political agenda to-day.
In 2012 the International Labour Organisation adopted a recommendation on ‘social protection floors’. One could think this is a minimalist agenda, but if all people all over the world had their rights respected, this would be a tremendous social progress. Social protection is indeed a human right, mentioned in the Universal Declaration on human rights and in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Nevertheless, more ambition is called for. I would like to go beyond ‘the floors’ and propose a programme for a ‘social common’, for the North as well as for the South. Why?
Read more: New e-book:From social protection to the social commons
The Hidden Truth of Banks Enabling Corruption and the Devastating Human Cost
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There has been no shortage of highly publicized scandals involving the financial sector in recent years, from the crash in 2008 onwards. A much less known, yet equally shocking, one is the key role banks play in enabling corruption, which has a devastating impact on people around the world. This is the focus of Banks and Dirty Money, a recently published report by Global Witness. It highlights how regulatory failure lies at heart of this problem too.
Read more: The Hidden Truth of Banks Enabling Corruption and the Devastating Human Cost
