Jan 8, 2021This is America. Where is Accountability?By Natalie Bridgeman Fields, Accountability Counsel The January 6th attacks on our democratic institutions — fueled by white supremacy, misinformation, and hatred — were repugnant. President Trump’s unchecked mob that took over and desecrated the Capitol Building demonstrated how white privilege can destroy institutions and sites that others deem sacred…2 min read2 min read
Apr 28, 2020Opinion: No sunshine — DFC limits transparency when it is needed mostBy Stephanie Amoako, Accountability Counsel, for Devex Just as the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, or DFC, gets off the ground with the potential to chart a new era of U.S. overseas development, the institution has taken a worrying step backward. Relying on legal technicalities, DFC quietly announced this month…Devex4 min readDevex4 min read
Apr 15, 2020World Bank and IFC Agree to Landmark Accountability and Transparency ReformsBy Margaux Day and Stephanie Amoako, Accountability Counsel The World Bank Group (WBG) recently agreed to reforms to improve its accountability, transparency, respect for human rights, and environmental, social, and governance risk management. These wide-ranging commitments are the result of successful negotiations with the U.S. House Financial Services Committee to…World Bank5 min readWorld Bank5 min read
Apr 6, 2020Re-envisioning Community Engagement in the Coronavirus ResponseBy Sydney Speizman and Samer Araabi, Accountability Counsel Given both the immediate need to bolster global capacity to respond to the coronavirus crisis and the long history of disaster response causing more harm than good, what steps can international financiers take to prevent a “ second disaster”? As banks quickly…7 min read7 min read
Apr 6, 2020Fast-Tracked COVID-19 Financing Requires Communities’ Expertise To SucceedBy Margaux Day and Gregory Berry, Accountability Counsel Multilateral development banks (MDBs) are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing financial support at unprecedented levels and speed. MDBs have approved over USD 58 billion for emergency COVID-19 response in the last month alone, 1and that is just the beginning. …2 min read2 min read
Nov 7, 2019News of Progress in the Movement to Advance Accountability for Chinese Overseas FinanceBy Natalie Bridgeman Fields and Brian McWalters, Accountability Counsel As Chinese commercial banks and state institutions finance projects overseas, communities negatively affected by these projects lack avenues to raise grievances. But this may soon change. …Finance6 min readFinance6 min read
Feb 13, 2019A Long Road to RemedyBy Sarah Singh, Accountability Counsel A way forward together. This was the promise made by the Rio Tinto-backed Oyu Tolgoi (OT) copper and gold mine to local herders. Now, after years of false starts and false promises, nomadic herders in Khanbogd soum, in Mongolia’s remote South Gobi, may finally have…Climate Change5 min readClimate Change5 min read
Feb 5, 2019Gaining Access to Information: The Case of Nepali Communities & The World BankBy Siddharth Akali, Accountability Counsel and Shankar Limbu, LAHURNIP In January 2019, after much effort by Nepali communities and civil society organizations, the World Bank released a report in Nepali about preventing and mitigating conflicts related to infrastructure siting in Nepal. This article provides an overview of a two year…Human Rights5 min readHuman Rights5 min read
Jan 9, 2019The World Bank Group President Steps Down, Adding to Washington Ethics Lapses and Cementing a LegacyBy Natalie Bridgeman Fields, Accountability Counsel Yesterday, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim’s announcement of his sudden departure signaled that something is deeply amiss. His February 1, 2019 departure date, more than three years before the end of his term, translates into unanticipated costs to the Bank as it…World Bank4 min readWorld Bank4 min read
Dec 12, 2018Protecting Defenders in Development: Lessons Learned from NepalBy Siddharth Akali, Accountability Counsel and Shankar Limbu, LAHURNIP As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights this week, human rights defenders across the globe are under attack. A human rights defender is not just a visible leader in a campaign for justice. Rather, every…Human Rights6 min readHuman Rights6 min read
