European NGOs meet to prepare for the World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings

By Carlos Villota,

Last week the European network of IFI (International Financial Institution) watchers – the EuroIFInet – met in Brussels for its yearly meeting to prepare NGO actions for the Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF, which as usual are taking place in Washington DC from 20th to 22nd of April.

This year, 11.11.11 together with Eurodad hosted the meeting for this informal but active network of European NGOs who are committed to watching the international financial institutions and holding them to account for their impact on international development.

Representatives from 15 NGOs were gathered in Brussels in order to prepare a common strategy on various issues for the spring meetings.

Issues discussed included the World Bank Program for Results (P4R) financing instrument, the ongoing safeguards review, climate finance, the European debt crises, the IFC Doing Business Rankings (DBR), the BASICS initiative, the increased role of private finance and the growing linkages between private sector actors and the IFIs.

Through exchanging ideas between advocacy strategies targeting the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank and the IMF, the participants reiterated the conclusion from the previous EuroIFInet in Bulgaria that in the future it may be more valuable to take a thematic approach to development finance, rather than a process or institutional approach.

The issues addressed will be amongst of the topics discussed both in the official meetings and the civil society events organised in Washington DC in mid-April. NGOs participating at the Washington DC meetings are planning to liaise with groups from the BASIC countries (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) in order to share knowledge, start a mutual learning dialogue and to coordinate advocacy to achieve common goals.

There was also a decision made that the next EuroIFInet would be in Amsterdam hosted by Both ENDS on the 10^th and 11^th of September 2012, ahead of the World Bank and IMF annual meetings in Tokyo.