Oxfam reaction to US Supreme Court ruling on IFC’s immunity

In reaction to today’s ruling by the US Supreme Court that the International Finance Corporation (IFC) was not categorically immune from lawsuits under US law, Oxfam International’s Head of Washington DC Office Nadia Daar said:

“This ruling is a sharp wake-up call to leadership at the International Finance Corporation and other multilateral institutions, that they must take accountability and the mechanisms set up to support that accountability seriously. These organizations exist to help improve the lives of people in poverty and local communities all have rights to their livelihoods and their lands. If the World Bank Group makes any investment that results in harmful consequences then they must be held to account.

“Where IFC’s own systems fail to provide justice, communities should have the right to seek redress elsewhere and this ruling provides one more avenue for that.

“Today’s ruling is a reminder that World Bank Group‘s current and future leadership must ensure their lending safeguards communities to the highest possible standards, and that they ensure accountability systems are fit for purpose.