World Bank

Over the past six years, the International Finance Corporation has channelled over $50bn to the financial sector. However, the evidence continues to grow that this private sector arm of the World Bank Group has little control over how a great deal of this money is spent.

We continue to believe that the International Development Agency (IDA) is a critical place for donors to be putting their aid dollars.

This year’s G20 Summit will raise the stakes for the group to prove itself against growing doubts about its effectiveness – not least for people living in poverty, says Oxfam.

"We’re frustrated and disappointed that the World Bank couldn't agree on stronger policies to fully guarantee the rights of communities affected by the projects they fund," said the head of Oxfam International's Washington office, Nadia Daar.

The final draft of the World Bank’s social and environmental protection policies fails to guarantee the rights and well-being of people affected by the Bank’s development projects, said Oxfam. 

Today’s World Wealth Report from Capgemini shows that times have never been better for the world’s wealthiest - since 2009 more than 4.5 million new millionaires have been created, rising to a total of 15.4 million millionaires across the world last year. Yet while the wealthy prosper, 702 million people living in extreme poverty are being left behind.

This global tax platform represents a step in a long road towards building a fairer and more transparent global tax system. The platform must be able to deliver tangible results and combat inequality, but most importantly, it must give the poorest countries a voice.

At the close of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund’s Spring Meetings in Washington, Chris Stalker, Acting Head of Oxfam International’s Washington office, commented on the week's developments.

“It’s great to hear tough talk from both Jim Kim and Christine Lagarde on ending tax havens. We’ve seen this happen time and time again: when the richest fail to pay their fair share, the budgets for education, health, and other social services that the poorest depend on, are the first to get slashed," said Chris Stalker, acting head of Oxfam International's Washington office.

“In the Inspection Panel's findings, the Bank is still repeatedly failing to take the most basic steps needed to avoid harm. Steps like counting how many people are affected, or making information available in local languages are still neglected," said Kate Geary, Oxfam's land rights expert.