CAO at the World Bank Group – International Monetary Fund 2024 Annual Meetings
CAO participated in several engagements during the 2024 World Bank Group – International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings, held this past week in Washington, DC.
The Annual Meetings are an opportunity for stakeholders from around the world to gather to discuss important development and accountability topics. Key topics of discussion throughout the week included climate change and climate finance; the World Bank Group’s Evolution Roadmap; gender equality; education; and health.
Quarterly Roundtable Meeting with Civil Society Organizations
On Thursday, October 24, CAO hosted a roundtable discussion with civil society organizations (CSOs), bringing together more than 20 global and regional CSOs to discuss updates on CAO’s work and topics related to accountability. The discussion focused on case outcomes from fiscal year 2024; CAO’s efforts to develop effectiveness indicators; developments related to remedy and responsible exit; and updates on CAO’s advisory work to inform the review of IFC’s Sustainability Framework, including our forthcoming publication focused on strengthening greenhouse gas mitigation in IFC-financed projects.
Participation in the Civil Society Policy Forum:
The Civil Society Policy Forum took place this week alongside the Annual Meetings. The Forum provides the opportunity for CSOs to engage with World Bank Group staff, including IFC and MIGA.
During the Forum, CAO participated in two panel sessions focusing on IFC’s policy obligations to prevent its financing activities from contributing to climate change and the effectiveness of Management Actions Plans (MAPs) in delivering remedy for project-affected people. In the climate session, which took place on October 22, Irum Ahsan, Head of CAO Advisory, joined panelists from Recourse, Power Shift Africa, Bank Climate Advocates, and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to discuss what must change in IFC’s anticipated Sustainability Framework update and policy implementation for IFC and its Member States to meet their due diligence and harm prevention obligations pertaining to climate change impacts. The session on MAPs discussed the critical role of MAPs and dispute resolution agreements in addressing harms caused by World Bank Group-financed projects. Gabriela Stocks, Head of CAO Compliance, joined colleagues from the Center for Environmental Law (CIEL), Fundación Tierra, the Movement for the Defense of the Territories and Ecosystems of Bocas del Toro, the Philippines Movement for Climate Justice, and IFC for the session.
The Forum’s full program is available here.
