Joint Statement on Bridge 4 Management Action Plan Implementation Expressing Civil Society and Survivor Concerns
Between 2013 and 2022, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) invested $13.5 million in Bridge International Academies, a for-profit school chain in Kenya, to support affordable education for low-income children. In 2020, allegations of child sexual abuse within Bridge schools surfaced and the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) initiated an investigation, and published its report in early […]
Joint Statement Urging World Bank Action on Cambodian Civil Society Reprisals
We, the undersigned organizations, call upon World Bank President Ajay Banga to condemn the Cambodian government’s assault on human rights groups, including reprisals against World Bank project stakeholders. In recent months, there has been a worrying escalation in the Cambodian government’s repression of critical voices. This has included attacks on two prominent human rights groups, […]
AngloGold Ashanti accepte un règlement financier avec la communauté « Area One » déplacée par sa mine en Guinée
Plus de 360 familles qui ont été déplacées de force pour permettre l’expansion de la mine d’AngloGold Ashanti à Siguiri, en Guinée, seront indemnisées par l’entreprise. Cet accord est l’aboutissement d’un processus de médiation de six ans sous les auspices du bureau du conseiller médiateur du Groupe de la Banque mondiale.
AngloGold Ashanti agrees to financial settlement with “Area One” community displaced by its Guinea mine
More than 360 families who were forcibly relocated to make way for the expansion of AngloGold Ashanti’s mine in Siguiri, Guinea will be compensated by the company. The agreement concludes a six-year mediation process facilitated by the World Bank Group’s Compliance Advisor Ombudsman.
German government calls on Heidelberg Materials to disclose environmental and social risk assessment for Indonesia mine
Germany’s OECD National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct has issued a statement responding to complaints over Heidelberg Materials’ controversial plans to construct a cement mine and factory in Central Java.
Joint Civil Society Statement Ahead of IFC Remedy and Responsible Exit Framework Decision
WASHINGTON, July 16, 2024–Tomorrow, the Committee on Development Effectiveness (CODE) of the World Bank Board of Executive Directors will discuss the IFC’s draft Remedy and Responsible Exit Framework, which is intended to outline how the institution will deliver remedy to communities harmed by projects it finances. This would be the first policy to focus specifically on […]
Ombudsman to investigate World Bank Group ties to toxic Indonesia coal project
(Banten Province, Indonesia – July 11, 2024) The International Finance Corporation’s internal watchdog, the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), announced that it is launching an investigation into the institution’s investments in a commercial bank that is financing construction of two new coal-fired power plants at Indonesia’s Suralaya Power Station. The investigation comes in response to a […]
Joint Statement on World Bank Probe into Alleged Bridge Academies Child Sexual Abuse Cover-up
On May 16, 2024 the World Bank announced that it is hiring an outside firm to “explore the circumstances surrounding the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman’s (CAO) investigation of IFC’s investment in Bridge International Academies.” We commend the World Bank’s Board for taking the lead on this issue. Together with U.S. lawmakers and other stakeholders, civil society […]
External Investigation Into Alleged IFC Cover-Up Must Be Robust and Transparent
On March 13, 2024, World Bank Group (WBG) President Ajay Banga announced an external investigation of allegations of interference in the IFC Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) process as relates to IFC’s investments in Bridge International Academies. We welcome President Banga’s announcement. It represents a positive, albeit belated, response to a call made by 35 international […]
IFC Response to Child Sexual Abuse Investigation Fails Survivors; Evades Responsibility
Today the World Bank released a scandalous internal investigation of child sexual abuse allegations at private schools funded by its private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Although World Bank President Ajay Banga has expressed contrition, the IFC’s official management response fails to offer meaningful remedy to the survivors of abuse that it turned […]