May 15, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Urgent Recommendation to World Bank and IMF Executive Directors on the Leadership Selection Reform at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund is backed by 170 signatures!
Contact: Jo Marie Griesgraber ♦ (202) 277-9390 ♦ jgriesgraber@new-rules.org
Colin Bradford ♦ (301) 580-9132 ♦ CBRADFORD@brookings.edu
PDF of full Report Card available here | Microsoft word available here
The Canadian Government, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund:
A REPORT CARD on FINANCE CANADA’S 2006 ANNUAL REPORT to PARLIAMENT
Introduction
Every year at the end of March, the Minister of Finance tables the “Report on Operations under the Bretton Woods and Related Agreements Act”. The Bretton Woods Conference in 1944 established the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), and this report details Canadian priorities, commitments and interests over the past fiscal year at these institutions. The annual reports to Parliament are important tools for assessing the government’s actions within these institutions relative to its foreign policy and development objectives, and for informing Parliament and the Canadian public about Canadian priorities at these important multilateral fora. Canada is among a number of countries that report to Parliament on their activities at these institutions.
April 20, 2007
Samy Watson
Canadian Executive Director
MC-12-175, 1818 H St. N.W.
Civil society/Industry make unprecedented joint recommendations on mining, oil and gas
Canada could become a world leader on Corporate Social Responsibility if the federal government and other stakeholders accept and act on the recommendations of a groundbreaking report released on Parliament Hill on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the Canadian extractive industry in developing countries. The Report outlines a set of consensus-based recommendations for the Government of Canada, core among which is the implementation of a Canadian CSR Framework (see “Just the Facts” below). If implemented, these recommendations would establish Canada as a global leader in CSR. The Report also calls for important reforms at Export Development Canada and the World Bank.
For pdf, click here.
Background
UN Special Representative explores human rights obligations of financial institutions
There is growing consensus that human rights rank high among the pressing challenges that face both the private sector and its financiers. On February 16, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative on Human Rights and Transnational Corporations, John Ruggie, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights convened a consultation on human rights and the financial sector in Geneva. The meeting included representatives from a number of export credit agencies (ECAs), the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation, several Equator Principle banks, academia and civil society.
OECD knocks Britain over corruption
This month over 140 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) warned the UK government of the “irreparable harm” the move may cause to the country’s reputation as an anti-corruption champion. British NGOs Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) and Corner House have signaled their intention to initiate a judicial review of the SFO decision to drop the inquiry.
January 31, 2007
January 12, 2007
