You are on page 1of 4

Picking a few bones with our old World Bank friends. « Network Dispa... http://networkdispatches.wordpress.com/2011/04/07/picking-a-few-bo...

NETWORK DISPATCHES AUTHOR: ERIC BRITTON

« Italians are moving less, but using more public transport City cycling maps x 3 »

THE POLITICS OF TRANSPORTATION

Picking a few bones with our old World SCRIBD


Bank friends. Document center

SHELF
We try very hard oh World Streets to stay firmly on topic. But given the swirling many-sided kaleidoscopic
W/S Summary Editions
complexity of our concerns, we are obliged from time to time to step outside of the usual lines. For this reason,
you will find here an article challenging the eventual stewardship role of the World Bank in a new global Green
MOST RECENT POSTINGS
Climate Fund (GCF) initiative. Let me pick out two sentences to which
Decade of Action for Road Safety: We are
we wholly subscribe. (1) “In spite of the climate and economic crises, all “Steve”?
the World Bank continues to finance fossil fuel projects at an alarming World Transport Policy & Practice – Vol.
17, No. 1
rate, promote false solutions to the climate crisis, and use funding instruments that increase indebtedness of
What about using our heads (for
developing countries . . .” and (2) “The World Bank is not suited to advise in the design of a fund that must a change)?
ensure fair and effective long-term financing based on the principles of environmental integrity, equity, Your views on the new W/S format?
World Streets: International Advisory
sustainable development and democracy.” We would like to associate World Streets with both these
Council on Sustainable Transportation
statements. New thinking and new stewardship are needed. Now on to the article, to which you are warmly Nova Mobilidade – Short interim
invited to share your views here. progress report
sustran Re: PRT proposal for Delhi
convinces Chief Minister
Climate Change: World Bank Under Fire for Role in New Global Green Fund sustran PRT proposal for Delhi convinces
Chief Minister
Sustainable transport, sustainable cities,
- By Marwaan Macan-Markar. Printed in Terraviva, 6 April 2011
sustainable lives . . . and Iran
Britton on PRT: “He hasn’t a clue what
BANGKOK, Apr 6, 2011 (IPS) – The World Bank is facing mounting opposition from a broad network of green should be done”
and grassroots activists over its role in a new global Green Climate Fund (GCF) aimed at helping developing PRT Promoters Stuff World Streets Ballot
Box/PRT and the Public Process
countries combat the ravages of climate change.
Will the real PRT please stand up
PRT proposal for Delhi convinces
“In spite of the climate and economic crises, the World Bank continues to finance fossil fuel projects at an Chief Minister
City cycle mapping – a more
alarming rate, promote false solutions to the climate crisis, and use funding instruments that increase
ambitious approach?
indebtedness of developing countries,” charged a coalition of nearly 100 local and international civil society Will the real PRT please stand up
organisations in a letter released here during on- going negotiations at the first of three U.N. climate change PRT proposal for Delhi convinces
Chief Minister
conferences to be held in the lead up to the Durban COP17 summit in late November.
PRT proposal for Delhi convinces
Chief Minister
“The World Bank is not suited to advise in the design of a fund that must ensure fair and effective long-term PRT proposal for Delhi convinces
financing based on the principles of environmental integrity, equity, sustainable development and democracy,” Chief Minister
PRT proposal for Delhi convinces Chief
noted the two-page letter, whose signatories included global groups like Action Aid and International Rivers,
Minister (But does it convince you? See
regional groups like the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance and local groups like the Bolivian Climate Change poll results)
Platform. PRT proposal for Delhi convinces Chief
Minister (But does it convince you? See
poll results)
The letter was addressed to Patricia Espinosa, Mexico’s secretary of foreign affairs, and to Christina Figueres,
Poland has new, more cycle-friendly
the head of the Bonn-based climate change secretariat of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change Highway Code
(UNFCCC). Mapping Cycling in China’s Cities (An
open collaborative project)
Protected: Universal Accessibility – 2012
It was at last December’s UNFCCC summit in Cancun, Mexico that a landmark blueprint emerged creating the Congress Strategy / Thoughts
GCF, which is aimed at financing efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and to help Rural mobility: the poor relation
Peak Oil Policies, Cycling, adaptation and
communities adapt to the havoc created by climate change in the developing world.
behavior change – An invitation to discuss

The Bank was named as the new fund’s interim trustee for the first three years, until a more permanent
TO RECEIVE WEEKLY SUMMARY
financial architecture is built to steer much needed assistance to the world’s poorer nations.
Click to receive notifications by email.

1 of 4 24-May-11 11:07
Picking a few bones with our old World Bank friends. « Network Dispa... http://networkdispatches.wordpress.com/2011/04/07/picking-a-few-bo...

A report by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s climate financing advisory group released on the eve of the Sign me up
Mexico climate change summit estimated that 100 billion dollars a year is needed for climate change initiatives
in the developing world. FOR RSS UPDATES
RSS - Posts
Other estimates point to a higher figure – upwards of 400 billion dollars annually in the South – reveals the
RSS - Comments
Jubilee South Asia-Pacific Movement on Debt and Development (JSAPMDD), a regional network of grassroots
activists. SEARCH DISPATCHES BY
KEYWORDS
The GCF has been mandated to start forking out these new funds by 2020, which, according to the UNFCCC,
will take the form of grants or concessional loans.

But the Bank’s record of programmes under the guise of ‘development’ in the poorer nations makes it the SEARCH BY TOPIC
wrong choice to play a permanent role in administering the GCF, says Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, convener of the Select Category
Asian Indigenous Women’s Network, a regional grassroots group based in Manila. “They are not a trusted
institution in the developing world.” SEARCH THE ARCHIVES
Select Month
“There is a fear among activists and some developing country governments that the Bank will secure approval
to run the day-to-day operations of the GCF,” Tauli-Corpuz told IPS. “That will result in more obstructions for
April 2011
the poor and the vulnerable victims of climate change.”
M T W T F S S

1 2 3
“Climate finance is part of the reparations for climate debt owed by rich, industrialised countries to the peoples
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
and countries of the South,” argues Ahmed Swapan of JSAPMDD. “The climate debt must be collected,
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
managed and disbursed by an institution that is democratic, accountable, transparent and governed by a board
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
with a majority coming from [the] South.”
25 26 27 28 29 30

Activists are concerned about a potential conflict-of-interest if the Bank secures the role as the secretariat of « Mar May »

the GCF, since the Washington, D.C.- based multilateral financial institution will also have a part as a
co-financier and implementer of projects. READER COMMENTS

As troubling is the Bank’s record in existing climate change funds, such as the Global Environmental Facility Amoeba on Ten reasons I really
(GEF), which was established in 1991 to help developing countries adapt to the challenges of climate change. hate bicyP

“To get funds from the GEF, countries had to go through implementing agencies like the United Nations automatics on Ten reasons I really
Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Bank,” said hate bicyP
Matthew Stilwell, policy adviser at the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, a Geneva-based
livinginabox on Ten reasons I
think tank. “They had to jump through hoops, making it difficult to access funds.”
really hate bicyP

Consequently, developing countries are “advocating for more direct access to the funds” of the GCF, Stilwell Eric Britton, editor on Ten reasons
I really hate bicyP
told IPS. “They have learnt lessons from the past.”

Rex Burkholder on Ten reasons I


But in the rooms of the U.N. conference centre here, where climate change negotiators from 190 countries are really hate bicyP
meeting from Apr. 3 – 8 to shape a new global environmental deal, the sources of funding for the GCF are also
Todd Edelman on Bikes, Helmets
on the table.
and the LaP

“It will be new sources of funding,” Jozsef Feiler, the Gail Jennings on City cycling
chief climate change negotiator for Hungary, currently the maps x 3

president of the council of the European Union, told IPS.


Pallavi on Editorial: Why are we
losing tP
Yet activists are not convinced, given suggestions by negotiators from the developed world that funding would
be from a combination of public and private sector sources. Paul Minett on Editorial: Why are
we losing tP

“Funding should be from public sources, new and additional to official development assistance,” says Michelle IanPerry on Editorial: Why are we
Maynard of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance. “The principles are simple: providing climate finance is a losing tP

legal and moral obligation for rich countries.”


Eric Britton, editor on Editorial:
### Why are we losing tP

Source: Terraviva - IPS Inter Press Service. Apr 6, 2011 (IPS) IanPerry on Editorial: Why are we
losing tP

Share: Email Print Facebook 1 Digg Share

Click for related facebook posts |

This entry was posted on 7 April 2011, 13:47 and is filed under UN, World Bank/IMF, World Streets. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Edit this entry

2 of 4 24-May-11 11:07
Picking a few bones with our old World Bank friends. « Network Dispa... http://networkdispatches.wordpress.com/2011/04/07/picking-a-few-bo...

Like Be the first to like this post.

COMMENTS ( 0 )

Leave a Comment TWITTERED


Error: Twitter did not respond. Please wait a
few minutes and refresh this page.
Leave a Reply
AMONG MY FAVORITES
Logged in as Eric Britton, editor. Log out? Europeana
The European Library

LATEST FROM WORLD


STREETS
On expertise and public participation 23
May 2011
World Transport Policy & Practice – Vol.
17, No. 1 22 May 2011
What about using our heads (for a
change)? 21 May 2011
Family Mouse moves ahead on fifty
You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b>
language worldwide Odyssey 18 May
<blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <pre> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
2011
Pay-As-You-Drive Vehicle Insurance: Is it
Post Comment in the cards as a new mobility strategy? 15
May 2011
Honk! This is not a recent experience 10
May 2011
Peter Newman: No room left for the car 9
May 2011

TOPICS
advisory behavior Bicycles car
control cars carsharing China
collaborative project cycling

Dispatch
editorial event gender
Global South government initiative
media New Mobility Op-Ed
organizationpolicy Ranking safety
sharing speed strategic planning
technology TISA UK Uncategorized
World Streets

fekbritton

01

World
02 (Have a stupid

03

3 of 4 24-May-11 11:07
Picking a few bones with our old World Bank friends. « Network Dispa... http://networkdispatches.wordpress.com/2011/04/07/picking-a-few-bo...

of04Strasbourg

Follow me on Vodpod

TOP RATED
Posts | Pages | Comments

All | Today | This Week | This Month

Dhaka city has its “own brain”.


5/5 (1 vote)

MY PERSONAL E-LIBRARY
(in process but welcome)

Blog at WordPress.com. Theme: Fusion by digitalnature.

4 of 4 24-May-11 11:07

You might also like