The World Bank and its Development Operations in Africa: A Critical Evaluation of its Human Right Accountability Mechanisms
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Date
2013-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The World Bank through its policies and development projects has caused a substantial effect on
socio-economic rights especially in Africa. The study critically examines the impact of the World
Bank’s policies and developmental projects on socio-economic rights in Africa. In this scrutiny,
the writer argues that the Bank’s Structural Adjustment Programs and the Poverty Reduction
Strategy Papers violate a number of socio-economical rights of the local population in Africa.
The study also investigates the Chad-Cameroon Pipeline, the UG-Bujagali Private Hydropower
Development Project in Uganda and the Niger Delta Contractor Revolving Credit Facility in
Nigeria private development projects to show how private projects financed by the Bank have
devastating effect on certain important socio-economic rights in Africa. All these in turn make
the issue of human rights accountability very fundamental. The study thus critically asses the
efficiency of the existing institutional human rights accountability mechanisms in addressing
human rights issues including self-regulatory, the quasi-independent IBRD/IDA Inspection
Panel, IFC/MIGA Compliance Advisory Office (CAO), and Independent Evaluation Group (IEG)
and argues that the voluntary mechanisms adopted by the World Bank are not adequate to close
up the issue of human rights accountability. Therefore, the study evaluates the non-institutional
human rights accountability mechanisms drawing upon the sources of international law, a
serious and systematic attempts are made to identify and classify the nature and content of
human rights obligations applicable to the World Bank and concludes that it is possible to
establish a human rights obligation of the WB in support of international human rights
accountability.Key Words: World Bank, Human Rights, Development, Structural Adjustment Programs, Poverty
Reduction Strategy Papers, Human Rights Accountability, Inspection Panel, CAO and the IEG.
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Keywords
World Bank, Human Rights, Development, Structural Adjustment Programs, Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, Human Rights Accountability, Inspection Panel, CAO and the IEG