From October 10–12, 2014 the World Bank and International Monetary Fund held their joint Annual Meetings in Washington, D.C. Scores of activists, community leaders and civil society organisations from across the world participated in meetings, panels and actions to affirm the importance of strong human rights protections for communities who are affected by Bank-financed development projects. Presented below is a snapshot of the week as it unfolded, starting with the Civil Society Policy Forum sessions and culminating in a walk out and demonstration in front of the Bank.

On Tuesday, October 7th representatives from civil society organisations, academics and activists from East Asia and the Pacific region met with the World Bank East Asia and Pacific Regional Vice President Mr. Axel Van Trotsenberg to discuss the Bank’s engagement with civil society in the region. Moon Nay Li (Kachin Women’s Association, Thailand), a member of IAP’s Global Advocacy Team, drew attention to the need for a sustained ceasefire in Myanmar just as the Bank considers re-engaging with the government.

Later in the day, a roundtable discussion between civil society and the Executive Directors of the World Bank highlighted growing concerns that the new draft for social and environmental safeguards would be a “dilution” of existing protections for at risk communities. Safeguard policies are intended to protect against any “undue harm” to people and their environments as a result of Bank-financed development projects. Civil society members from Egypt, the Philippines and India reiterated the centrality of human rights in designing and implementing new policies. Soumya Dutta (Indian Peoples Science Group) delivered copies of a statement signed by IAP and over 300+ civil society organisations from around the world highlighting crucial concerns in the current draft of the safeguards policies and consultation process.

The conversation continued at the panel “What Role for Human Rights in the World Bank’s Safeguards Review?” on Wednesday, October 8th, organised by Urgewald and featuring representatives from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Human Rights Watch, the World Bank Group and the Nordic Trust Fund. Panelists debated how lending practices within multilateral lending institutions could be strengthened through a rights-based approach.

At the joint Civil Society Town Hall, President Jim Kim responded to appeals to engage more effectively and transparently with civil society and announced an extension of the present consultation period with civil society partners.

Also on Wednesday, IAP attended the book launch for Agam: Narratives on Uncertainty and Climate Change, an anthology of verse and prose on climate change in the Philippines. Red Constantino, the director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities and member of IAP’s board, presented the work, noting that “more than climate change, Agam is about people; it is about what was, what might be, what is.” Read more about the project here.

On Thursday, October 8th, dozens of civil society representatives and activists convened for a session to build and coordinate efforts to contribute to a stronger safeguards policy. Organisations pooled their resources and identified key areas of advocacy, alliance building and analyses that would be effective in introducing changes to current policies.

Later that evening, IAP and the Bank on Human Rights Coalition hosted a reception for their partners in D.C. and allies from across the globe.

On Friday, October 9th, IAP and a collection of partner organisations issued a press release urging the Bank to “make an explicit commitment to respect, protect, and fulfil human rights in all of [its] activities”. Read the full statement here.

Medha Patkar (Narmada Bachao Andolan) in a video appeal invited people to join a planned demonstration outside the World Bank on Saturday.

On Saturday, October 10th, the World Bank held a consultation session on the new draft environmental and social framework with civil society groups. Civil society representatives demanded that the Bank demonstrate a deeper commitment to the ideals of inclusion, participation and human rights in the review of social and environmental safeguards. After expressing frustration with the consultation process and dismay at Bank officials’ apparent lack of commitment to truly progressive safeguards policies, dozens of activists and civil society representatives walked out in protest and joined the demonstration outside the Bank. A statement was delivered to Bank officials, noting that:

“We, the hundreds of people’s movements and organizations present here from around the world, and the many thousands we represent back in our countries, are rejecting this current draft of safeguards. The protections you now seek to dismantle, the safeguards that we fought for over decades — do not belong to you, they are not yours to throw away, they belong to the world and its vulnerable people.”

At the end of October, IAP’s Global Advocacy Team will release a report of findings and recommendations to strengthen human rights protections at the World Bank. The report is based on the community-led research conducted by the team with 800 people in 8 countries. The report will be released locally by each team member starting in November and will be available for download on IAP’s website.

Follow IAP’s Facebook page and Twitter for more information about campaigns to ensure that human rights are at the core of funding development projects.