IFC

More than 200 civil society groups and networks and socially responsible investors, representing more than 1000 NGOs in fifty three countries, called on the IFC to protect the interests of the poorest and the public when setting rules governing global private investment. The ‘Platform for Rights, Rules and Responsibilities’ answered the question “What does civil society want?" by calling on IFC to:

• Meet the highest environmental and social standards and ensure that corporations respect international human rights, labour rights and environmental law as conditions for access to IFC loans;

• Commit and hold itself accountable to deliver on its stated mission of poverty reduction and sustainable development;

• Establish clear mechanisms for making the policies more enforceable and accountable and reject the proposal for self-monitoring by corporations;

• Screen all companies for their past performance on environmental, human rights and labour issues;

• Ensure that conditions are in place for meaningful and respectful engagement with affected communities, and recognise and respect indigenous peoples’ rights.

• Ensure that information is disclosed in appropriate languages in a timely and predictable way throughout the project cycle; The Platform was released on the eve of a consultation in Paris, which many groups plan to boycott. The consultation is seen as ill-prepared, rushed and designed in a manner that does not accommodate input from directly affected communities.