The World Bank Safeguards

This statement by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) criticizes the World Bank's Safeguard policy for failing to guarantee that local communities have timely access to information and a voice in development projects. The author argues that prioritizing economic interests and national actors over community needs leads to negative environmental and human rights impacts, such as forced evictions and ecosystem destruction.

• The World Bank's Safeguard policy is criticized for devaluing community voices by not requiring that essential information regarding development projects be shared with local populations, which risks negative impacts that could be avoided through early involvement.
• A survey of civil society actors across more than 40 countries revealed that 79% of communities find out about projects affecting them from partner organizations rather than from the World Bank itself.
• Communities face significant barriers to accessing project information, including a reliance on the World Bank website for over one-third of communities despite intermittent internet, a lack of information in native languages for half of those surveyed, and the use of dense technical jargon in available documents.
• CIEL and the International Accountability Project developed the Early Warning System (EWS) to alert organizations and communities about development projects most likely to cause human rights and environmental impacts.
• The author advocates for the World Bank to mandate the disclosure of specific documents to communities, specifically Indigenous Peoples Plans, Resettlement Action Plans, and Environmental and Social Impact Assessments.

APA

Alfonso, A. (2016). The World Bank Safeguards. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/world-bank-safeguards/

Chicago

Alfonso, Alyssa. The World Bank Safeguards. Center for International Environmental Law, 2016. https://www.ciel.org/world-bank-safeguards/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Alfonso |first1=Alyssa |title=The World Bank Safeguards |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=28 July 2016 |url=https://www.ciel.org/world-bank-safeguards/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{alfonso2016world, author = {Alfonso, Alyssa}, title = {{The World Bank Safeguards}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2016}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ciel.org/world-bank-safeguards/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }