REVIEW AND UPDATE OF THE WORLD BANK ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SAFEGUARD POLICIES

The document provides a detailed critique and set of recommendations for the World Bank's Environmental and Social Safeguard Policies. It argues that the Bank has failed to incorporate current international standards and suffers from inadequate monitoring, noting that between 1999 and 2008, more than one-third of projects were inadequately monitored. The authors advocate for the adoption of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) as a cross-cutting requirement for all safeguards, the recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ and Community Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCAs) as legitimate conservation measures, and the integration of human rights due diligence into the Bank's operational framework.

• The World Bank's monitoring of safeguard performance is insufficient; between 1999 and 2008, over one-third of projects were inadequately monitored and evaluated, with approximately 20% of Category A and 50% of Category B projects failing to track or report on performance.
• The Bank should replace its current 'consultation' standard with a requirement for Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) for Indigenous peoples and local communities across all safeguards, including those related to involuntary resettlement and dam construction.
• The World Bank should formally recognize Indigenous Peoples’ and Community Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCAs) as effective area-based conservation measures for natural habitats, aligning with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and IUCN standards.
• Operational Policy 4.00 (Use of Country Systems) should be updated to ensure that equivalence between borrower systems and Bank safeguards is only determined after all gaps have been filled, and third-party monitoring should be made mandatory.
• The Bank's approach to environmental assessments (OP 4.01) is considered too narrow and should be expanded to include social and cultural impacts on local communities who are not classified as indigenous, following the Akwé: Kon Guidelines.

APA

Natural Justice (2013). REVIEW AND UPDATE OF THE WORLD BANK ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SAFEGUARD POLICIES. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Submission-World-Bank-Safeguard-Policies.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. REVIEW AND UPDATE OF THE WORLD BANK ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SAFEGUARD POLICIES. 2013. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Submission-World-Bank-Safeguard-Policies.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=REVIEW AND UPDATE OF THE WORLD BANK ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SAFEGUARD POLICIES |date=April 2013 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Submission-World-Bank-Safeguard-Policies.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljustice2013review, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{REVIEW AND UPDATE OF THE WORLD BANK ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SAFEGUARD POLICIES}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2013}, month = apr, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Submission-World-Bank-Safeguard-Policies.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }