Recourse

5️⃣ takeaways from the World Bank & IMF Annual Meetings Instead of responding to calls for change from people on the frontline of climate, energy and debt crises, the institutions stuck to a well-rehearsed script in Bangkok. Here are our top takeaways from the week ⤵️ #WBGMeetings #IMFMeetings

5️⃣ People want a different development model Despite the shrinking space for civil society in the official meetings, people didn’t shy away from raising their voices in alternative spaces around the city. In solidarity, we call for people and planet to be at the heart of development decisions.

Read our top takeaways from the week here ⤵️ re-course.org/newsupdates/... For now, focus shifts to #COP31 where we continue pushing for a transformative approach: renewable-based electrification, an end to fossil fuel finance, and grant-based, debt-free climate finance. #WBGMeetings #IMFMeetings

3️⃣ Private capital mobilisation for who? Mobilising private capital for development was the mainstay in Bangkok – but the question of who benefits was missing. In the 8 minerals compacts announced on the last day, for example, the Bank's approach ignores the role of communities as rights-holders.

4️⃣ Accountability alarm bells There was little movement on the IFC/MIGA safeguards review, while key decisions on the new World Bank Group accountability mechanism are yet to be resolved. Meanwhile, their focus on AI infrastructure development underscores the urgency of updating such safeguards.

1️⃣ Climate constantly avoided Mentions of climate change were markedly absent from the official agenda in Bangkok. The World Bank’s move towards a ‘technology neutral’ approach to energy makes little economic sense, while the IMF's calls for frontloaded fiscal adjustment were similarly myopic.

2️⃣ Renewables wronged Banga's dismissal of renewables as a “top-up” energy source + fixation on risky large hydro/nuclear means the Bank is missing an opportunity to transform energy systems. Investments in a just transition can ensure decent jobs and accessible, affordable, secure energy for all.

greencentralbanking.comWorld Bank, IMF sideline climate at Bangkok meetingsCampaigners criticised the bank for putting jobs and private capital ahead of climate at its annual meetings.

Climate was sidelined at the World Bank-IMF annual meetings, reports @greencb.bsky.social. In the article, Sunil Acharya (Recourse), Leandro Gomez (FARN) & Smith Nwokocha (Quest for Growth and Development Foundation) highlight the risks of funding fossil gas and neglecting rights & accountability.

thediplomat.comInaccessible by Design: AIIB’s Complaint MechanismThe Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has yet to approve a single complaint involving its projects for dispute resolution or compliance review.

Roadblocks to accountability remain at AIIB 🛑 0 of the 45 complaints received by AIIB’s grievance mechanism have ever made it past the admissibility stage. A new article in @thediplomat.com highlights the accessibility barriers and calls for simpler rules + clearer paths to remedy for communities.

linkedin.comThe European Investment Bank’s new Complaints Mechanism policy – reasons for hopeI’ve just returned from Bangkok where the World Bank and IMF held their Annual Meetings. The atmosphere among civil society was one of resolute resistance in the face of a deteriorating geopolitical c...

Following the #WBGMeetings and #IMFMeetings in Bangkok, the EIB’s new Complaints Mechanism policy signals progress for accountability in development finance. Stronger commitments to remedy and protecting complainants’ rights set an important precedent as development banks pursue mutual reliance.

At the #WBGMeetings in Bangkok, climate was sidelined as the World Bank kept the door open to fossil gas. Recourse’s Sunil Acharya calls for public finance for 100% renewable economies that put people first. 📣 Read the full reaction from the Big Shift Global: bigshiftglobal.org/climate-and-...

🇳🇵 At the #WBGMeetings, 122 civil society organisations from 38 countries are calling on the World Bank Group to stop financing high-risk hydropower following Nepal's devastating floods. Nepal needs recovery grants, not more debt. ⬇️ Read the letter re-course.org/newsupdates/...

European Network on Debt and Development - Eurodad

At this week's #WBGMeetings in Bangkok, we are demanding an end to fossil gas finance. Karabo Mokgonyana (@powershiftafrica.bsky.social), Smith Nwokocha (Quest for Growth and Development Foundation) and Hussain Jarwar (Indus Consortium) explain why. 📖 Read more in our new report: bit.ly/26gas

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@eurodadnews.bsky.social

New report: The failed Billions to Trillions experiment: What comes next? A decade on, the World Bank’s promise to unlock trillions in private finance has fallen short. It's time for Global South-led, rights-based development finance. 🌍 Read the report: www.eurodad.org/the_failed_b...

🇹🇭 Climate, energy, debt and accountability on the agenda at the World Bank & IMF Annual Meetings. We're calling for: • investment in renewable economies • stronger safeguards & accountability • lending for climate-resilient development Our activities, advocacy demands & analysis: bit.ly/Annuals26

Thursday 15 October Our Voices Count: A Tribunal Centring Women & Communities Lived Experience This Counter-Docket will be a space for those most affected by extractive development to speak in their own voices and on their own terms. Details and registration: www.ourvoicescount.org

European Network on Debt and Development - Eurodad

Thursday 15 October Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and the World Bank Group: Collective Demands for Policy Reforms and Access to Remedy Join a roundtable on Indigenous Peoples’ rights, FPIC and access to remedy in IFC/MIGA projects. 14:00–16:00, Bangkok Registration: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

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@eurodadnews.bsky.social

What is #TheRealCostofDebt? 🏥 It’s raiding health & education budgets to make repayments ❌ It’s harsh austerity measures forcing up the cost of living 🪧It’s activists being criminalised when they say 'enough is enough' Explore the systemic drivers behind the stories👉 www.eurodad.org/the_real_cos...

eco-business.comSqueezed by debt and disasters, the Global South needs reparations, not more loansAhead of the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Annual Meeting in Bangkok, frontline nations call for financial liberation from the debt traps and failed prescriptions of International Financial ...

As the World Bank & IMF meet in Bangkok, the International Peoples’ Assembly is calling for debt cancellation, climate reparations and an overhaul of global financial governance. A new op-ed highlights why Global South countries need resources for climate action, not more loans. #WBGMeetings

🌍 Recognising climate risks is not enough. At our recent webinar, speakers from Egypt, the DRC, Ecuador and Pakistan shared how IMF lending can deepen debt, austerity and extractive dependence, undermining countries' ability to pursue a just transition. @latindadd.bsky.social @menafem.bsky.social

💬 Report co-authors Alexandros Kentikelenis and Thomas Stubbs reflected on why the economics of IMF lending must change, not just its climate commitments. 📺 Watch the webinar: imf-climate.org/webinars/ 📖 Read the report: bit.ly/imf-climate-...

🌍 Public finance must move away fromfossil gas and support a #JustEnergyTransition to renewable energy at scale. Fossil gas is increasingly a costly economic risk, while renewables offer a more affordable path forward. But how MDBs finance the transition matters.

💜 #GenderJustice is #EnergyJustice. Women often bear the greatest costs of failed energy policies. A just transition must address these inequalities rather than reproduce them.

📖 Fossil gas is bad economics. Renewable energy finance must put people first. Explore two reports from Recourse and partners on transforming public energy finance. ⚡ re-course.org/newsupdates/... 🌱 re-course.org/newsupdates/...

📊 More megawatts do not automatically mean more development. Success must be measured by whether #RenewableEnergy investments strengthen public institutions, protect human rights and deliver lasting benefits for people and communities.

🤝 Communities are both beneficiaries and rights-holders. A #JustTransition requires meaningful participation, strong safeguards and accountability from the start. Energy decisions must be made with people, not simply for them.

⚡ Every dollar invested in fossil gas is a dollar not invested in renewable energy, stronger public electricity systems or community-led solutions. Multilateral development banks must align their #ClimateFinance with a just energy transition.

greencentralbanking.comWorld Bank and IMF’s lack of climate action could make countries bystanders in their own destructionThe World Bank and IMF are retreating from climate action under US pressure, risking deeper vulnerability as climate shocks intensify.

💸 Fossil fuel dependence comes at a cost. From mounting public debt to volatile energy prices and stranded assets, gas infrastructure can lock countries across the Global South into long-term financial risks.

Recourse reposted

Bretton Woods Project

@brettonwoodsproject.org

Without a change of course, the IMF and World Bank will miss a key window of opportunity to stem a runaway climate crisis. Delaying action is just another form of climate denial Read @jonsward.bsky.social & @re-course.org's @federicosibaja.bsky.social blog 🔗 greencentralbanking.com/2026/10/09/w...

🌱 The just transition is an opportunity to transform energy systems so they work for people and planet. Our #BankOnRenewables report sets out five reforms and four tools for development banks to reimagine their role in financing renewables at scale. 📖 re-course.org/newsupdates/...

Inclusive Development International

Published by @re-course.org with The Big Shift Global, @powershiftafrica.bsky.social, Trend Asia , Indus Consortium, CAN Morocco and the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice. ♻️ 100% renewables, energy for all, no harm, and people's rights before profit.

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@inclusivedevt.bsky.social

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📣 Today, ahead of the #WBGMeetings in Bangkok, affected communities joined the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, @re-course.org and us to call on the World Bank Board and President Ajay Banga to put that windfall into a remedy fund. Read more: www.inclusivedevelopment.net/philippines/...

inclusivedevelopment.netPhilippine Communities Demand World Bank Reinvest $39 Million of Toxic Returns in Remedy for Affected People - Inclusive Development InternationalThe World Bank’s private sector arm pocketed millions from an equity investment in a Philippine bank, while spending nothing on remedy for the harm caused by 10 new coal-fired power plants it financed...

Recourse reposted

Bretton Woods Project

@brettonwoodsproject.org

The Autumn 2026 #BWObserver is out now🚨 From private capital mobilisation and debt reform to industrial policy, civic space, climate finance and food resilience, the new issue asks who benefits from today’s development model, and who carries the risk. 🔗 tinyurl.com/ObserverAutu...

tinyurl.comAutumn 2026Ahead of the 2026 Annual Meetings, this issue of the Observer looks at key issues surrounding the international development landscape, including WBG push for private capital mobilisation and its…

📢 New report: Fossil gas is bad economics Our research with Africa Change Lab + The Big Shift Global shows how gas can deepen debt, increase exposure to price shocks and create stranded assets. Read more: re-course.org/newsupdates/...

• What is the Value of DPF to Government Policies as Part of the Bank’s Climate Commitments? Tuesday 13 October, 11:00–12:30 in room 2-211D • Better Standards, Better Projects? New Evidence and Real-World Lessons for Successful IFC Investments Wednesday 14 October, 9:00–10:30 in room 2-210C

worldbank.orgCivil Society Policy Forum: Annual Meetings 2026Civil Society Policy Forum at the 2026 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group

• Mission 300 at 50 Million Connections: Assessing Implementation and Impact Thursday 15 October, 9:00–10:30 in room 2-211D • Rethinking IMF Surveillance and Lending in an Era of Overlapping Shocks Thursday 15 October, 11:00–12:30 in room 2-210A Full timetable 👉 www.worldbank.org/en/events/20...

12–13 October Feminist Festival of Resistance & Alternatives The festival will be a space for collective reflection & resistance ✊ Join us for a discussion on "Reimagining a people's international development cooperation" with groups from across Asia Pacific. Register via @menafem.bsky.social

thisworldisours.orgOctober Global Days of Action - thisworldisours.orgRECLAIM OUR RIGHTS AND FUTURE FROM THE IMF AND WORLD BANK We stand on the fault lines of a breaking system... The global economic and financial architecture led by multilateral institutions—anchored b...

In the official agenda of the IMF and World Bank meetings, there are several Civil Society Policy Forum events to look out for: • The World Bank and Just Transition in an Era of Rupture Tuesday 13 October, 13:00–14:30 in room 2-211D or online at worldbankgroup.zoom.us/j/9424080143...

Here's a rundown of key events worth joining in person or remotely 🧵 12–13 October International Peoples’ Assembly Join us for sessions on: • Climate justice and energy transition • Debt, tax, fiscal justice and international finance • Accountability mechanisms thisworldisours.org/peoplerising/

The IFC's Sustainability Framework used to be a “gold standard” that other financial institutions sought to emulate, but it has fallen behind its peers. Now, it has a chance, and an imperative, to update them. 🗞️ OPINION www.sustainableviews.com/world-banks-... @sustainableviews.bsky.social

The IFC and MIGA are updating the environmental and social safeguards intended to prevent their investments and development projects from harming people or the planet. With the framework’s first draft expected soon, civil society is calling for stronger protections. 🧵

These safeguards have global consequences. Beyond IFC and MIGA investments, the framework influences the ESG requirements of more than 120 commercial banks, 32 export credit agencies and other development finance institutions.

Our new briefings explain the four principles and present detailed recommendations for safeguards that genuinely protect communities and the environment. Read more here: bit.ly/IFCSF4 #IFC #WorldBank #HumanRights

In September, 116 civil society organisations called on the World Bank Group Board to uphold four principles when reviewing the new draft framework: – Alignment with best practice and human rights norms – No regression – Better implementation – Meaningful consultation with affected communities

📢 OUT NOW | AIIB OBSERVER VOL. 4 Critical perspectives on the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank's projects and influence across Asia — hydropower, waste-to-energy, digital finance, and fossil infrastructure. A key read as the #AIIBAnnualMeeting wraps up today. 📖 forum-adb.org/specialpubli...

AIIB's first climate policy loan in Latin America, VERDES Brazil, raises traceability and financialisation concerns, says expert Julia Gerlo. For better outcomes, the bank must ensure reforms protect climate, social priorities and fiscal space. Read more: re-course.org/newsupdates/... #AIIB