World Bank/IMF
During 1999 and 2001, Rights and Humanity held several meetings with senior staff of the World Bank to encourage the Bank to integrate human rights into its development agenda. World Bank staff recognised similarities between the Comprehensive Programme for the Implementation of a Human Rights Approach established by Rights and Humanity and the call by the President of the Word Bank, Mr. James Wolfensohn for a Comprehensive Development Framework. We were invited to comment on a discussion paper the Bank was preparing on human rights.
Rights and Humanity was concerned that there were some policies of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) that unintentionally impeded the enjoyment of human rights. For example, structural adjustment programmes required governments to cut back on their social expenditure, which tended to mean a reduction of public services including education and health care.
IMF
Our President also met with senior management staff of the IMF to argue that its mandate did not prevent it ensuring that its policies complied with human rights standards. She argued that the Boards of the international financial institutions had an obligation to ensure that the impact of their policies and programmes did not impede enjoyment of human rights.
As a result of this meeting, the IMF proposed that Rights and Humanity conduct a joint workshop with it on the integration of human rights into Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers.
In October 2000, Rights and Humanity brought together senior policy staff of the World Bank and IMF at a conference we co-hosted with Wilton Park, UK, on integrating human rights into global economic governance.
In May 2001, at the invitation of the UN Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Committee, Geneva, Switzerland, Rights and Humanity submitted its expertise on encouraging respect for human rights by the International Financial Institutions.