OneWorld.net (U.S.)

The Independent People’s Tribunal on the World Bank in India concluded on 24 September at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, after four days of hearings on the depositions from people who have been affected by the Bank’s policies and projects.

A twelve member Jury has held the Bank responsible for contributing directly and indirectly towards increasing poverty in India through its policies and interventions. The jury included historian Romila Thapar, writer Arundhati Roy, activist Aruna Roy, former Supreme Court Justice P B Sawant, former Finance Secretary S P Shukla, former Water Secretary Ramaswamy Iyer, scientist Meher Engineer, economist Amit Bhaduri, Thai spiritual leader Sulak Sivaraksa and Mexican economist Alejandro Nadal amongst others.

The Tribunal has claimed that the Bank’s actions and loans have led to government policies that have further disadvantaged the poor. Farmer suicides have been the result of reduced subsidies, higher prices for irrigation water, electric power, and seeds, and higher loan rates, the jury claimed. They also charged the Bank with promoting privatization in health and education sectors, and legal and regulatory changes that ignore the vulnerable livelihoods and environments of India’s poor majority.

The Bank has refuted these charges in a statement on their website. While it agrees with the Tribunal on the need for an open public and inclusive debate on the issue of development, it also mentions that there are no “standard one-size recipes”. New World Bank country director Isabel Guerrero has shown an interest in engaging in a civil society dialogue and has held a series of meetings with CSO representatives on inclusive growth, infrastructure, agriculture and education.

While the Bank initially agreed to the Tribunal’s invitation to join in the discussions, it did not agree to be held accountable to the jury. “While the Bank … agrees with many of the elements of the rich discussions of subjects at the Tribunal, the institution does not agree with the format of a “tribunal” established with juries and judges to “try” the Bank”, the statement said.

The Bank has claimed interest in future debates with the Tribunal members and continued engagement with civil society stakeholders.

Read the World Bank statement

Read the World Bank's Q&A