• Burmese
Saturday, May 17, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
28 °c
Ashburn
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

CSOs Lambast World Bank for ‘Hasty’ Grant to Burma

Kyaw Phyo Tha by Kyaw Phyo Tha
November 7, 2012
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
CSOs Lambast World Bank for 'Hasty' Grant to Burma

Kanthan Shankar

4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

RANGOON — Civil society organizations (CSOs) in Burma are taking the World Bank to task for its decision last week to grant the country US $80 million in development assistance, saying that the Washington-based financial institution had ignored its own polices in making the move.

At a press conference in Rangoon on Tuesday, representatives from 23 CSOs said that the bank’s decision to provide funding to Burma for community-driven development (CDD) projects lacked transparency.

It was also unclear, they said, whether the bank had taken into account issues such as ethnic conflict and endemic corruption.

RelatedPosts

Myanmar Junta Abandons Chinese Pipeline Amid Resistance Attacks

Myanmar Junta Abandons Chinese Pipeline Amid Resistance Attacks

May 16, 2025
647
Mandalay Authorities ‘Dragging Their Feet’ Over Post-Earthquake Rebuilding

Mandalay Authorities ‘Dragging Their Feet’ Over Post-Earthquake Rebuilding

May 16, 2025
178
Will Dictatorship Last Until 2080?

Will Dictatorship Last Until 2080?

May 16, 2025
146

Last Thursday, the World Bank Group’s board of directors formally approved an 18-month interim strategy to provide aid that it said would deliver “quick benefits to the poor and vulnerable” through a host of infrastructure projects around the country.

According to the bank, the program will “empower rural communities to choose investments they need most, such as roads, bridges, irrigation systems, schools, health clinics or rural markets.”

However, the CSO representatives said that the confirmation of the grant was done in haste, raising questions about whether the projects chosen for funding are well designed to meet the interests of people in local communities.

Si Thu Maung, coordinator of a CSO called the Community Management Center, said that under the bank’s own rules, any project to be carried out must be made public 30 days in advance in the language of the region where it is to be implemented.

“That didn’t happen in this case at all, so the project’s transparency is questionable, and the bank is not following its own rules,” he said.

Thet Swe Win, the program director for the Myanmar Youth Empowerment Program, called the bank’s decision to provide funding for the projects without prior consultation “premature,” and said that it violated its stated commitment to transparency.

Khin Ohmar from the Burma Partnership, a network of organizations throughout the Asia-Pacific region, said that the World Bank and Asian Development Bank generally make social and environmental assessments available to the public prior to implementing projects.

“It’s their policy to share this information before the onset of a project. Why is the World Bank withholding this information about the CDD [projects]?” she asked.

Despite their misgivings about how the program has been rolled out, however, the CSOs said that they weren’t completely opposed to the World Bank’s plans in Burma.

“We’re not saying ‘no’ to the project. We know it’s for the good of our people. We just want to make sure that the bank follows every step, because we want only sustainable development in our country,” said Si Thu Maung.

In response to an email from The Irrawaddy, Kanthan Shankar, the World Bank’s country manager for Burma, said that transparency is key to the bank’s work in the country, and that the full project paper was made available on its website immediately following approval by its board, in accord with the bank’s information policy.

“The board approval of the project just marks a first step in a process and paves the way for further consultations with civil society and local communities. Consultations are at the heart of our re-engagement in Myanmar. The World Bank is committed to full and broad-based consultations, as we continue to work with government counterparts to ready this project for implementation,” he said.

In August, the World Bank opened an office in Rangoon to resume its work in Burma after a 25-year absence. The bank is one of several multilateral lenders that have re-engaged with the country since a nominally civilian government took power last year and began implementing a political and economic overhaul.

Your Thoughts …
Kyaw Phyo Tha

Kyaw Phyo Tha

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang
Burma

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang

by Hein Htoo Zan
November 28, 2023
97.9k

Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army troops are opening roads and pathways through forests for people to flee Kokang’s capital as...

Read moreDetails
Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public
Burma

Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public

by The Irrawaddy
February 7, 2024
88.5k

People’s Defense Force says junta troops told every household in the village to send one member to witness the double...

Read moreDetails
Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State
War Against the Junta

Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

by The Irrawaddy
November 29, 2023
86.9k

Brotherhood Alliance member says it now has complete control of Kokang’s northernmost section after the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 125...

Read moreDetails
Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks
Burma

Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks

by The Irrawaddy
December 4, 2023
58.8k

The junta said deserters would not be punished for minor crimes, highlighting the military’s shortage of troops as resistance offensives...

Read moreDetails
As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue
Burma

As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue

by The Irrawaddy
April 19, 2024
46.6k

The junta’s No. 2 has not been seen in public since April 3, sparking rumors that he was either gravely...

Read moreDetails
Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow
Burma

Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow

by The Irrawaddy
February 12, 2024
44.4k

Ethnic armed grouping says it will continue Operation 1027 offensive until goal of ousting the junta is achieved. 

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Mistrust Stalks Media

Mistrust Stalks Media, Charities in Arakan State

Fifty Missing as Rohingya Boat Sinks off Bangladesh

Fifty Missing as Rohingya Boat Sinks off Bangladesh

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Breaking the 60-Year Political Cycle in Myanmar

Breaking the 60-Year Political Cycle in Myanmar

5 days ago
1.1k
How Myanmar Junta Uses Air Force to Fight Its Corner

How Myanmar Junta Uses Air Force to Fight Its Corner

3 days ago
1.1k

Most Read

  • Ousted Myanmar Envoy to UK Charged With Trespass in London Residence Row

    Ousted Myanmar Envoy to UK Charged With Trespass in London Residence Row

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Three Japanese Firms Ditch Myanmar Port Project

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Workers at Adidas Factory in Myanmar Strike for Living Wage

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Abandons Chinese Pipeline Amid Resistance Attacks

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Leader Scores Diplomatic Win With Xi Meeting in Moscow

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.