ABSTRACT
The World Bank lags behind most other development institutions in having no explicit commitment to respect human rights in its activities. The absence of systemic measures to guard against contributing to or exacerbating human rights violations has resulted in Bank-funded programs that facilitate government violations of the human rights of the very people the Bank’s work is meant to benefit. The World Bank has much to gain by committing to respect and protect human rights in all of its activities and consciously working to do so.
Drawing on research which illustrates how the World Bank has not respected human rights in certain programs, this chapter demonstrates how the World Bank can work toward its twin goals to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity in complex political and social environments like that of Ethiopia, while respecting the rights of those it is working to benefit. In conclusion, this chapter illustrates how both the Bank’s former safeguards and its new Environmental and Social Framework are inadequate to prevent Bank financing of human rights abuses, and recommends a new way forward which involves embarking on an inclusive process toward drafting a nuanced human rights policy. Such a policy should emphasize how the Bank will assess and address human rights risks, work with governments and other actors to advance human rights, and evaluate its overall contribution to the realization of human rights.
