The South Asian Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE) – a network of non-governmental organization working in the region—has said it is very much concerned about the IMF and the World Bank’s annual meeting being convened in Singapore by what it called “simply smothering the freedom of expression of the civil society and its constituencies from all around the world.”

Delegates listen to the speeches at the opening ceremonies of the annual meeting of the World Bank and IMF in Singapore. (Photo source:worldbank.org)

Delegates listen to the speeches at the opening ceremonies of the annual meeting of the World Bank and IMF in Singapore. (Photo source:worldbank.org)
The two-day plenary session of the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group kicked off in Singapore on Tuesday to discuss the work of their respective institutions. The meeting was preceded by the ministerial-level meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC), the IMF’s policy-guiding body, and the Development Committee, a joint IMF-World Bank forum.

“We outrightly condemn the arbitrary restrictions, detentions, interrogations and deportations being observed by the host government which only spells out blatant violation and silencing of universally accepted principles of basic human rights,” said a statement issued by the SAAPE headquarters in Kathmandu on Tuesday.

“People’s voice cannot be merely stifled by any enforced injustice and repression rather they get stronger with each such act. And, this time again, there is no stopping the people’s power to protest another anti-people move of the WB and the IMF, the so-called advocates of good governance and democracy. We outrightly condemn the barefaced hypocrisy of the Bretton Woods Institutions who were only too well aware of the host country’s dismal human rights record. We strongly urge them to practice what they preach,” the statement added.

SAAPE—that is promoting grassroots movement to fight poverty in the region—said the policies and practices of the Bretton Woods institutions as they are currently modelled cannot even lessen, let alone, eradicate abject poverty. “The process of development is inherently political and if it is inequitable and non-participatory, such situation can actually create and perpetuate poverty. We believe that the goal of eradicating poverty can only be achieved through effective participation of people living in poverty in the entire process of political decision making, policy formulation, planning and implementation so that they are empowered to take control of their lives and resources,” the Alliance said.

“People living in poverty, the majority of whom are women, are best able to identify the structural obstacles that perpetuate and accentuate poverty. In consequence, they are also best placed to set the agenda, to address these obstacles and to define solutions that can eradicate poverty. We outrightly reject the structural adjustment models imposed by the World Bank and the IMF and call for alternative development strategies drawn from people’s experiences and knowledge independent of IMF/World Bank models and interventions,” the statement said.

“We, on behalf of South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE) and its mass based constituencies including our Northern partners, vehemently condemn the uncalled-for repression by the host government and the sheer complicity of the WB and the IMF. We extend our full, steadfast solidarity to our friends and colleagues around the world in their ongoing struggle against poverty, injustice and evil forces of neoliberal imperialism,” the statement added.

Addressing the annual meetings of the World Bank and IMF in Singapore on Tuesday, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz said t he past 25 years have seen more than 400 million people worldwide escape extreme poverty, making this “the most successful quarter-century in the history of the fight against poverty. But the international community needs to make greater strides in resolving conflict, preventing disease, and strengthening governance to bring hope to the many millions more, particularly in Africa, who still live in dire conditions.

The World Bank President said the challenge is to give the world’s poorest citizens control of their own destinies by removing the barriers to a better life, from “bureaucratic red tape to potholed roads and protected markets.”

“Each country must find its own path, but across cultures and faiths, communities and nations, people will pursue the same dreams: the chance to go to school, the security of a good job, the ability to provide a better future for their children,” he added.