A
collection of recent reports and articles about the World Bank's role in
East Timor.
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Up-Dated: Feb 6, 2002
NEW = Added
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Main Contents: BD:
Financing Reconstruction in East Timor
Tetum:
La'o Hamutuk nian
Surat Popular: [PDF formatu]
Banku Mundial iha Timor
Lorosa'e
http://www.etan.org/lh/PDFs/surat/SP-BkMund.pdf
PDF kontén figura no dezenhu
sira
"Banku Mundial hola parte bo’ot iha rekonstrusaun
no desenvolvimentu Timor Lorosa’e nian. Doadores internasional sira mak
fo tiha 166 milyar dolar Amerikanu atu uza durante tinan rua ho balun.
Banku Mundial mak tau matan ba fundus ne’e no halo planu ba projektu spesifiku
kona ba rekonstrusaun. Povo tenke tau matan mos ba fundus ne’e nia la’o.
... Agora, Timor Lorosa’e simu osan/fundus husi Banku Mundial gratis. Depois
transisaun, bainhira Timor Lorosa’e independente, governu mak bele deside
atu simu impresta husi Banku Mundial ka la’e. Ita tenke hanoin no diskute
malu didiak kona ba asuntu ne’e." la'o hamutuk,
institutu ba analiza no monitor rekonstrusaun timor loro sa'e
Sep
2 AW: World Bank - It's impacts on ETimor and PNGinuea
Article added Sep 25
" … it has proved
difficult to prevent corruption and other problems in privatising monopolies
… Advocates of privatisation may have overestimated the benefits of privatization
and underestimated the costs, particularly the political costs of the process
itself and the impediments it has posed to further reform" Joseph Stiglitz,
head of World Bank’s Asia-Pacific branch
"The
time has come to show that there is a critical mass of members of civil
society who are questioning the projects and policies of the World Bank
... more people than just AID/WATCH are concerned about the bank and its
activities." James Arvanitakis, Campaign Director of AID/WATCH
August
2001 LHB: Provision of School Furniture: World Bank Project
Article added Sep 27
"The plan to spend US$1.7 million to import
plastic furniture met with widespread dissent. Many East Timorese businesspeople,
political leaders, and national and international NGOs wrote letters of
protest to UNTAET/ETTA and the World Bank. They argued against the
decision because: 1) the funds spent would leave the country, in no way
assisting the local economy; 2) the importing of furniture would do nothing
to provide local employment or build up the in-country carpentry capacity;
and 3) questions remained as to whether sufficient funds would exist to
replace the non-durable plastic furniture. In response, UNTAET/ETTA and
the World Bank eventually agreed to change the project design to include
greater local furniture production. " La'o
Hamutuk: East Timor Institute for Reconstruction Monitoring and Analysis
July
2001 LHB: Reconstruction & Transition: What are the Next Steps?
Bulletin added July 29
"This Bulletin looks at different perspectives
on the reconstruction and transition — that of the World Bank and
UNTAET and that of the East Timor NGO Forum
— in the context of the recently concluded donors’ meeting in Canberra,
Australia. Given the intensifying “Timorization”
of the territory’s administration and the current planning for the “post-UNTAET”
era, these evaluations and recommendations are especially important." La'o
Hamutuk: East Timor Institute for Reconstruction Monitoring and Analysis
Jul
5 AID/WATCH: The World Bank in East Timor Briefing added
July 14
"The World Bank - fighting poverty
or supporting profiteering?: ...
The conditions attached to World Bank
loans (eg. privatisation, less restrictions on foreign investment, lowering
import taxes, removal of subsidies, restricted public investment, minimise
labour and environmental controls) are all designed to encourage further
private-for-profit investment in, and trade with, the developing country.
An important assumption in all World Bank operations is that there can
be a "happy marriage" between (1) development programs that will benefit
poor people, and (2) profitable opportunities for giant multinational companies.
Conflict between these two goals tends to be ignored." Tim Anderson for
Aidwatch
May
28 AidWatch: Letter to World Bank Letter added June 9
"At the seminar you [Mr Klaus Rohland]
explained World Bank reasons for vetoing the public grain silo.
... However you did not address the main point of my question, which was:
how was this ‘vetoing’ of funds, given for the people of East Timor by
the donor countries, consistent with the human right of self-determination
of a people (Article One of both the Covenants of the International Bill
of Rights)?" Tim Anderson, researcher, AID/WATCH:
Monitoring the Development Dollar
May
25 GLW: World Bank dictates development Article added
June 9
"There is a common perception that the
World
Bank is a subsidiary or support group for the UN, which is not the
case. ... The World Bank is indirectly at the moment - and I think with
stronger pressure in the future - pushing the East Timorese into developing
cash crops for export, in particular, organic coffee. This will create
pressure on old traditional title and [lead to] the resolution of land
disputes in favour of large landholders [who seek] to consolidate and create
cash-cropping areas, which also poses the threat of environmental degradation."
Tim Anderson, researcher, AID/WATCH:
Monitoring the Development Dollar
Apr
26 AIDWATCH: World Bank Dictating Terms of Development in East Timor
Release added May 1
"AID/WATCH researchers Yoga Sofyar and
Tim Anderson, found consistent concern amongst NGOs, church groups and
administration officials, that the development assistance - generously
and freely given by the international community - is being managed in a
predetermined, secretive and authoritarian manner. The main responsible
agency is the World Bank, supported by the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development Bank
(ADB). ... " AIDWATCH: Monitoring
the Development Dollar
Tetum:
Boletim La’o Hamutuk:
[PDF formatu]
Vol. 1, No. 4, 31 Dejembru
2000
Banku Mundial iha Timor
Loro Sa’e:
http://www.etan.org/lh/PDFs/lhbul4tm.pdf
Tetum:
Dej
31 2000 BLH: Demokrasia ho Banku Mundial iha Timor Loro Sa’e Editorial
added May 18
"Eksperiensia hatudu katak presaun públika
bele influensia oin sa Banku hala’o nia seruisu iha nasaun partikular ruma.
Maski susar, Timor Loro Sa’e sorte ona hodi iha sektor ONG nebe iha korajen,
elite politik nebe relativamente responsivu ba kuantidadi ka ema sira nebe
hili iha baje (grassroot constituency), no movimentu solidaridadi internasional
ida nebe forte. Hola hamutuk ba, faktor sira ne’e bele halo diferensa atu
bele garante katak Banku Mundial serve necesidadi Timor oan sira nian,
du ke nia kontráriu."
La’o Hamutuk,
Instituto Timor Lorosa’e ba Analiza no Monitoring Reconstrucao
Dec 31
2000 LHB: Democracy and the World Bank in East Timor Editorial
& link to Analysis updated Feb 26
"Experience shows that concerted
public pressure can influence how the [World] Bank works. East Timor
has a vibrant NGO sector, a political elite that is relatively responsive
to grassroots constituencies, and a strong international solidarity movement.
Working together, they can help ensure that the World Bank serves the East
Timorese people’s needs, rather than vice-versa." The
La'o Hamutuk Bulletin
Dec 8 2000 RA: World bank says it failed Indonesia's poor Added Dec 9