International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) exercise an increasing influence over people's lives by the decisions they take regarding economic and financial activities.  At the same time, the way these powerful institutions take their decisions often lacks transparency.  Weaker members and external stakeholders especially have only limited opportunities and rights to hold the institutions and officials to account. Observers at field level also note discrepancies between an organisation’s commitments and the realities of accountable engagement with the people these institutions aim to serve.

The One World Trust monitors and analyses governance and accountability issues facing these institutions. We share the findings of our research proactively with decision-makers at the national and international levels. We seek to support organisational reform of IFIs and MDBs to ensure that they become more transparent, effective and responsive to the needs of people they affect.

Related documents and activities:

• See how the accountability of IFIs and MDBs compare to each other and to other global organisations from the corporate and non-profit sectors in the Global Accountability Reports.

• Ownership or Oversight? The global financial and economic crisis which set in 2008 demands more nuanced responses than wholesale and indeterminate government ownership of global banks. Read our briefing on balancing coercive regulation and self regulation tools to achieve sustainable balance of accountabilities.  

• Bridging the Democratic Deficit, research conducted in partnership with the Bretton Woods Project on the Fund's voting system

• In early 2008, the One World Trust held a videoconference with several departments of the IMF to present recommendations on how to improve its accountability.  The recommendations were based on the research conducted by the Trust on the Fund as part of the Global Accountability Report.  View the IMF's accountability profile here

Click here to view all publications for this project.

For more information about this project, please contact Robert Lloyd