C E B O . org

Posted 11:04 PM by Mary

Dear Friends,
As US organizations we are concerned about the role our government plays in the World Bank. With the end Mr. James Wolfensohn’s term as President of the World Bank, this is an excellent time to raise some more fundamental questions around IFI governance – including fundamental issues about participation, transparency and accountability in how the IMF and World Bank are governed.

We invite all individuals and organizations, first from the United States, to sign onto this statement. We also invite individuals and organizations everywhere to sign in solidarity with theUSsigners. Good governance is appropriate for all governments as well as inter-governmental institutions. It is time to start applying this principle at the World Bank, beginning but not ending with the selection of the next World Bank President.

On February 3,we will fax the statement—with the signatures we have at the time--to all the Governors of the World Bank. These are usually Finance Ministers or Development Ministers. We will continue to collect signatures after February 3 because we intend to use the statement for other purposes, probably a press event at the time of the Spring Meetings. We need to act quickly out of concern theUSgovernment may act quickly, and we need to be on record opposing this anti-democratic process.

Please distribute this statement widely
Send sign-ons to jgriesgraber@new-rules.org.

Endorsed by CEBO,
Council of Ethics Based NGOs associated with the Department of Public Information at the United Nations.
777 UN Plaza, AHA office
NY, NY 10017

Jo Marie Griesgraber, for the IFI Democracy CoalitionJo Marie Griesgraber, Chair

New Rules for Global Finance Coalition
c/o Financial Policy Forum
1660 L Street, NW #1200
Washington,DC 20036
202-533-2589 (land)
jgriesgraber@new-rules.org
www.new-rules.org