The International Financial Institutions (IFI) Library contains an archive of documents relating to the policies and projects of the World Bank Group, regional development banks, export credit agencies and other development institutions.

International Financial Institutions and Extractive Industries (Oil, Mining and Gas)

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / International Development Association

International Finance Corporation

Multilaterial Investment Guarantee Agency

International Monetary Fund

Regional Development Banks

Export Credit Agencies

Project Case Studies

International Financial Institutions and Extractive Industries (Oil, Mining and Gas)

Friends of the Earth International's Position Paper: Phasing out International Financial Institution Financing for Fossil Fuel and Mining Projects. English, Spanish and French (PDF)

Press Release: On World Bank 60th Anniversary, Friends of the Earth Chairman Demands President Wolfensohn to Get Out of Oil and Coal

Press Release: Leaked Letter: Equator Banks Oppose Strengthening World Bank Environmental, Social Protections

Letter from Nobel laureates and hundreds of NGOs urge World Bank to change practices

Policy Brief (PDF) Key findings and recommendations of final, groundbreaking EIR report

Report (PDF) Poverty Reduction or Poverty Exacerbation: World Bank Support for Extractive Industries in Africa

Policy Brief (PDF) Summary of OED Draft Review of the World Bank Group's Activities in the Extractive Industries: Factoring in Governance

Analysis (PDF) Treasure or Trash: An analysis of the World Banks's flawed defense of mining as a tool for economic development

Report Hands Off: Why International Financial Institutions Must Stop Drilling, Piping and Mining

Fact Sheet (PDF) Development Impacts of World Bank Support of Fossil Fuel and Mining

Fact Sheet (PDF) Human Rights Impacts of Fossil Fuel and Mining

Official Website for the EIR

Civil Society Website for the EIR

Report (PDF) "Gambling with People's Lives" - Report counters World Bank's "High-Risk/High-Reward" development strategy

Policy Brief (PDF or html): Oil funds are hyped as the solution to ensuring that oil extraction leads to poverty alleviation and sustainable development. This policy brief analyzes the shortcomings of some of these funds.

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / International Development Association

Report (PDF) Responsible Reform of the World Bank: The Role of the United States in Improving the Development Effectiveness of World Bank Operations

Recommendations (PDF) Benchmarks for Mainstreaming the Environment: Environmental Reform Recommendations for the World Bank Group

Report (PDF) Marketing the Earth: The World Bank's approach to sustainable development since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 and how it has undermined sustainable development objectives

International Finance Corporation

Letter from 76 NGOs to the International Finance Corporation calling for mandatory disclosure and right-to-know requirements for IFC-sponsored projects - Sep 9, 2004

Report (PDF or html) Dubious Development: Report on the International Finance Corporation, the private-sector lending arm of the World Bank Group

Multilaterial Investment Guarantee Agency

Letter (PDF) from MIGA responds to global sign-on letter calling; MIGA promises reforms to bring it closer to the rest of the World Bank Group

Letter (PDF) from 90 NGOs in 42 Countries to the Multilaterial Investment Guarantee Agency, the arm of the World Bank that provides political risk insurance to the private sector to invest in developing countries - Sep 24, 2004

Report (PDF) Risky Business: How the World Bank’s Insurance Arm Fails the Poor and Harms the Environment

Letter Friends of the Earth's Response to MIGA's criticism of "Risky Business"

International Monetary Fund

Statement: Friends of the Earth and others call for the new IMF Managing Director to be selected democratically and transparently

Letter (PDFor html) FoE's comments to the IMF's Independent Evaluation Office's Review on prolonged use of IMF resources

Letter (PDF) Coalition letter to the IMF's Independent Evaluation Office commenting on the terms of reference for the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers

Report (PDF) Arming NGOs with Knowledge: A Guide to the International Monetary Fund

Report (pdf or html)The IMF: Selling the Environment Short

Policy Brief: Impacts of IMF Programs

Case Studies: Read our case studies on the environmental impacts of IMF programs

Letter (PDF) Read what over 100 groups from 47 countries had to say to the IMF about its lack of transparency.

Policy Brief: The IMF's lack of adequate transparency and accountability means that the IMF can take decisions that suit its major shareholders and powerbrokers rather than ordinary citizens. The world's richest countries have the greatest voting power on the IMF's Board of Directors- the United States alone has almost 20 percent of all votes- and poor countries have very little influence.

Regional Development Banks

Report (PDF) Environmental and Social Impacts of IDB Projects Since the Eighth Capital Replenishment

Export Credit Agencies (The U.S. Export Import Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation)

OPIC Response to NGO letter on the Baku-Ceyhan Project

Letter to President Peter Watson on OPIC’s Transparency Initiative and Accountability Mechanism – June 9, 2004

Comments by Friends of the Earth, WWF and Pacific Environment’s on Ex-Im’s new draft environmental policies – May 25, 2004

News OPIC Adopts Elements of World Commission on Dams, Issues New Forests Policies and Will Make Public Projects Declined on Environmental Grounds – March 2004

Press Release U.S. Government Agency Rejects Financing for Destructive Gas Project in Peru's Amazon: Safeguards for Indigenous Rights and the Rainforests Respected

Press Release Groups Blast Weak OECD Agreement on the Environment to be Signed by Bush Administration Loopholes Allow Export Credit Support for Harmful Projects to Continue - Dec. 11, 2003

Analysis (PDF) USA versus France: A Comparison of Ex-Im and Coface Oil and Gas Standards

Case Studies: Top 5 Dangerous Projects from US Export Credit Agencies

Report (PDF) A Race to the Bottom: Creating Risk, Generating Debt, and Guaranteeing Environmental Destruction. A compilation of ECA case studies produced jointly by Friends of the Earth, Environmental Defense Fund, Center for International Environmental Law, and others.

Report (PDF) OPIC, Ex-Im, and Climate Change: Business as Usual? Published jointly by Friends of the Earth, Institute for Policy Studies, and the International Trade Information Service.

Project Case Studies

Baku-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline, Caucasus Region

Bolivia-Brazil Gas Pipeline

Bujagali Hydroelectric Power Project, Uganda

Bulyanhulu Gold Fields, Tanzania

Camisea Oil & Gas Project, Peru

Chad-Cameroon Oil Pipeline

Rosia Montana Gold Mine, Romania

Yanacocha Gold Mine, Peru