Press Release: December 6, 2024
Kolkata: On the occasion of the World Bank Group and IMF institutions celebrating their 80th anniversary, people’s movements, trade unions, civil society organisations and concerned citizens are holding an Independent People’s Tribunal on World Bank in Kolkata on December 7 & 8, senior leaders announced at a press conference today.
Senior leader of Narmada Bachao Andolan and National Alliance of People’s Movements Medha Patkar, Shaktiman Ghosh General Secretary of National Hawkers Federation, senior economist Dipankar Dey, Chhotan Das of Bandi Mukti Committee and Joe Athialy of Centre for Financial Accountability addressed press conference.
The IPT will feature 30 speakers across 5 sessions over two days (December 7-8, 2024), with an aim to provide a comprehensive examination of the World Bank’s influence on India and to highlight and document the social, economic, and environmental impacts of the World Bank’s interventions in India. It will be attended by over 200 people across 2 days.
The Tribunal will be presided by a panel of eminent judges. Prof. Anuradha Chenoy, former Professor, JNU, New Delhi & Adjunct Professor at the Jindal Global University; Prof. C. P. Chandrasekhar, Economist and Retired Professor, JNU New Delhi; Pamela Philippose – Senior Journalist and Fellow, Indian Council of Social Science Research and Sujato Bhadra – former Professor and Human Rights Activist form the panel of judges. The jury will hear testimonies from experts, and civil society representatives on these issues.
The Tribunal is part of an International People’s Tribunal held in different parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America in response to the 80th anniversary of the Bretton Woods Institutions, starting with a public launch and a first session in the Philippines on October 26. Apart from Prof. Anuradha Chenoy and Prof C. P. Chandrasekhar who are also part of the international jury, other members of the International panel of judges are Chee Yoke Ling (Director, Third World Network), Sakantula Kadirgamar (Executive Director, Law and Society Trust, Sri Lanka), Fadhel Kaboub (President, Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity / Associate), Tony La Vina (Associate Director for Climate Policy and International Relations of the Manila Observatory, Philippines), Manuel Montes (Senior Advisor, Society for International Development), Kumi Naidoo (Payne Distinguished Lecturer, Centre on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, Stanford University), Charles Santiago (Co-chair, ASEAN, Parliamentarians for Human Rights).
While the tribunal will publish a detailed report later, with findings and recommendations, at the end of the second day, December 8th, the panel of judges will be holding another press conference for the jury to present their preliminary findings and impressions based on the testimonials they have heard in the previous 2 days.
Speaking at the press conference, Medha Patkar said, “For the development that the World Bank is funding, who decides what is this development? Who decides whether it’s development or destruction? They don’t care about impact on livelihood and environment. There was a campaign once to demand parliamentary oversight on world bank investments. But they still operate in total non transparency. This is the day of mahaparinirvana of Ambedkar. It is also the day that Babri Masjid was destroyed which was an assault on the Constitution. The World Bank also bends and breaks our Constitutional commitments by making anti people policies. This is a people’s tribunal. At a time when the government and state have colluded with capital, it is only the people who can take the struggle forward.”
Joe Athialy of Centre for Financial Accountability pointed out that, “This tribunal is part of an international people’s tribunal. In Asia it’s happening here, it will also happen in Nepal. Over the course of next two days several activists will speak about impact of world bank project investments and also how it has aided authoritarianism and privatisation
Chhotan Das of Bandi Mukti Committee siad, “They decide whom to give loans to whom not to. Anyone who is against the US interests are denied loans. In the tribunal we will hear from various people who have been affected by various investments of the world bank.”
Shaktiman Ghosh, General Secretary of National Hawkers Federation, siad, “The city of Kolkata is not resisting the hegemony of international institutions for the first time. We protested on the streets of Kolkata in 1968 during the visit of Robert Mcnamara, who had to be airlifted from the city. Today, again people’s’ movements and civil society, fisherfolk, farmers, hawkers, tribal rights’ organisations are converging in Kolkata to register their protest against the World Bank at the 80th anniversary of Bretton Woods institutions. The World Bank’s ‘development’ means destruction for the people. The World bank has historically funded projects which have adversely affected marginalised communities and promoted an economic system which benefits the rich few.”
The tribunal will bring together voices and issues of those affected by the World Bank group activities in India, and present them before the public to demand accountability and equity in world financial architecture.
Contact:
Asmi (9650346518 asmi@cenfa.org)
Anirban Bhattacharya (8826165416 anirban@cenfa.org)
