‘The World Bank has extensive internal monitoring mechanisms in place to ensure that human rights are upheld,’ the minister said. ‘The report by HRW makes clear that these paper mechanisms are not always adequate in practice. The World Bank is currently revising its internal monitoring practices. The Netherlands is engaged in a dialogue with the Bank on this issue in its role as a shareholder. The recommendations contained in the HRW report are in line with our efforts on this front.’
In late 2012 the Netherlands facilitated a dialogue with various civil society organisations, including Human Rights Watch, to discuss the review of the Bank’s monitoring mechanisms. The subject of protecting human rights was explicitly addressed in that dialogue.
The World Bank is the largest financier of development projects in difficult, complex parts of the world. In these kinds of circumstances there is a greater risk of human rights violations. The Netherlands is committed to keeping these risks to a minimum.
