The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

An alliance of eleven rights organisations yesterday called upon the government to make clear the role of the World Bank in the management of country's Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF).

The alliance, led by Equity and Justice Working Group Bangladesh, made the call at a press conference at National Press Club in the city.

The leaders of the alliance criticised the roles of the country's development partners terming their approach 'colonial' and said they have been consistently pushing Bangladesh to accept World Bank to manage the multi donor trust fund.

The rights groups are: CSRL, EquityBD, Lead Trust, On line knowledge Center, La via Campesina, Prantik, RCASV, Swadhin Bangla Garments Sramik Federation, Uddipan, and Voice.

In a written statement, secretary general of EquityBD Md Shamsuddoha said that since the establishment of MDTF in September 2008, the major contributors to this fund, the UK government, and also other EU countries, has been creating pressure to the government to channel this fund through the World Bank.

The local development agent of the UK government, the DFID is insisting so against the wishes of the government. In this backdrop the rights groups both in the UK and Bangladesh criticized such a role of the developed countries, he alleged.

The speakers alleged that the rich countries want to steer the management of climate fund through establishing authority of their allied forces, the IFIs, in its management.

They said though the Government of Bangladesh opposed such donors condition earlier, but, after the recently held 'Bangladesh Development Forum' meeting it seems that government is going to accept WB's role on MDTF in the name of Technical Assistance from the Bank.

Earlier, Finance Minister AMA Muhith at a joint briefing said 'technical and financial management of the fund might be given to the WB.

They termed the statement just opposite to the government's previous position and said they presume that donors in the BDF meet make the country bound to accept the WB's role on the MDTF.

Among others, Badrul Alam of La Via Campesina, Shahadat Islam of PRADIP, Mustafa Kamal Akanda, Sanat Kumar Bhowmik of EquityBD spoke in the press conference.