世界銀行(World Bank)更新規則招致批評

The World Bank is pushing through the biggest changes in decades to the social and environmental rules that cover its lending, drawing fire from activists who are accusing it of betraying vulnerable populations across the world’s poorest countries.

世界銀行(World Bank)正推動對覆蓋其放貸活動的社會和環境規則作出數十年來最大的修改，此舉引發活動人士的批評，他們指控世行背叛了全球最貧窮國家的弱勢羣體。

After four years of consultations and contentious negotiations among its shareholder countries, the bank’s governing board yesterday unanimously approved an update of the so-called “safeguards” in place since the 1980s.

經過四年的磋商和股東國家之間的艱鉅談判，世行理事會昨日一致批准對上世紀80年代起實行至今的所謂“保障措施”進行更新的方案。

It is part of a bigger effort by president Jim Yong Kim — who is in the final year of what has been a controversial first term — to make the institution more nimble and address concerns from borrowers about the often burdensome process of securing loans.

此舉是世行行長金墉(Jim Yong Kim)整體努力的一部分——他已進入有爭議的第一個任期的最後一年——目的是使這家機構更加靈活，並解決借款人對於爭取貸款的過程往往太過繁瑣的關切。

The World Bank’s place in the global economy is in question as it faces growing competition from new institutions such as the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

世行在全球經濟中的地位正在成爲一個問題，因爲它面臨着來自新機構的日益激烈的競爭，如中國支持的亞洲基礎設施投資銀行(AIIB)。

The bank said the old rules were ad hoc and cumbersome. The new standards for the first time include requirements on labour and working conditions on World Bank projects.

世行表示，舊的規則是不規範和繁瑣的。新標準首次包括了針對世行項目勞動和工作條件的要求。

Also incorporated are bans on discrimination against people on any basis, requirements for borrowers to estimate the impact of projects on climate change and a nod to human rights in an introductory “vision statement”.

新標準還納入了禁止以任何依據歧視任何人的規定，並要求借款人評估項目對氣候變化的影響，以及在一份序言式的“願景聲明”中提到對人權的尊重。

The biggest change, however, is that the rules are becoming more flexible, giving more power to borrower countries.

然而，最大的變化是這些規則正在變得更加靈活，讓借款國擁有更大權力。

They allow for the increased use of local environmental and other regulations as benchmarks for projects.

新標準允許在更大程度上使用當地的環境和其他法規作爲項目基準。

They also, critics claim, would allow governments to put off drafting things such as plans for relocating people affected by dams and other big infrastructure projects until after loans have been approved.

批評者聲稱，它們還將允許政府推遲起草重要文件（如搬遷受到大壩等大型基礎設施項目影響的人們的計劃），直至貸款已被批准之後。

Nadia Daar, head of Oxfam International’s Washington office, said the overhaul would shift much of the bank’s due diligence on projects until after they are approved.

國際樂施會(Oxfam International)華盛頓辦事處負責人納迪亞•達爾(Nadia Daar)表示，此次調整將把世行的很大一部分項目盡職調查工作推遲到項目已被批准之後。

“Frankly it is disappointing. A lot of us are looking to the World Bank to set the highest standards when it comes to all sorts of policies in development and particularly environmental and social standards.”

“坦白說這令人失望。我們當中很多人都寄望世界銀行在發展工作中的各種政策，特別是環境和社會標準方面設定最高標準。”

The changes come as the bank continues to face problems with its projects.

這些規則變化出爐之際，世行的一些項目繼續面臨問題。

Last year, for example, the bank cancelled a $265m road programme in Uganda after activists documented repeated cases of contractors sexually abusing children in the area surrounding the project.

去年，該行取消了烏干達一個2.65億美元的道路項目，此前活動人士記錄了項目周邊地區一再發生承包商性虐待兒童的案件。

“The reason that we have this rules-based system is  . . .  the carnage and wreckage across the world [that has been left] as a result of World Bank projects,” said Jeff Hall, executive director of the Bank Information Center, a Washington-based lobby group.

“我們之所以有這樣的基於規則的制度，原因是……世界各地到處都有世行項目留下的破壞和殘骸，”總部位於華盛頓的遊說團體“銀行信息中心”(Bank Information Center) 執行總監傑夫•霍爾(Jeff Hall)表示。

“The bank hasn’t demonstrated that it is very good at these sorts of things.”

“世行沒有展現出它很擅長這些事情。”

Other analysts say the bank has vastly improved its performance over the years and that, while often high profile, its failures have been relatively rare.

其他分析人士表示，多年來世行已大幅改善了自己的表現，而其失敗雖然往往引起軒然大波，但數量相對較少。