On April 25- 27, 2007,the Department of Environmental Resources Law and Service Center, the Chinese Politics and Law University hosted the 'Chinese Civil Society and Environmental Protection Administration Forum on how NGOs can use laws to push forward Environmental Protection.' A group of GVB representatives participated in this meeting, along with representatives from the British Royal International Affairs Research Institute, the British International Development Department, the NGO Managemen more...

UNEP has been working with the Beijing Olympic Committee for three years to help make the Summer Games environmentally - friendly, and the Chinese government has spent US$17 billion on a large-scale green drive ahead of the Games, including a series of long-term environmental improvements for the city. UNEP's Executive Director also attended the opening ceremony on 8 August as part of UNEP's continuing support for the Greening of the Games.

As the World Bank prepared to launch two new climate investment funds at the G8 summit, and position itself as the 'climate bank,' new statistics developed by the Bank Information Center show that the World Bank's private sector arm, the International Financial Corporation (IFC), increased its lending for fossil fuel projects by a staggering 165% in FY2008. Taken as a whole, the World Bank Group increased its fossil-fuel lending by 60% in the same period.
New statistics developed by the Bank In more...

For many years, the World Bank Group has implemented policies for economic development in African countries. The policies are geared towards creating good governance and improving investment climates. The Bank attempted to co-ordinate foreign direct investment from mainly Europe and United States. The body was structured to work through government ministries at inception. For example, the Ministry of Agriculture would be responsible for implementing investment agenda in agriculture. Similarly, more...

Whatever else one may say about the World Bank, its mantra is certainly uncomplicated: privatise, privatise, privatise. In a world of cynicism and shattered faith, it is almost reassuring to have such a powerful institution that maintains the same line for decades. But this should come as no surprise. If the World Bank was truly about poverty reduction, it might have to accept the fact that its formula has failed in country after country. If it is instead about serving large multinational corpor more...

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has said he expected U.S. house prices will begin to stabilize in the first half of next year. 'Home prices in the U.S. are likely to start to stabilize or touch bottom sometime in the first half of 2009,' Greenspan said in an interview with the daily The Wall Street Journal. However, he warned that even at bottom, 'prices could continue to drift lower through 2009 and beyond.' Greenspan also acknowledged that a government backstop for the sharehold more...

Promoters of bio-fuels need to come up with second and third generation energy crops that will not compete with food crops, African Development Bank (ADB) president Donald Kaberuka has said. Kaberuka has implored southern African countries to pool their resources and address the energy crisis through regional investment in energy infrastructure instead of trying to implement efforts individually. Featuring on the Zambian National Broadcasting Corporation, Kaberuka said Africa must be extra more...

NEW DELHI: State-run NTPC Ltd, Asian Development Bank (ADB), GE Energy Financial Services, Kyushu Electric Power Co and Brookfield Renewable Power will form a joint venture company to undertake renewable power generation. The companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to form a joint venture company for generating renewable power. NTPC would hold a 40 per cent stake in the company while the remaining would be equally shared by other entities. The joi nt venture company would devel more...

After years of isolation, Turkmenistan has been host to hundreds of official delegations from the world’s great powers, as Europe, Russia, China, and India pursue energy security with an eye toward the country's gas deposits. President Berdymukhamedov has forsaken at least some of his predecessor’s inward focus, in favor of a “multi-vector” natural resource strategy. The strategy relies on multiple hydrocarbon export routes, and the various gas importers each have a route in mind. Key pi more...

London remains the world's best financial and commercial city, the future, however, appears to belong to Asia and Eastern Europe, whose cities represent the fastest rising regions in the latest commercial and financial research by MasterCard. Shanghai had the largest jump in overall rank - moving eight places from 2007 to 2008 - bringing it into the top 25 of this year's index and demonstrating the growing importance of Asian cities to a progressively urbanized global economy. Moscow, a gateway more...