World Bank, the IMF, and Human Rights

Daniel Bradlow, American University Washington College of Law

Abstract

This paper explores the type of human rights obligations of the World Bank and the IMF. It argues that their human rights obligations can be divided into two sets of issues. First is operational issues, which relate to both the promotion and protection of human rights. Second is institutional issues, which deal with the internal rules and procedures of the World Bank and the IMF. The paper concludes that these organizations need to develop a coherent and explicit human rights policy.