After two days of travel and a few bad airplane movies I have arrived in Bangkok for the annual meeting of the International Financial Institutions (IFI) advisory board of Greengrants. This board has representatives from all over the world who recommend grants to groups working to make the IFIs such as the World Bank, regional banks like the Inter-American Development Bank, and related institutions less powerful in setting the development agenda in countries around the world; to increase the power of grassroots groups to set the development agenda; and to reduce the economic, social and environmental impact of IFI projects and work.
Our host is advisor Shalmali Guttal’s organization—Focus on the Global South. We are meeting at Thailand’s oldest and most prestigious university, Chulalongkorn University in the heart of Bangkok.
The members of the board began to arrive today from Latin America, Africa and Asia. The meeting participant advisors include Shalmali Guttal, of Focus on the Global South, Bangalore, India and Bangkok, Thailand.
Reporting from Bangkok, Heather helps us get to know our International Financial Institutions (IFI) Advisory Board better. Find out more about the advisors on this board,their diverse backgrounds, and the range of issues they work on—all linked by a commitment to social and environmental justice.
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