Poverty as human rights deficit : some implications for the international financial institutions

Abstract

Following the World Bank’s World Development Report2000/2001: The attack on poverty and the voices of the poor studies on which that document had been based, this chapter explores Human Rights obligations of the International Financial Institutions (IFIs). In this connection poverty is approached as part of the “human rights deficit”. International poverty reduction strategies are examined in respect of both economic effectiveness and public justice, with special reference to ‘pro-poor growth’. Six elements of a Rights-based attack on poverty come to the fore. Finally, these are applied to IFIs in particular, with some critical remarks on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).