This piece is an abstract. Article originally published in the Huffington Post. on September 8. Full article can be viewed on its website.

Independent evaluations at multilateral development banks (MDBs) have called for a reform of the system of safeguards that they use to deflect potential damages to communities and the environment associated with the investments they finance. Without such mitigation, roads can harm habitats, dams displace communities and slum rebuilding hurt livelihoods. The purpose of reform, the reviews stressed, should be to improve environmental and social outcomes of safeguards, while reducing inefficiencies in their implementation. Continue reading →