The Heat discusses the World Bank’s resettlement program

The Heat

Eliminate extreme poverty and increase shared prosperity: Is the World Bank living up to its motto?

Each year millions of people are forced to abandon their homes and livelihoods to make space for economic development. In a developing country, the building of a bridge can ensure medical supplies reach the most vulnerable; a dam can keep farm lands from flooding in rainy seasons. The construction of various projects is necessary for a government to ensure a prosperous future for its people, but based on a recent investigation, apparently not everyone.

A recent expose published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and its media partners has revealed that in the course of a single decade, nearly three and a half million people were evicted from their homes, torn away from their lands or otherwise displaced by projects funded by the World Bank.

The Heat began its discussion on the World Bank’s resettlement program with these experts:

  • From Ottawa, Canada is Paul Cadario. He spent nearly 20 years as a senior manager with the World Bank and is now a fellow at the University of Toronto.
  • Sasha Chavkin is an award winning reporter and lead author behind, Evicted and Abandoned: An investigation into the World Bank’s resettlement policy.

But do the dollars make sense? Is the human cost attached to development issues too steep of a price to pay for infrastructure?

The discussion continued with these experts: