CancunWatch 2: smashing the World Bank

Kate Blagovejic, used to be press officer

On high streets across the UK over the last few months, passers-by have been greeted with the sight of World Development Movement groups taking a big stick to papier-mâché, piñata, pigs. This was part of our on-going campaign to highlight that governments should not be pushing for the World ‘piggy’ Bank to be responsible for disbursing climate finance to developing countries.

In the UK, WDM staff and volunteers formed a pig production line in the basement of our office. But in Mexico, the home of the piñata, we have decided to go pro. Consequently, today we spent hours trying to find a certain shop which employs people with learning disabilities, which specialises in making piñatas.

week, the giant pig will be ready, filled with chocolate money, sweets and fake US$, representing the money rich countries are pouring into the World Bank for climate finance. Meanwhile, most of them, including the UK government, are not putting a single penny towards the UN Adaptation Fund, set up through the UNFCCC negotiations and supported by developing countries.

Until then, we will be campaigning together with our allies from around the world who are also campaigning against the World Bank, to track the World Bank’s actions in the negotiations. On December 8, we will be launching the ‘World Bank out of Climate Finance’ campaign. Although, our efforts are being somewhat hampered by an outrageous ban on organisations campaigning against the World Bank inside the conference centre.

Over the next week we will be hatching our plan to smash the Worlld Bank, or at least the piñata World piggy Bank, to make a clear statement to governments that the World Bank is not to be trusted with climate cash.