"Annex I: Frequently Asked Questions on Human Rights and Multilateral Development Banks," 15 Mar 2016

This document addresses questions that sometimes arise in response to proposals to integrate human rights considerations within the social and environmental safeguard policies of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs). As will be seen, none of these concerns prevent MDBs from integrating human rights risk information as needed throughout the project cycle.

1. Are human rights relevant to economic development?...
2. Are human rights “political” in nature and beyond MDBs’ mandates?...
3. Would integrating human rights within MDBs’ safeguard policies infringe the sovereignty of borrowers?...
4. Are human rights a form of political conditionality?...
5. Would integrating human rights within MDBs’ safeguard policies turn the lender into a human rights tribunal or “enforcer”?...
6. Why must human rights be mentioned explicitly?...
7. Are human rights treaties too numerous or complex to be useful for project due diligence?...
8. Would integrating human rights in MDBs’ due diligence increase their potential legal liability?...
9. Would MDBs’ complaint mechanisms generate potentially conflicting bodies of human rights jurisprudence?...
10. Would the costs of integrating human rights in MDBs’ due diligence exceed the likely benefits?...