Dear Kitty
Saturday, April 14, 2007
After Wolfowitz' Iraq and nepotism scandals, family planning scandal
After Paul Wolfowitz' Iraq war and nepotism scandals, he now also has a family planning scandal on his hands.
IPS reports:
Emad Mekay
WASHINGTON, Apr 12 (IPS) - Despite denials by World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz Thursday, newly disclosed internal documents indicate that the Bank may have in fact reversed a longstanding policy of promoting family planning on his watch.
The contradictions could further intensify Wolfowitz's troubles at the Bank, where he and his office had made statements denying his personal involvement in two unusually high pay raises given to his girlfriend and fellow Bank worker Shaha Riza.
After initially distancing himself from the decision, Wolfowitz made a humiliating apology on Thursday and admitted engineering the hike. His mea culpa failed to satisfy the 10,000-member Bank Staff Association, however, which has called for Wolfowitz's resignation.
The same day, when asked by U.S. National Public Radio at a press conference opening the spring meetings of the World Bank and its sister institution, the International Monetary Fund, whether the Bank has changed its policy on family planning, Wolfowitz denied there had been any changes.
"Absolutely not," he said. "I have seen rumours about that. Let me make it very clear. Our policy hasn't changed."
But according to an internal email made public by the Government Accountability Project, a Washington-based whistleblower protection organisation, Managing Director (MD) Juan José Daboub, an appointee of Wolfowitz and a man known for his conservative stance on family issues, had in fact instructed a team of Bank specialists to delete all references to family planning from the proposed Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for the African nation of Madagascar.Wolfowitz' nepotist appointments of Iraq war backers at the World Bank: here.
After Paul Wolfowitz' Iraq war and nepotism scandals, he now also has a family planning scandal on his hands.
IPS reports:
Wolfowitz Contradicted on Family Planning Claim
Emad Mekay
WASHINGTON, Apr 12 (IPS) - Despite denials by World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz Thursday, newly disclosed internal documents indicate that the Bank may have in fact reversed a longstanding policy of promoting family planning on his watch.
The contradictions could further intensify Wolfowitz's troubles at the Bank, where he and his office had made statements denying his personal involvement in two unusually high pay raises given to his girlfriend and fellow Bank worker Shaha Riza.
After initially distancing himself from the decision, Wolfowitz made a humiliating apology on Thursday and admitted engineering the hike. His mea culpa failed to satisfy the 10,000-member Bank Staff Association, however, which has called for Wolfowitz's resignation.
The same day, when asked by U.S. National Public Radio at a press conference opening the spring meetings of the World Bank and its sister institution, the International Monetary Fund, whether the Bank has changed its policy on family planning, Wolfowitz denied there had been any changes.
"Absolutely not," he said. "I have seen rumours about that. Let me make it very clear. Our policy hasn't changed."
But according to an internal email made public by the Government Accountability Project, a Washington-based whistleblower protection organisation, Managing Director (MD) Juan José Daboub, an appointee of Wolfowitz and a man known for his conservative stance on family issues, had in fact instructed a team of Bank specialists to delete all references to family planning from the proposed Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for the African nation of Madagascar.Wolfowitz' nepotist appointments of Iraq war backers at the World Bank: here.
Labels: Economic and social, Women's issues
¶ 11:48 AM
