Research and Resources
Below is a collection of recent, relevant research and resources for you to reference ahead of the meetings, as is most useful. This list will be updated with new research being released around the meetings, as it is released.
If you are interested in speaking to any of the authors of the research below, kindly contact Soni Adriance via [email protected] (Nairobi) or Alec Caso via [email protected] (Washington, D.C.).
Rethinking multilateralism and the global financial architecture
Global CSOs welcome launch of Borrowers’ Platform at IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings
In response to the April 15 launch of the Borrowers' Platform, a collective voice and coordination mechanism for developing nations navigating the global debt crisis, a coalition of global Civil Society Organizations voiced their support for the initiative, including the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development; the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Economic, Social and Climate Justice; the African Forum and Network on Debt and Management; and the European Network on Debt and Development.
Aid off course - How ODA reform has left the Global South behind
A new report from Eurodad is the first comprehensive civil society examination of how changes to the rules – known as the ‘ODA (Official Development Assistance) modernisation’ process – have reshaped international aid. It argues that a genuine overhaul of the aid system must now take place, through an inclusive, transparent and democratic process that fully involves Global South countries, civil society and all development actors as equal partners.
The birth of global public investment
A report from the Global Cooperation Institute presents global public investment (GPI) as a new paradigm for international public finance – one that reimagines how the world invests in shared progress. It outlines a phased strategy for the advancement of GPI, arguing that action will be needed from governments, civil society, multilateral institutions and thought leaders to improve scale, coordination and visibility around GPI principles.
Going for Broke: Time to Reform the UN Budget Process
A March 2026 report from the Starling Institute argues that the UN’s budgeting process – the ‘who pays what’ that funds the world’s most important multilateral body – is fundamentally broken and badly in need of a major overhaul to bring it into the modern era. The report proposes a dramatically different funding formula that abandons Gross National Income as a cornerstone for contributions and consolidating UN funding streams into a more unified budget that establishes a budget cap of 50% for reliance on volutary contributions for any UN agency.
‘Rupture in world order’ further challenges IMF and World Bank’s legitimacy
This article from the Bretton Woods Project explores how rising global instability, discord among key shareholders, escalating violations of international law and inadequate responses to Iran war are deepening Bretton Woods Institutions’ (BWI) legitimacy crisis. It explores how BWIs are shifting their stance on industrial policy and how their persistent governance imbalances and stalled reforms of the global financial architecture are raising concerns as the peace-development-humanitarian nexus erodes.
Open Letter: They Profit, We Pay. Fix it now.
A coalition of 130+ civil society organizations has released this open letter demanding governments to secure a permanent end to the wars in South West Asia and break the chains of fossil fuel dependence. The open letter highlights that in addition to thousands of civilians killed by US and Israeli bombs, millions globally are being pushed into hunger and debt because of the iron grip of oil and gas on our economies.
Sovereign debt crisis
Analysis of the IMF and World Bank’s Debt Sustainability Framework for Low-Income Countries
The IMF and World Bank are about to complete their review of the Debt Sustainability Framework for Low-Income Countries (LIC-DSF). This is the model that de facto determines how much debt relief countries facing debt restructuring get. It is critical to get it right, both to prevent debt crises and to avoid that countries in debt distress end up overindebted, even after debt restructurings.
The Jubilee Commission Report
Released in June 2025, the Vatican-backed Jubilee Commission report lays out urgent and systemic reforms to address the spiraling debt and development crises devastating countries in the Global South. Please also see a fact sheet on the sovereign debt crisis.
Global fossil fuel crisis
Women and Girls in Africa are Paying the Price for Rising Debt
A new report released by African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) and the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative illustrates that the escalating debt crisis is colliding with fossil fuel entrapment and patriarchal systems - with women and girls experiencing the worst impacts. The report, led by African feminist scholars and practitioners, details models for international cooperation ranging from entrapment to sovereignty and offers recommendations on a pathway away from oil, gas and coal towards diverse, resilient and gender-just economies.
Climate finance structural inequalities
World Bank Climate Finance Scorecard
The Bretton Woods Project released a new scorecard evaluating the World Bank's climate financing, raising concerns about the alignment of the Bank’s climate funding with the justice and equity principles at the heart of UN climate agreements. The grading, presented in a report, evaluates the Bank according to three key criteria: grant-based funding; transparency and accountability of climate finance accounting; and compatibility of financing instruments with a bottom-up, people-centred approach to climate action.
Working Paper: Africa as a Climate Solutions Leader? Anti-Politics, Power and the Political Economy of Summit-Driven Climate Narratives
Published in February 2026 by DevTransform's (Development Transformations) Martha Getachew Bekele, this working paper examines how African climate diplomacy has evolved, arguing that calling Africa a ‘climate solutions leader’ may sound empowering—but it could also shift responsibility for the climate crisis away from the world’s biggest polluters.