A/HRC/36/40 development agenda and the adoption by the General Assembly of the Sustainable Development Goals (see General Assembly resolution 70/1). The Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, adopted in 2015, also calls upon all development banks to establish or maintain social and environmental safeguards systems (see General Assembly resolution 69/313, annex, para. 75). 6. In January 2016, the Independent Expert sent questionnaires to the World Bank, IMF, States, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) (see annex 1). He expresses deep appreciation for their cooperation and the many statistics and clarifications received. 7. In April 2017, he attended several events at the spring meeting of the World Bank and IMF, conducted bilateral exchanges with lawyers and economists in both institutions, and liaised with civil society organizations. He endorses the pertinent studies and reports of OHCHR and special procedure mandate holders who have focused on manifold aspects of the work of international financial institutions (see annex 2). He draws insight from substantive studies prepared by NGOs5 and academics. 8. The World Bank Group is composed of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the International Development Association (IDA), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes. Since 2012, Jim Yong Kim has been President of the World Bank Group. The present report focuses on the work of IBRD and IFC. 9. The publications of the World Bank Group document their awareness of impacts on human rights. The evolution of the Bank’s own social assessment framework acknowledges the Bank’s human rights responsibilities. The present report does not aspire to tell the Bank what it already knows or what its experts are busy trying to address. It hopes to formulate realistic recommendations, applying a human rights-based approach. In that regard, the Bank’s Articles of Agreement should be amended to integrate the promotion of human rights, and directives should be issued by the Board of Governors to mainstream human rights. A revised mission statement that reconciles the economic and financial priorities with human rights is desirable.6 Even the words written on the great wall at the entrance of the Bank (“Our dream is a world free of poverty”) serve as a call for action. 10. Over the past 60 years, the activities of IFC, which was established in 1956, have given rise to more criticism than that usually directed at the World Bank. As the Bank’s private lending arm, IFC also has idealistic language on its website, where it boasts that the Bank’s mission “is to fight poverty with passion and professionalism, for lasting results”. 7 The Independent Expert agrees that that mission is achievable. II. Positive features 11. The World Bank acknowledges that “sustainable development recognizes that growth must be both inclusive and environmentally sound to reduce poverty and build shared prosperity for today’s population and to continue to meet the needs of future generations. It is efficient with resources and carefully planned to deliver both immediate and long-term benefits for people, planet, and prosperity”. 8 12. To that end, in 2006 the Bank adopted the Environmental and Social Framework, comprising: 5 6 7 8 4 See www.oxfam.org/en/tags/world-bank and www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases/2016-1003/new-links-expose-world-bank-group-investments-and-human-rights. See www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyOUputeq2Y. See www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/corp_ext_content/ifc_external_corporate_site/about+ifc_new/ IFC+Governance. See www.worldbank.org/en/topic/sustainabledevelopment/overview.