El Banco mundial socio de Aguas del Illimani : sus implicaciones y riesgos

This document describes the participation of the World Bank as a business partner in Aguas de Illimani through the International Finance Corporation (IFC), one of the Bank’s international organisations of co-operation. It analyses the implications and risks of this association in terms of transparency and pro-poor water management.

The involvement of the World Bank via the IFC was intended to send a message of security to foreign investors at a time when the Cochabamba water wars, and the subsequent collapse of Aguas de Tunari had created a feeling of mistrust among foreign capital investors. The paper argues that this participation puts into doubt the impartiality of the World Bank’s role as an independent multi-lateral agency. It questions the transparency of the privatisation process and the transfer of the water and sanitation sector into private hands as a way of solving the problems of the access of the poorest sectors the service. It augurs that this situation is likely to create a lack of trust among users, highlight problems of local and national actors intervening in the increasingly global level of water governance and sets a dangerous precedent for other regions. (Author's abstract)