By MAIMBOLWA MULIKELELA in  Washington DC –
THE Bank on Human Rights Coalition, a human rights advocate group, has called on finance ministers across the globe attending the spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank, to ensure a development agenda that respects human rights.

. Chikwanda

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda arrived yesterday in Washington DC to join his counterparts from across the globe for the 2015 spring meetings.
The Coalition is a global movement of civil society organisations and grassroots groups working to ensure that all development finance institutions respect, protect and fulfill human rights.
Bank on Human Rights Coalition coordinator Gretchen Gordon said the World Bank and its member states should stop risking human lives and should change how they deliver development.
Mr Gordon said in a statement issued in Washington DC that the World Bank was trying to strengthen  its safeguards at the same time increasing lending for extremely risky projects like massive infrastructure
installations and financing in conflict zones.
Meanwhile, Mr Chikwanda will lead a Zambian delegation comprising of Bank of Zambia Governor Denny Kalyalya and other officials from the Central Bank and the ministry of Finance.
So far, the latest Global Economic Report revealed that Zambia has made improvements in its fiscal balance and called for prudent management of the economy  to have sustained and inclusive
growth.
The minister is expected to have several meetings with the World Bank, IMF and United Nations executives, the private sector and will participate in a roundtable discussion.
This is intended to focus on challenges of harnessing private sector resources to play a stronger and more effective role in the implementation of the post 2015 Agenda.
A secondary theme will be the importance of strengthening domestic resources mobilisation.
The Zambian delegation will meet with Vice President for the African Region at the World Bank to discuss the downgrading of the  Zambian office, low disbursements and the  International Development Association (IDA) 17 allocation involving the US$150 million.
The meetings run from April 17- 19, 2015.