JALAN Civic Lab Statement on the 2026 IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok
12 October 2026 | Bangkok, Thailand
As Thailand hosts the 2026 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group, JALAN Civic Lab calls for a fundamental rethinking of the global economic and development system. At a time of deepening inequality, accelerating climate breakdown, mounting debt burdens and shrinking civic space, the international community can no longer afford to treat economic growth, financial stability and private investment as ends in themselves.
For decades, the dominant development paradigm has prioritised market liberalisation, economic competitiveness and capital accumulation, often at the expense of social protection, environmental sustainability and democratic accountability. Across the Global South, the consequences of unequal economic structures continue to be experienced through precarious livelihoods, unequal access to resources, environmental degradation and the marginalisation of communities from decisions affecting their lives.
In this spirit, we put forward five urgent demands.
1. Put economic justice before the interests of capital
Economic policies must serve people rather than demand that people continually adapt to the needs of markets. Fiscal discipline, debt repayment and investment competitiveness must not be pursued at the expense of essential public services, social protection, labour rights and human dignity.
We call upon international financial institutions and governments to reject development approaches that deepen inequality, undermine public services or transfer the burdens of economic adjustment onto working people and marginalised communities. Development must be measured by the equitable redistribution of opportunities, resources and power.
2. End extractive development and advance environmental justice
Across Southeast Asia, the expansion of infrastructure, industrial development, digital technologies and energy investments is frequently presented as evidence of economic progress. Yet, such investments can also place considerable pressure on land, water, energy resources and local ecosystems, whilst exposing communities to environmental risks and social displacement.
The transition towards greener and more technologically advanced economies must not reproduce the extractive practices and inequalities of existing development models.
We call for binding environmental and social safeguards, transparent assessments, meaningful community consent and accessible mechanisms through which affected populations can challenge harmful development projects.
3. Democratise development finance and decision-making
Decisions about development financing, public debt and economic restructuring have profound consequences for societies, yet the institutions and processes governing these decisions often remain distant from the people most affected.
We call for greater democratic accountability within international financial institutions, including more equitable representation of countries in the Global South, meaningful civil society participation and greater transparency in lending arrangements, development projects and policy conditions.
Public participation must extend beyond consultation exercises that offer communities little influence over final decisions. Communities must have the power to shape, scrutinise and challenge the development policies and investments that affect their futures.
4. Confront structural inequalities and protect civic space
Economic inequality cannot be separated from wider structures of discrimination, exclusion and unequal power. Women, gender-diverse people, migrants, informal workers, Indigenous Peoples, young people and other marginalised communities frequently experience the disproportionate consequences of economic insecurity, environmental degradation and inadequate social protection.
A genuinely just development agenda must confront these intersecting inequalities whilst protecting the rights to freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and public participation. Civil society must not be treated merely as a stakeholder to be consulted, but recognised as an independent force capable of holding institutions and governments accountable.
5. Reimagine development beyond endless economic growth
Economic inequality cannot be separated from wider structures of discrimination, exclusion and unequal power. Women, gender-diverse people, migrants, informal workers, Indigenous Peoples, young people and other marginalised communities frequently experience the disproportionate consequences of economic insecurity, environmental degradation and inadequate social protection.
A genuinely just development agenda must confront these intersecting inequalities whilst protecting the rights to freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and public participation. Civil society must be treated as an independent force capable of holding institutions and governments accountable.
JALAN Civic Lab
JALAN Civic Lab welcomes collaboration. 📩 Contact us: jalanciviclab@gmail.com
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