THE emerging rule today ironically seems to be that those who make a mess, will be paid to clean it up rather than obligated to undo the harm they have caused and cease committing further damage. International aid agencies look towards the timber industry to help preserve forests; the us defense department is given responsibility for cleaning up the toxic mess it has spilled the world over; and market forces that have fuelled environmental destruction, are touted as best hopes for generating environmental restoration. So, little wonder that rich countries of the world are tilted in favour of the World Bank (wb), one of our greatest environmental desecrators.

While many Northern ngos are generally pleased with the way the new Global Environmental Facility (gef) is veering, Southern ngos remain highly sceptical. The reasons: dangers of the Bank culture unduly influencing the gef, an unequal gef agenda limited to four issues