For too long, international institutions have decided whose experiences count as evidence and whose knowledge informs development decisions. Development policies and projects are often assessed through information produced by governments, financial institutions and other actors involved in their design and implementation. Our Voices Count! challenges this approach by putting the knowledge and lived experiences of women and affected communities on the record.
Their testimonies place what happens on the ground alongside the policies, institutions and decisions that shape those experiences, connecting local realities to wider systems of development, extraction and financing.
The platform is a living resource that will continue to grow as communities add their testimonies. Through an interactive map, people can explore testimonies from across countries and regions, alongside community-led initiatives that demonstrate alternative models and visions of development.
Our Voices Count! focuses on IMF and World Bank projects and policies in the Global South, including those related to agriculture and land, infrastructure and energy, labour, economic policy and debt, and militarisation. Communities can contribute written testimonies, videos, photos and voice recordings addressing what was promised, what happened in practice and what they would do differently.
The website also includes a Resource Hub with campaign materials, messages and practical guidance for communities, movements and organisations that want to share the Counterdocket through their networks, social media and local actions.
In Bangkok, testimonies from affected communities will be presented in a tribunal mapping the impacts of IMF and World Bank policies and projects in different countries and regions. The presentation will take place as part of mobilisations around the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings.
The initiative is co-organised by JASS (Just Associates), the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law, and Development (APWLD), International Accountability Project and the International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net), in collaboration with organisations and movements around the world.
Explore the testimonies. Add your voice. Join us in Bangkok.
