Chapter 49: The World Bank Group | 639 |
institution under the convention of the Settlement of Investment
Disputes between States and Nationals of other states with 140
member states. There are presently 156 signatory States to the
ICSID convention
8
which facilitates and works towards a settle-
ment in the event of a dispute between a foreign investor and a local
country.
As a matter of general policy, it concentrates on lending for
projects which are designed to contribute directly to productive
capacity, and normally does not fi nance projects which are
primarily of social character, such as education, housing, etc.
Most Bank loans have been made for basic utilities, such as
power and transport, which are prerequisites for economic