Much of the evidence supporting the emerging consensus that strong human rights safeguards promote and enhance development has come out of research from the World Bank. Yet the institution has been far too reluctant to make adherence to human rights a core principle by which it evaluates projects intended to reduce poverty and improve the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people.

The bank is now in the final stages of updating its policies on how to reduce the environmental and social risks of projects and loans. This offers an opportunity to chart a new course.

The World Bank was created in 1944 to play a leading role in rebuilding Europe after World War II. As its mission shifted to the developing world, the bank held on to a foundational principle: It stays out of the politics of the countries it works with and makes decisions based solely on “economic considerations.” That may have made sense in the geopolitical landscape of the post-World War II era and the Cold War. But it is anachronistic today.

While the World Bank cannot reasonably be expected to become an enforcer of human rights law, there is much it can do to protect human rights and persuade borrowers to live up to commitments they have made in international treaties. Adopting a clear and substantive human rights policy would mirror the bank’s efforts to more carefully consider the environmental impact of the projects it funds.