Ressources

FPP welcomed the opportunity during the 16th Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to support IWGIA in raising important issues to the attention of the Forum regarding the issuance of waivers by the World Bank to key safeguard policies, including in the case of an investment into agricultural development in Tanzania.

A recent Position paper by the German Institute for Human Rights argues that the newly developed standards of the multilateral Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and of the World Bank fall short in many respects of the human rights commitments that the Federal Government has imposed on itself. If Germany wishes to achieve the objectives it has set for itself, it will have to conduct its own human rights assessment of projects, and close monitoring of project implementation will be equally necessary.

On the 4th of August 2016, the Executive Board of the World Bank approved its new safeguard approach, detailed in a text called the ‘Environmental and Social Framework’.The Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) is intended to contribute to the so-called ‘twin goals’ of the Bank: eliminating extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. It defines the approach that the World Bank will take to assess and minimise negative impacts from World Bank investments, and promote social and environmental goods.

Le 4 août 2016, le Conseil exécutif de la Banque mondiale approuvait sa nouvelle approche en matière de mesures de sauvegarde, détaillée dans un document intitulé « Cadre environnemental et social ».

El 4 de agosto de 2016 el Directorio Ejecutivo del Banco Mundial aprobó su nuevo enfoque de las salvaguardias, detallado en un texto titulado Environmental and Social Framework (Marco Ambiental y Social).

Pada tanggal 4 Agustus 2016, Dewan Eksekutif Bank Dunia menyetujui pendekatan pengaman baru, yang diuraikan dengan rinci dalam teks bertajuk 'Kerangka Lingkungan dan Sosial'.

Guest article from Helen Tugendhat in the Bretton Woods Project Observer regarding the World Bank’s decision to grant a waiver of OP4.10 for an agricultural investment project in Tanzania.

The World Bank has released new draft safeguard policies at the end of its four-year review of its environmental and social safeguards, but they roll-back essential environmental and social protections for communities around the world.

Indigenous rights experts have written to the World Bank President and Executive Board to underscore the importance of the World Bank adopting a standard of free, prior and informed consent for indigenous peoples potentially affected by development initiatives funded by the Bank. In the letter, the experts point out that the existing standard of Broad Community Support used by the Bank has failed to improve outcomes for development initiatives, and is a standard that is implemented ineffectively and inconsistently across the Bank’s portfolio. 

The holders of the UN Human Rights Council Special Mandates related to the rights of indigenous peoples have written to the President of the World Bank to reiterate their concerns about the use of the ill-defined term ‘broad community support’ in place of international standards requiring consent from indigenous peoples prior to projects that impact on their lands, lives, identities and resources.

The Coalition for Human Rights in Development submitted recommendations this week urging the World Bank to amend its proposed Environmental and Social Framework to meaningfully address human rights. The submission addresses arguments that have been put forward against embracing human rights and provides concrete recommendations for strengthening the draft framework.Read more here.

FPP has released this briefing note reviewing the serious implementation challenges that the World Bank has faced in trying to meet its unique standard of ‘broad community support’ and argues for the adoption of the internationally recognised standard of free, prior and informed consent, now widely adopted by private and public sector financial institutions including by the International Finance Corporation (part of the World Bank Group).

FPP’s formal submission to the third phase of the consultations for the World Bank Safeguard Review highlight continuing concerns with adequately addressing implementation challenges, overall weakening of the ESF through transfer of responsibilities to borrowers, ambiguity about the impact on the Inspection Panel’s ability to fulfil its mandate and inadequate definition of free, prior and informed consent.

Kathmandu, Nepal, July 14, 2015 – Last week an independent investigation revealed serious abuses in a World Bank-funded transmission line project in central Nepal. The Khimti-Dhalkebar transmission line runs through indigenous and rural communities, who have been raising concerns about the project for over five years. Though the findings validate community concerns, the World Bank has not committed to correcting the damage caused by its failures in this project.

Letter responding to consultation called on Development Policy Lending, an area of Bank financing that does not apply safeguards.Read the response in full here

Civil society organisations are expressing concern about the format of the third round of consultations for the World Bank safeguard review, requesting broad face-to-face consultations on specific issue areas as well as targeted consultations in Bank borrower countries.Download link

LONDON, 12 March 2015: In February 2015, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights met in Banjul, The Gambia, for its 17th Extra-Ordinary Session, to deal with critical matters pending since the cancellation and delay of previous sessions due to the spread of Ebola during 2014.

This week internal World Bank review documents identified serious shortcomings in the implementation, oversight and management of its resettlement policies and practices.

The World Bank is entering the final stages of reviewing its processes for assessing and managing social and environmental risk at a project level. Originally announced in 2011, consultations on the first draft close on March 1st 2015. The safeguard review process is then expected to come to an end at some point in 2015, after consultations on a second draft, and the new safeguard system to be enforced from January 2016.