Defending Human Rights in Development

Development banks should respect human rights in their investments around the world and ensure their activities are not putting human rights defenders at risk, the Coalition on Human Rights and Development said today in a joint petition signed by more than 150 development, human rights and environment groups.

The petition - International Financial Institutions' responsibility to ensure meaningful and effective participation in their investments - was signed by organisations from across the world, including Forest Peoples Programme.

Major development banks have long touted the importance of public participation for effective development, the organisations have collectively said. But a growing number of governments have been shrinking the space for safe and effective participation in development processes through criminalising activities by land, environment, and human rights activists and adopting restrictions on nongovernmental groups.

The petition instead details ways in which the institutions should "ensure that the activities they finance respect human rights and that there are spaces for people to participate in the development of IFI projects and hold IFIs to account without risking their security."

Read the full press release in English here and in Spanish here.