As part of a social uprising that has brought Ecuador to a virtual standstill, a growing number of protesters from environmental and human rights organizations have occupied the offices of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to protest the IMF's role in Ecuador's current social crisis.
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The World Bank's Forest Policy Implementation Review and Strategy process (FPIRS) is entering its final stages. After having received input from numerous stakeholders throughout the world, the Bank suddenly appears to be less willing to share its draft new policy for meaningful input from all those engaged in the process, before presenting the policy to the Bank's Board of Executive Directors for its final approval.
The World Bank has been drafting a new resettlement policy for the past three years. After a long period of external consultation, a revised policy has now finally been submitted to the Bank's 'Committee on Development Effectiveness', but it was not accepted and is now to be reconsidered internally.
A leaked copy of the draft policy shows that it retains serious deficiencies:
One of the issues that has not been addressed in the discussions about the World Bank's future Forest Policy and Strategy is that of the Bank's position regarding genetically modified organisms. This needs to be urgently addressed, particularly because the following information is generating concern within the environmental movement:
- Although the subject of genetically modified organisms has become one of the most visible environmental debates, the World Bank’s latest annual environmental report chooses to be silent on the issue.
The World Commission on Dams (WCD) released its report on November 2000, after having carried out detailed studies and surveys on a number of large dams throughout the world. What follows are quotes from the sections "People and Large Dams" and "Ecosystems and Large Dams." The full report --in several languages-- is available at: http://www.dams.org/report/
The international and national dam lobbyists have been fast to adapt their discourse to the changing world situation. Given the widespread concern over climate change related to greenhouse gas emissions, dam promoters are now stressing that hydroelectricity is a clean source of energy, thus being the best candidate to substitute fossil fuel-based energy sources. But: is it really clean?
Many people around the world are preparing an International Day of Action Against Dams and for Rivers, Water and Life, which will take place on March 14th, 2001. Last year, nearly 70 actions took place in 26 countries to celebrate the Day of Action. From Australia to Uganda, tens of thousands of people participated in demonstrations, rallies, educational events and ceremonies. Even more people are expected to participate this year.
Official documents adopted by more than 178 Governments at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) - the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 3 to 14 June 1992:
Documents
One of the major myths about tree plantations is that they help to alleviate pressures on forests by providing alternative wood sources. This has been proven false in practically all southern countries, but the myth still prevails in many circles, particularly among professional foresters. Another major myth is that plantations are "planted forests", having the same positive impacts as forests. This has also proven to be absolutely false, but foresters still insist in calling then "forests."
The Heinrich Böll Foundation awarded the Petra Kelly Prize 2000 to two Mapuche women --Berta and Nicolasa Quintremán Calpán-- as a recognition of their struggle to protect the Mapuche Pehuenche's rights against the Spanish ENDESA Company and the Chilean Government over the construction of the RALCO dam.
Dams and Development. A new framework for decision-making. The report of the World Commission on Dams
The World Commission on Dams issued this report, which contains a comprehensive review of dam building and a framework for planning water and energy projects while protecting people from the negative impacts of such development.
The World Bank’s 1991 Indigenous Peoples Policy (Operational Directive 4.20) forms one of ten so-called “safeguard policies” that aim to ensure that Bank-funded operations do not cause adverse environmental and social impacts in borrower countries. OD4.20 seeks to ensure that Bank staff, borrower governments and implementing agencies take positive action to safeguard indigenous rights by: securing land tenure and resource access; mitigating negative development impacts; guaranteeing participation; and assuring receipt of benefits.