In August 2016, the World Bank released a new Environmental and Social Framework, meant to prevent harm to people and the planet and “maximize development gains.” The framework was adopted by the bank following a four-year review of its suite of “safeguard” policies that had been developed over the preceding thirty years.
The new framework comprises a policy that binds bank staff in their appraisal and supervision of projects, along with ten standards covering issues including labor, biodiversity, Indigenous Peoples and resettlement, which the bank’s borrowers must meet when implementing bank-financed projects. The adoption of the framework marks a significant overhaul of the old system of safeguard policies.
Throughout the safeguards review, IDI worked with civil society partners around the world to mobilize a concerted, international effort to strengthen the World Bank’s policies on land rights, displacement and resettlement, and to demand that they uphold the bank’s international obligations to respect, protect and fulfill human rights. Our detailed submissions in each phase of the review are available below.
