Uncalculated Risks: Threats and Attacks Against Human Rights Defenders and the Role of Development Financiers

Human rights defenders are a cornerstone of sustainable development. Yet today, their critical work comes at an unacceptable cost. Inclusive Development International is one of over 100 groups working to expose the uncalculated risks of mega-projects and other ill-planned development on those who work to defend human rights and the environment. The Coalition for Human […]
When funding fuels fire: the ins and outs of responsible mining finance – Mine | Issue 81 | June 19

The World Bank’s Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) is currently considering a complaint made against the International Finance Corporation, a sister organisation of the World Bank, for funding the expansion of a controversial bauxite mining project. Such grievances are not uncommon and it is hard not to wonder, is CAO powerful enough to hold organisations, including […]
International call on banks: Don’t finance the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline

A coalition of African and international organizations is today calling on South Africa’s Standard Bank and Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp (SMBC) to withdraw from their role as lead arrangers for a massive oil pipeline under construction in Uganda and Tanzania. The East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline is being developed as part of a push to open oil fields […]
New Release: Second Edition of Safeguarding People and the Environment in Chinese Investments

Inclusive Development International is pleased to announce the publication of a second edition of Safeguarding People and the Environment in Chinese Investments: A Reference Guide for Advocates. This publication provides a practical guide to the policies, standards and guidelines for Chinese outbound investment. The updated guide builds on our 2017 edition, adding new details on […]
Not just dirty, but deadly: Can the World Bank clean up its fossil fuel problem?

Commentary: The World Bank’s International Finance Corporation has laid out a new proposed strategy to address concerns regarding the climate impacts of its $50 billion financial intermediary portfolio. It’s a step in the right direction. But given the urgency of the climate crisis, the world’s leading multilateral development institution should be doing more to hasten […]
New report exposes World Bank links to destructive coal mining in Indonesia

(April 11, 2019, Washington DC) – The World Bank Group is quietly bankrolling some of Indonesia’s most destructive coal mining companies, despite instituting a virtual ban on coal financing in 2013, according to a report released today.
Cambodian indigenous communities win back their sacred land from Vietnamese rubber developer

(Banlung) – Twelve indigenous communities in Cambodia’s northeastern province of Ratanakiri scored a major victory today when the government announced it was returning to them 20 spirit mountains and dozens of other spiritually significant areas that had been grabbed by the Vietnamese agribusiness giant Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL). The communities have been embroiled in […]
Calling out the BS in BonSucro

Commentary: Why multi-stakeholder initiatives need to be held accountable for their rights-abusing members, by David Pred and Natalie Bugalski READ FULL ARTICLE ▶
Human rights complaint filed to UK government against ethical sugar association Bonsucro

Representatives of more than 700 Cambodian families who were violently displaced to make way for a sugar plantation have filed a formal complaint against Bonsucro, the sugar industry’s sustainability certification body, for breaches of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
Thirteen Guinean villages lodge complaint against World Bank for financing destructive bauxite mine

(March 8, 2019 – Conakry) – Residents of 13 villages in western Guinea have filed a formal complaint against the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank’s private-sector arm, for funding the expansion of a harmful bauxite mine.