New IDI/SOMO report finds a third of Lagos evictees still homeless a year after World Bank Inspection Panel pilot declared success
(Asheville) – In a report released today, Inclusive Development International (IDI) and the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) called upon the World Bank to reassess a new approach to handling complaints that its accountability mechanism began piloting in 2014. In early 2014, the World Bank Inspection Panel added a new tool to its […]
U.S. Senators call on Treasury to prevent dilutions to World Bank safeguard policies
(Washington, DC) – Members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee have released a letter sent to U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew calling on the Treasury to be prevent the proposed dilution of the World Bank’s environmental and social safeguard policies. The World Bank is in the final stages of drafting a new set of safeguards […]
Joint Statement on the One Year Anniversary of Ethiopia’s Arrest of Omot Agwa Okwoy, Ashinie Astin, and Jamal Oumar Hojele
Stop the Criminalization of Environmental and Human Rights Defenders! Free Ethiopian Political Prisoners! One year after their arrest on March 15, 2015, three food, land, and human rights defenders continue to languish in an Ethiopian jail. After several court hearings, the prosecution has yet to present any evidence to support the spurious charge of “terrorism” […]
New complaint challenges Thai company’s membership in sustainable sugar group
(Phnom Penh) – Inclusive Development International and two Cambodian partners filed a complaint with the global sugar industry group Bonsucro for re-admitting Thai sugar giant Mitr Phol Group despite the fact that thousands of families forced off their land to make way for the company’s former plantations in Cambodia have yet to receive redress. Bonsucro was founded in 2008 to oversee sugar industry standards. The organization […]
Glass Half Full? The state of accountability in development finance
(Asheville) – Today, Inclusive Development International and 10 partners launched a major joint report, “Glass Half Full? The State of Accountability in Development Finance.” This ground-breaking report documents the obstacles that communities and workers must overcome in order to seek recourse from development banks whose projects cause them harm. The 11 civil society organizations that authored […]
IDI launches pioneering new program that will shine a light on the invisible backers of land grabs
(Phnom Penh) – Inclusive Development International has launched an innovative pilot program that utilizes sophisticated digital tools to uncover the financial backers of land and resource grabs in the Mekong region. The Follow the Money initiative uses these findings to advise affected communities on how best to pursue justice through advocacy and other proven means. […]
US Congress opposes World Bank plan to weaken environmental and social protections, seeks transparency about “beneficial owners” of shell companies
(Washington, DC) – After withering global criticism of the World Bank’s proposal to weaken longstanding environmental and social protections, or safeguards, the US Congress has weighed in forcefully. The 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which was adopted on Friday, instructs the US Treasury department to oppose any World Bank policy that provides less protection than the […]
ADB Compliance Review Panel calls for urgent action to help families living along the railway
(Phnom Penh) – The Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s Compliance Review Panel has released a new report calling upon the bank to “take urgent steps” to address the grievances of families impacted by the ADB-financed project to redevelop Cambodia’s railway who have not yet received resettlement assistance. The Railway Rehabilitation Project has impacted approximately 18,000 people […]
IDI submits comments to Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank on draft safeguards
(Phnom Penh) – Inclusive Development International has submitted comments to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in response to its public consultation on its draft Environmental and Social Framework. In October 2014, 21 nations signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the multilateral bank. The deadline for joining the bank was April 2015, by which […]
International organizations launch petition in support of jailed Ethiopian activists as court date approaches
(Reading, UK) – Five international organizations—Anywaa Survival Organisation (ASO), GRAIN, Inclusive Development International, Bread for All, and Oakland Institute—have launched a petition asking supporters to denounce the Ethiopian government and its financial backers for the arrest of three Ethiopian food, land, and indigenous rights activists. The three activists, who face terrorism charges for attempting to […]