Dropping Phnom Penh Sugar without compensating its victims will not relieve ANZ’s responsibility
Equitable Cambodia and Inclusive Development International call upon ANZ to right the wrongs it has done by financing the Phnom Penh Sugar plantation and not just jump ship. In response to revelations last week that ANZ had bankrolled the high-profile land grab in Cambodia, ANZ made the following statement: “Where we have found that a […]
ANZ bankrolls massive land grab in Cambodia
(Phnom Penh) –Two confidential social and environmental audits leaked to the Clean Sugar Campaign indicate that ANZ Royal Bank provided significant financing for a sugar plantation and refinery owned by the notorious Cambodian senator and tycoon Ly Yong Phat. ANZ confirmed its financing of the Phnom Penh Sugar Company in a meeting with campaign and […]
US Congress Passes Law Demanding Redress for Boeung Kak Community, Pressures World Bank to Take Action
(Phnom Penh) – The Boeung Kak Lake community in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh, and others around the world who are fighting for justice from international financial institutions, won a major political victory from the United States Congress on Wednesday. The 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act, approved by the US House of Representative, requires “the United States […]
World Bank’s Lending Arm Linked to Deadly Honduras Conflict
(Kate Woodsome, www.huffintonpost.com, January, 10 2014) – The World Bank’s private lending arm failed to apply its own ethical standards in disbursing millions of dollars to a palm oil company accused of turning a region of Honduras into a war zone, according to an internal bank investigation. The audit, released Friday by the World Bank’s Office of […]
Response Letter to World Bank President Jim Kim Regarding IFC Investment in the Financial Sector
This letter was written to respond to a World Bank reply on April 18 to a March civil society letter regarding the audit of the International Finance Corporation’s lending to the financial sector. IDI, along with the over 50 groups that signed on to the letter, believe that the IFC’s response is inadequate and […]
EU’s Everything But Arms initiative is impoverishing Cambodian farmers: Trade scheme must be reformed to safeguard human rights
(Brussels) – A European Union (EU) trade initiative intended to reduce poverty in the world’s poorest countries has driven thousands of Cambodian farming families into destitution and led to serious human rights violations, Inclusive Development International (IDI) and Equitable Cambodia and said in a report released Monday. The report, Bittersweet Harvest, assesses the human rights […]
Child Labor on Cambodian sugar plantations is well-documented: A joint statement in response to Tate & Lyle’s threats and denials
The Guardian newspaper recently ran a damning expose of child labor on the KSL Group sugar plantations in Cambodia that supply the sugar giant Tate & Lyle Sugars. Rather than acting quickly to address the abuses, the companies seem to have resorted to a strategy of denial and legal bullying in an attempt to defend […]
World Bank Board approves investigation into allegations of bankrolling human rights abuses in Ethiopia
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a full investigation into whether the Bank has breached its policies in Ethiopia and contributed to a government program of forced population transfers known as ‘villagization.’ The Bank’s move follows the resolution of a five-month standoff with the Ethiopian government, which had publicly threatened in May […]
The Guardian: Cambodia’s sugar rush leaves farmers feeling bitter at ‘land grab’
(Kate Hodal, The Guardian, July 09, 2013) – The plantation extends as far as the eye can see, row after row of green leaves swaying against the dusky blue light until, finally, it merges with the horizon. There are no houses, no animals, no people. Just sugar. Standing by a rickety wooden fence that separates […]
World Bank: Commit to rights in 2030 vision – guard against human rights abuses
The World Bank’s “vision” statement will be undermined if it fails to recognize the importance of human rights, nine organizations warned today. The human rights and development groups called on President Jim Kim to make a firm commitment to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights in all of its activities. “Protecting poor people’s rights to […]