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 […]
Safeguarding Land Rights: An Opportunity for the World Bank to Lead, by David Pred and Natalie Bugalski
At the start of the Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty this week, World Bank President Dr. Jim Kim made some welcome remarks about the global land rights crisis. He did not respond directly to the withering criticism of the role the Bank has played in promoting land grabs. But he did say […]
World Bank Must End its Support for Human Rights Abuses in Ethiopia, By David Pred
A multi-billion dollar aid program administered by the World Bank is underwriting systematic human rights abuses in Ethiopia. Last September, Ethiopian victims submitted a complaint about the program to the World Bank Inspection Panel, which is tasked with investigating whether or not the Bank complies with its own policies to prevent social and environmental harm. […]
Cambodia Resettlement Debacle Cover Up: ADB Conceals Critical Expert Report
Inclusive Development International (IDI), Equitable Cambodia (EC) and Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT) regret the Asian Development Bank’s refusal to disclose a critical independent expert report on the impacts of involuntary resettlement caused by the Railway Rehabilitation Project in Cambodia. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has denied disclosure of an independent monitoring report by the world-renowned […]
Joint Statement: Investigation into Human Rights Violations Related to Trade Preferences for Cambodian Agro-industrial Products Must Begin Now
Eleven Cambodian and international organizations, including IDI, wrote to European Commissioner for Trade Karel de Gucht today following upon an open letter they sent to the Commissioner on June 26th outlining evidence of grave human rights abuses in the Cambodian agro-industrial sector directly linked to the EU’s Everything But Arms (EBA) preferential trade scheme. These communications have followed two […]
IDI submits complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission on AusAID’s railway debacle
Families resettled by Cambodia’s railway rehabilitation project filed a complaint today with the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) alleging that they have suffered serious violations of their human rights as a result of resettlement under the project, which is partly funded through a grant from AusAID. The complaint, which was jointly submitted on behalf of […]
Ethiopian Indigenous People Demand Accountability from World Bank for Contributing to Grave Human Rights Abuses
Anuak indigenous people from Ethiopia’s Gambella region submitted a complaint today to the World Bank Inspection Panel implicating the Bank in grave human rights abuses perpetrated by the Ethiopian Government. The complaint alleges that the Anuak people have been severely harmed by the World Bank-financed and administered Protection of Basic Services Project (PBS), which has […]