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 […]
New Tool: Avoiding Forced Evictions – A Community Guide to Negotiation and Advocacy (Cambodian Edition)
(Phnom Penh / Asheville) – IDI and Equitable Cambodia are pleased to launch a new training resource for the defense of land and housing rights. Avoiding Forced Evictions: A Community Guide to Negotiation and Advocacy aims to help communities prepare for negotiations with private companies or government authorities seeking to take their land and/or evict them from their homes. […]
Ethiopia: World Bank Translator, Activists Face Trial – Activists Heading for Food Workshop Charged with Terrorism
(Nairobi) – Ethiopian authorities should immediately drop all charges and release a former World Bank translator and two other local activists charged under Ethiopia’s repressive anti-terrorism law after trying to attend a workshop on food security in Nairobi, six international development and human rights groups said today. On September 7, 2015, the authorities charged Pastor […]
Major Breakthrough in Mediation Between Hoang Anh Gia Lai Company and Fourteen Indigenous Villages
(Siem Reap) – A major breakthrough was reached in the mediation between fourteen Cambodian indigenous communities and the Vietnamese rubber firm Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL), during meetings held this week in Siem Reap, Cambodia. On 15-19 September 2015, community representatives of fourteen indigenous villages affected by HAGL’s land concessions in Ratanakiri province, company representatives of HAGL and its subsidiaries, and the communities’ advisors, including Inclusive […]
New IDI Resource: Following the Money – An Advocate’s Guide to Securing Accountability in Agricultural Investments
IDI is excited to launch Following the Money: An Advocate’s Guide to Securing Accountability in Agricultural Investments – a new tool in the fight against land & natural resource grabs and corporate impunity in the agricultural sector. IDI partnered with International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) to develop this practical guide for local advocates working to support communities whose land […]
Families Threatened by Cambodia Railway Development Again Seek Justice from the Asian Development Bank’s Accountability Mechanism
(Manila) – Families threatened by the Asian Development Bank-financed project to redevelop Cambodia’s railway have once again filed a complaint to the bank’s Compliance Review Panel about the controversial project. The Railway Rehabilitation Project has impacted approximately 18,000 people living alongside Cambodia’s 642-kilometers of dilapidated railway tracks. At least 1200 families, encompassing approximately 5160 […]
Joint Letter to the World Bank: Fulfill Your Commitment to Upholding the Right to Remedy for Boeung Kak Lake Community
(Phnom Penh) – Today 15 Cambodian civil society organizations (CSOs) and major CSO networks, supported by Inclusive Development International and 26 other international CSO partners, wrote to the World Bank demanding that the Bank make good on its public commitment to condition new lending to Cambodia on the provision of redress for the thousands of families […]