On 15 June 2026, eight civil society organizations called on the European Investment Bank (EIB) to reconsider funding the Rogun hydropower dam in Tajikistan. This is a disastrous project that risks displacing 60,000 people, harming biodiversity, and threatening downstream water security across Central Asia – all in one of the most restrictive countries in terms of civic freedoms, where meaningful community engagement is barely possible.
In the past years, the civic space in Tajikistan has been categorized as “closed”, because of the widespread crackdown on dissenting voices and freedom of expression constantly under threat. This climate of fear has led individuals to “regularly self-censor in order to avoid reprisals.” Downstream communities in Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan would also face significant barriers to raising concerns or opposing the project, given the similarly restrictive contexts for civic engagement in those countries.
The project is currently under appraisal by the EIB, which is expected to commit USD 550 million to the project. Under a consortium led by the World Bank, multiple development banks and funds – including the AIIB, EBRD, EIB, IsDB and the ADB – are mobilising more than USD 5 billion in financing for the dam and associated projects.
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- «Rogun Exposed» – microsite highlighting the key concerns of civil society organizations that are monitoring the project
- «Financing the Transition, Silencing Defenders» (Coalition for Human Rights in Development, 2026)
- «Financing Repression» (Coalition for Human Rights in Development, 2024)
- Transboundary Impacts of the Rogun HPP. Review of the Transboundary Cumulative Impact Assessment for the Rogun HPP (ESIA Vol. 1, Chapter 23) and its compliance with IFC CIA Guidance and World Bank ESF (January 2026)
- Rogun Hydro vs Biodiversity: Review of the Updated Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the Rogun Hydropower Plant Project for Compliance with the IFIs’ Biodiversity Standards (November 2025)
- Converting Lives into Kilowatts. Analytical Note, Comments and Recommendations on the Rogun HPP Resettlement Documentation: RAP-2 and LRP-2 (October 2025)
- What is more efficient than “the tallest dam in the world”? Analysis of Alternatives for the Completion of Rogun HPP Project (December 2024)