Dec 02,2016 by members
Groups call on OPIC to strengthen human rights due diligence
This month, 18 human rights and environmental organizations called on the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the United States’ development finance institution, to strengthen its human rights due diligence. OPIC is presently revising its social and environmental polic
Nov 16,2016 by Coalition
Coalition Urges Dutch Development Bank to Strengthen Human Rights Protections
The Coalition for Human Rights in Development this week called on the Dutch Development Bank FMO to strengthen its commitment to human rights and to enact strong due diligence requirements to ensure that human rights are respected within FMO-financed activities. FMO is presently revising its Su
Nov 10,2016
Assam workers demand action from World Bank and Tata
An investigation on Tata’s tea plantations in Assam, India vindicates the claims of Indian NGOs documenting the failure of the World Bank and Tata to uphold the fundamental rights of workers and their families. The Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) which holds the World Bank’s pr
Oct 27,2016
UN Special Rapporteur released a new report on the state of environmental HRDs
This week Michel Forst, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders, issued a shocking new report on environmental human rights defenders: “They spoke truth to power and were murdered in cold blood”. The report details the growing attacks on individuals and
Aug 23,2016 by members
World Bank covers up human rights abuses in Nepal
In a recent blog titled “World Bank Covers Up Human Rights Abuses in Nepal: Silencing Community Voices“, the Lawyers’ Association for Human Rights of Nepalese Indigenous Peoples (LAHURNIP) together with Coalition member Accountability Counsel calls out the World Bank for ignori
Aug 11,2016
Cambodia: No Debt Relief to Railway Families
An article in Cambodia Daily details how the Asian Development Bank (ADB) continues to fall short in restoring the living standards of 1,000 families evicted as a result of a railway rehabilitation project. ADB’s independent accountability mechanism, the Compliance Review Panel (CRP), report
Aug 10,2016 by members
Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples
Coalition member, Alyansa Tigil Mina (Alliance Against Mining) in the Philippines, expressed its solidarity with and justice for indigenous peoples on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. The statement supports the struggles of indigenous peoples to realize their right t
Aug 08,2016 by Coalition
Civil society groups to hold WB accountable for human rights outcomes
On Thursday, the World Bank approved a new Environmental and Social Framework to replace its existing safeguard policies. Members of the Coalition for Human Rights in Development criticized the missed opportunity to adopt robust protections for the human rights of communities impacted by Bank
Aug 04,2016
World Bank approves new safeguards
The World Bank recently approved its new social and environmental safeguard policy. However the new policy has been met with criticism by civil society for its ambiguity, lack of measures to prevent human rights abuses and increased reliance on borrowers’ laws and policies without clear safegua
Aug 04,2016 by members
Inspection Panel’s Pilot Failure
In an article in Bretton Woods Observer, Coalition member Accountability Counsel identifies the serious flaws in a new approach by the World Bank’s independent complaint mechanism, the Inspection Panel’s. The Pilot Approach for Early Solutions was devised to create an opportunity for more exp
Aug 01,2016
Cotton Campaign: Hold Uzbekistan Accountable
The Cotton Campaign, a global coalition of human rights and labor organizations, recently submitted a letter to the World Bank urging the institution to incentivize the Uzbekistan government to end its use of forced labor in the agriculture sector. During the cotton harvest season, the governme
Jul 27,2016
UN Expert: it’s time for development banks to start listening
In an opinion piece in Foreign Policy magazine, Maina Kiai, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, explains how the goal of sustainable development is under threat from growing restrictions on public participation in development and closing civ
Jul 27,2016
Cautious optimism as NDB wraps up 1st Annual Meeting
Devex reported that the 1st Annual Meeting of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB), held from July 20 to 21 in Shanghai, China, conclude on a positive note, leaving development professionals, civil society leaders, and bank officials optimistic about the potential for the NDB to finance green and
Jul 27,2016
Labor Confederation calls out World Bank on Labor Standards
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) called on the World Bank to adhere to ILO standards in its proposed new labor safeguard policy. While the inclusion of a labor safeguard within the World Bank’s social and environmental policy is marked as a positive development, the
Jul 25,2016 by members
SCOs from the Global South send letter to WB EDs rejecting the new safeguards framework
After a four year review process of the Environmental and Social Safeguards Policies of the World Bank, the World Bank Board approved the third, and probably final, draft of the new Environmental and Social Framework of the Bank. Last July 19, more than 50 organizations from 20 countries from the Gl