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 Sustainability Policy framework, including its Human Rights Position Statement. The institution came under global scrutiny earlier this year following the assassination of Berta Cáceres, an indigenous leader in Honduras who campaigned against the FMO-financed Agua Zarca dam project which threatened indigenous communities.
In the policy submission, we urge FMO to strengthen its commitment to human rights and to adopt a commitment to non-discrimination and substantive equality within its activities. We stress that FMO should adopt clear due diligence requirements for its staff and its clients in order to ensure that human rights risks, including risks to human rights and environmental defenders, are identified and addressed and human rights violations are prevented. If human rights violations do occur, FMO and its clients must promptly and effectively remedy any harm.
You can read the submission here. You can also read a separate statement on FMO and human rights defenders here.
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