Joint statement: Urgent call to IFC and EBRD to impose conditionalities on Oyu Tolgoi’s new loan
December 20, 2024
37 civil society organisations from around the world have signed a joint statement on the new loan proposal for the Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia.
The World Bank should reconsider its mega dam project in Tajikistan
December 16, 2024
Providing funding to a repressive regime to construct the ‘highest dam in the world’ is a recipe for disaster.
SOCAR – Azerbaijan’s Fossil Fuel Proxy
October 8, 2024
As Azerbaijan prepares to host the UN’s 29th Climate Conference (COP29) in November, environmental and human rights organizations Urgewald and CEE Bankwatch launch a special report on the country’s state-owned oil and gas company, SOCAR.
Bishkek’s sustainable urban mobility development: A review of current policies and investments with recommendations for enhanced transformative impact (long version)
August 14, 2024
As Bishkek’s population grows, public transport in the Kyrgyz capital is clearly lagging far behind demand. A new research paper, produced in collaboration with our Kyrgyz partners Peshcom, maps the situation of sustainable urban mobility development in Bishkek.
The last trolleybus of Bishkek: mayor’s decision defies logic and undermines foreign investments in green transport
July 19, 2024
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) need to investigate the impact of their public transport projects in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan as the city’s urban mobility system gets a complete overhaul without transparency or public participation.
Uzbekistan: Indorama Agro silences workers speaking out about human rights violations, according to new investigations; co. didn’t respond
July 5, 2024
Since 2020, Uzbek Forum for Human Rights (UFHR) and Bankwatch have been monitoring and registering numerous labour rights and freedoms …
Bishkek’s sustainable urban mobility development: A review of current policies and investments with recommendations for enhanced transformative impact
June 26, 2024
As Bishkek’s population grows, public transport in the Kyrgyz capital is clearly lagging far behind demand. A new research paper, produced in collaboration with our Kyrgyz partners Peshcom, maps the situation of sustainable urban mobility development in Bishkek.
Joint civil society comments on the EBRD biodiversity standards (ESR 6)
May 29, 2024
Ahead of the EBRD’s Annual Meeting, 12 civil society organisations submitted their collective input on the revised draft of the EBRD’s Environmental and Social Policy, focusing on standards related to biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of living natural resources.
Delays in Almaty CHP-2 gas project open new opportunities for a rethink
May 29, 2024
Supported by the EBRD, the conversion of Almaty’s coal heat and power plant CHP-2 to gas has been seriously delayed. This opens an opportunity for a rethink: Why is the EBRD continuing to support this project instead of funding a clean and potentially cheaper type of heating?
Comments on the draft Environmental and Social Policy with a focus on human rights due diligence
May 27, 2024
The EBRD’s safeguards revisions show some progress, but the Bank needs to strengthen its own environmental and social due diligence, particularly in the area of human rights, to prevent human rights abuses through early risk identification and effective mitigation.