Central Asia: environmental groups and scientists call on international financial institutions to preserve key freshwater bodies and stop supporting destructive hydropower projects
Press release | 14 March, 2025The future of Central Asia’s key rivers and lakes is at risk, warn international environmental groups Rivers without Boundaries, International Rivers, Friends of the Earth US, Urgewald and CEE Bankwatch Network in a formal request sent today to the World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Investment Bank (EIB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), Islamic Development Bank (ISDB) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
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Ringing the bell for gender equality and diversity: European public banks must do more for women’s rights and economic empowerment
Blog entry | 7 March, 2025In the current age of ‘competent white men’, ‘traditional family values’ and the EU’s simplified sustainable finance regulations, what lies in store for the inclusion and equality policies of Europe’s public development banks?
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Countering shrinking space: How multilateral development banks can empower civil society in the Western Balkans, Caucasus and Central Asia
Publication | 25 February, 2025This report examines how multilateral development banks have failed to adequately protect civil society in the Caucasus, Western Balkans, and Central Asia.
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Joint statement: Urgent call to IFC and EBRD to impose conditionalities on Oyu Tolgoi’s new loan
Publication | 20 December, 2024Civil society organisations from across the globe have signed a joint statement opposing a proposed new loan for the Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia.
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Joint civil society comments on the draft EBRD Food and Agribusiness Draft Strategy 2025
Publication | 29 November, 2024The joint civil society review of the EBRD’s draft Food and Agribusiness Strategy 2025 highlights areas for improvement. While the strategy shifts towards sustainability, it lacks robust environmental and social safeguards. Case studies from Ukraine and Uzbekistan illustrate the potential negative impacts of EBRD investments without proper measures. We recommend enhancing collaboration with local communities and smallholder farmers, especially in regions with limited civic engagement, and developing region-specific sustainability indicators.
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Holding the EIB and EBRD accountable: Are their grievance mechanisms effective?
Publication | 20 November, 2024In this report, we examine the alignment of the EIB and EBRD grievance mechanisms with the effectiveness criteria for the design and assessment of non-judicial complaints mechanisms set out in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
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While the EBRD shows off its green credentials at COP29, its North Macedonia gas pipeline loan still brings more questions than answers
Blog entry | 19 November, 2024The EBRD has made significant investments in solar, wind and energy efficiency in recent years. But these have been undermined by its continued support for fossil fuels. This April, a EUR 98 million loan for the Greece to North Macedonia pipeline was approved, despite major leaks in the Bank’s rationale for supporting it. Recent delays have further exposed the flawed assumptions behind the project, as our new briefing shows.
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Greece – North Macedonia gas interconnector update
Publication | 19 November, 2024This briefing takes an updated look at the Greece – North Macedonia gas interconnector project and concludes that the arguments in favour of the project are still not supported by convincing evidence and that the claimed benefits are highly unlikely to materialise.
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Western Balkan cities: Pressure with no release
Publication | 24 October, 2024Using case studies from Belgrade, Sarajevo and Skopje, our report examines urban planning practices, the consequences of poor governance, and the need for sustainable infrastructure investment.
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The impact of ‘foreign agent law’ on civic space and the enabling environment for sustainable development in Georgia
Publication | 18 October, 2024This briefing outlines the current political situation in Georgia, detailing the government’s authoritarian shift and its implications for governance, economic stability, and sustainable development.
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