Lost in transition: Far-reaching changes needed as European bank marks 25 years
April 11, 2016
On April 15, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will be marking its 25th anniversary. Reflecting on two decades of monitoring the EBRD’s policies and projects, a new report from CEE Bankwatch Network raises concerns about a growing gap between the bank’s operations and its mandate.
Lost in transition – 25 years of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
April 11, 2016
This report examines a selection of cases monitored by CEE Bankwatch Network and its partners in recent years and highlights some of the weaknesses observed in the EBRD’s approach to environmental, social, democracy and development issues. On 15 April 2016 the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will mark its 25th anniversary. This opportunity should kick-start a debate about what the London-based public bank has achieved since it started operations in 1991 and to reflect on its future.
Conflict continues at Kyrgyzstan’s massive gold mine
February 19, 2016
The Kumtor mine, built on a glacier high in the Tian Shan mountains, continues to attract fierce criticism from locals. Tian Shan mountain range, Kyrgyzstan – Hidden in a valley in Kyrgyzstan’s Tian Shan mountains lies the magnificent Issyk-Kul Lake, one of the highest and deepest lakes in the world and a top tourist destination in the region.
Water disputes persist as Rio Tinto pushes ahead with second Oyu Tolgoi mine
February 11, 2016
Prague; Khanbogd Soum, Mongolia – A large new copper mine in Mongolia could cause irreversible damage to terrain and deprive water from some of the world’s last remaining nomadic herding groups, finds a new report released today by Oyu Tolgoi Watch, the Bank Information Center, CEE Bankwatch Network and Accountability Counsel.
Oyu Tolgoi Phase 2: Plans, Issues and Risks
February 11, 2016
This report summarises the mining activity proposed by Oyu Tolgoi in its Phase 2 development plan, describes the block caving underground mining technology planned for the large deep ore body to be mined in Phase 2, environmental impacts and reclamation potential of block cave mines, and issues and risks associated with future OT power supply, international metal market price uncertainties, and OT Phase 1 and 2 impacts on water resources and herders and their livelihood in the region surrounding the OT mine license area.
NGO open letter to EIB president: don’t finance the Southern Gas Corridor
January 28, 2016
In this letter, a group of 27 non-governmental organisations urge the President of the European Investment Bank not to finance the Southern Gas Corridor, a 3500 kilometres-long chain of gas pipelines from Azerbaijan to Europe. As the EIB considers granting the biggest loan of its history to the Consortium in charge of developing the western section of the project, the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the group of NGOs warns about its most controversial aspects.
Report finds development banks fail people harmed by their projects
January 27, 2016
A new report launched today documents the hurdles communities and workers face in obtaining remedy from development banks whose projects cause them harm. The 11 civil society organizations that authored the report, Glass Half Full? The State of Accountability in Development Finance, call on development banks and the governments that run them to strengthen their systems for providing remedy to those harmed by the activities financed by the banks.
Glass Half Full? The state of accountability in development finance
January 27, 2016
Real development respects human rights and is shaped by the people it is designed to benefit. However, development projects financed by development finance institutions in many cases has been associated with the dispossession of land, loss of resources, diminished livelihoods and environmental degradation. Accountability mechanisms in theory aim to ensure that people who have been harmed by these projects receive adequate remedy. As this report shows, however, these accountability mechanisms to a large extent fail to fulfil this function, not least because they operate in a constrained environment constructed by the institutions that administer them.
Tensions flare over environmental threat of Canadian gold mine in Kyrgyzstan
January 5, 2016
The remote Issyk Kul province in eastern Kyrgyzstan, on the border with China, is home to some of the most stunning vistas of the rugged Tian Shan mountain range that cuts through much of Central Asia. Mountain goats and endangered snow leopards roam the rocky slopes, while rare species of dandelion and wild tulip bloom in alpine meadows.
Kyrgyzstan scares residents amid talks with gold mine owner
December 29, 2015
A gold mine is creating big profits in Kyrgyzstan, but there are many who say they are not seeing any of the profits. People in areas surrounding the Kumtor gold mine say they want better facilities like schools and hospitals.
