Update to the Bern Convention on the Complaint No. 2016/09 – Possible threat by hydropower to “Svaneti 1” Candidate Emerald Site
February 22, 2022
The Svaneti 1 Candidate Emerald site in Georgia is threatened by the decision of the Georgian government to reduce its size for construction of the 280 MW Nenskra Hydro Power Plant (HPP) project. This is an update by the complainants on the Complaint No. 2016/9 – Possible threat to “Svaneti 1” Candidate Emerald Site who request an on-the-spot appraisal mission by the Bern Convention to Georgia, in order to investigate the threats to rivers that were recorded by Bankwatch during its fact-finding mission in July 2021.
A forward looking energy strategy at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
February 21, 2022
With the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) set to review its Energy Sector Strategy, a letter coordinated by the NGO Forum on ADB on behalf of more than 40 civil society groups asked for more information about the process and called for meaningful consultations.
Paving over paradise
December 17, 2021
What were once iconic views of Georgia’s beautiful Khada Valley are slowly disappearing. Now, when you drive up the damaged road towards a narrow, 12-kilometre-long gorge, also known as the ‘valley of 60 towers’, the first thing you see is no longer the famous tower of Iukho village. Instead, a massive, white and blue metal construction site appears. Trucks, roaring and echoing through the mountains, drive back and forth near cultural heritage monuments to provide materials for the Kvesheti-Kobi road towards Russia.
Uzbekistan’s Anti-Crisis Fund: Analysis of state procurement in 2020
November 29, 2021
In March 2020, Uzbekistan established an Anti-Crisis Fund to help the state mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the economy. It allocates international loans and state money to ‘finance measures to combat the spread of coronavirus infection, to support
Unsolved problems of the North-South Corridor (Kvesheti-Kobi) Road Project
November 1, 2021
The North-South Corridor (Kvesheti-Kobi) Road Project is planned to be realized in Georgia. The 23-kilometre Kvesheti-Kobi Road Project is a new section of the North-South Corridor. The construction will impact the Khada Valley, also known as ‘the plac
The EU Bank about to fail becoming a responsible lender
August 6, 2021
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is closing today the public consultation as part of the review of its Environmental and Social Sustainability Framework. A large group of civil society organisations (CSOs) sent today written contributions highlighting their disappointment with the EIB proposals, and calling for concrete actions to ensure that the EIB will operate as a responsible lender in the future.
European development bank’s new fossil fuels pledge falls short of aligning with the Paris Agreement
July 2, 2021
The governors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), representing 69 shareholder governments as well as the EU and the European Investment Bank, decided yesterday the Bank will decrease its support for the fossil fuels industry.
Civil society wishes on the EBRD’s 30th birthday: shut the fossil fuels party
June 29, 2021
People around the world are already feeling the brunt of the climate crisis on an almost daily basis. Most governments accept we are in the midst of a global climate crisis, including those controlling the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). And yet, Bankwatch’s recent analysis shows that during 2019-2020, the EBRD has awarded the fossil fuels industry more than USD 2 million every day on average. Two million dollars. Every single day.
It is time for EBRD to become the lighthouse for fossil-free development banks
June 24, 2021
On the occasion of its 30th anniversary, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has the opportunity to help avert climate breakdown by putting itself at the heart of the global transition to a carbon-free economy. This joint state
No time to celebrate: a breakthrough for human rights is needed after 30 years of the EBRD
June 21, 2021
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) stands out among multilateral development banks with the commitment of its shareholding countries to the fundamental principles of democracy and respect for human rights. As the EBRD celebrate