The European Parliament resolution urges European financial institution to respect indigenous peoples rights
August 9, 2018
Celebrate the rights of those 5 per cent who hold 80 per cent of the planet’s biodiversity. Today is the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
Devastating floods are the latest warning sign about controversial Nenskra hydropower project
July 31, 2018
From the outside, this tragedy might seem like a natural disaster, a force majeure. But one cannot ignore the human factors at play.
A tale of two communities successfully resisting the Balkan hydropower tsunami
July 31, 2018
Two communities in central Bosnia have had reasons to celebrate within the last few weeks as they achieved major victories in their campaigns against small hydropower plants near Fojnica and Kruscica. Bankwatch joined them to see what lies behind their success.
Court complaints launched against Bosnia-Herzegovina hydropower permits
July 26, 2018
Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Nikšić, Podgorica, Prague – The Aarhus Resource Centre Sarajevo has submitted two court complaints [1] to the District Court in Banja Luka against the environmental permits for the Buk Bijela and Foča hydropower plants on the river Drina in Bosnia-Herzegovina near the border with Montenegro.
Environmental problems of Shuakhevi Hydro Power Plant, Adjara, Georgia
July 23, 2018
The 184 MW Shuakhevi Hydro Power Plant is under construction on the Adjaristsqali river and two of its main tributaries in the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Georgia. The design envisages it as a run-of-the-river plant with capacity of diurnal storage
Nenskra Hydro Project – Update
June 29, 2018
The Asian Infrastracture Investment Bank is considering a non-sovereign loan of USD 100 million for a 280 MW reservoir-type hydropower plant, located in the Nenskra and Nakra valleys of Northwest Georgia. We would like to provide information about new developments that the AIIB should consider as part of its due dillgence on the project.
Nenskra complaint to the European Investment Bank
June 1, 2018
In our opinion, the European Investment Bank (EIB) has failed to comply with the Standard 7 by not respecting the status of Svans as indigenous peoples. The Bank did not fulfill its environmental and social standards: it ignored the project’s significa
Request to the EBRD’s PCM on the Nenskra hydropower project
May 30, 2018
The conclusions of the EBRD’s Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) are not guided by detailed field work and focus group research with the affected communities – indigenous Svans, nor are they based on the robust and objective analysis of
How compliant is ADB to its own safeguards policies?
May 18, 2018
A Georgia hydropower project has locals and civil society concerned. One of the banks considering funding the project is ADB, yet a complaint filed with its compliance review panel shows the limitations of its safeguards. The panel recommends a full in
Nenskra hydropower project – May 2018 update
May 10, 2018
The banks have a responsibility to ensure that when they make an investment, they mitigate and avoid situations that put persons at risk. The Nenskra dam in Georgia is one example where the lack of proper environmental and social assessment can potenti
