Cop29 host Azerbaijan set for major fossil gas expansion, report says
October 23, 2024
The new report, produced by Urgewald and CEE Bankwatch, found Azerbaijan was set to increase its gas production by a third in the next decade, with fossil fuel companies forecast to spend $41.4bn (£31.9bn) on the country’s gas fields.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Motorway-affected residents submit complaint to the UN
June 24, 2024
A group of people whose land and houses are threatened by the EU-funded planned Corridor Vc (1) motorway south of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina have submitted a complaint to the United Nations Human Rights Council (2).
‘Delivering Impact Together’ … unless things get complicated: EBRD Annual Meeting marked by shrinking civic space
June 6, 2024
The theme of this year’s EBRD Annual Meeting and Business Forum in Yerevan was ‘Delivering Impact Together’. However, discussions were dominated by the pressing issues of shrinking civic space and the exclusion of communities in the EBRD’s countries of operations.
Joint civil society letter to the EBRD President on Georgia’s draft law on Transparency of Foreign Influence
May 27, 2024
More than 30 international and national civil society organisations have joined the call to the President of the EBRD, Odile Renaud-Basso, to condemn the Foreign Agents Law, which is an attack on civil society and independent media and risks jeopardising their activities and the success of business operations in Georgia.
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.
Key trends and shortcomings in community engagement on high-risk EBRD projects
May 24, 2024
The EBRD sets out requirements for stakeholder engagement as part of project risk and impact assessments. This study reviews the stakeholder engagement practices of EBRD clients in all 34 high-risk projects disclosed between 2020 and 2024.
CEE Bankwatch comments on the draft EBRD Access to Information Policy and Directive on Access to Information
May 24, 2024
CEE Bankwatch Network calls on the EBRD to commit to better disclosure of project-related environmental and social information. This will help enhance the Bank’s due diligence and ensure early identification of risks, effective impact mitigation, and compliance with the EBRD’s commitments.
Civil society joint statement on the EBRD’s draft safeguards
May 24, 2024
Despite some improvements, the latest drafts of the EBRD’s updated good governance policies fall short of ensuring that human rights are respected and protected, especially in countries with significant democratic deficits. In a joint statement, 60 civil society organisations urge the EBRD to enhance its human rights due diligence.
Civil society urges the EBRD to adopt responsible policies and reaffirm its commitment to promoting democracy
May 14, 2024
As the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) gathers for its 33rd Annual Meeting in Yerevan (1), civil society organisations have united to challenge the EBRD’s flawed policies. They highlight numerous cases where EBRD investments have had negative impacts on communities and the environment (2). CEE Bankwatch Network, a leading organisation in this effort, is also calling on the EBRD to take decisive action against the increasing repression of civil society in the countries where it operates.
More than money: New report reveals shortcomings in human rights policies of leading public development banks
May 6, 2024
As the EBRD gears up for its Annual Meeting on 14 May, the FIDH and Bankwatch release a report comparing the lending policies of four major public development banks whose loopholes are contributing to human rights violations.
