Almost there…

CEE Bankwatch Network and Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan ‘Ezgulik’, with financial support from the EU, are implementing the project ‘Enabling Civic Engagement in Uzbekistan’, aimed at strengthening the capacity of civil society organisations and empowering them to participate effectively in development projects and programmes across Uzbekistan.

Armenia is set to host the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) from 19 to 30 October. Hosting this high-profile environmental summit has drawn scrutiny to the government’s simultaneous backing of the controversial Amulsar gold mine project at home. At COP17, progress towards the targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework will be reviewed for the first time. The summit’s slogan is ‘Taking action for nature’, yet the Amulsar case illustrates how countries and international investors are ‘taking action against nature’.

The East–West Highway and the North–South Corridor – two key road infrastructure projects supported by major multilateral development banks, have had devastating social, environmental and cultural impacts in Georgia.

Romania’s energy crisis has laid bare the risks of relying on delayed gas projects to replace coal power. Meanwhile, battery storage has been developing much faster and is already providing much-needed flexibility. Even a state-owned coal company with designs on a gas power plant is now pursuing battery storage instead.

Central Asian rivers are under threat from hundreds of new hydropower plants. We have created a map of the key rivers in the region that need urgent protection and are calling on the development banks to stop their destruction.

The Recovery and Resilience Facility, the EUR 577 billion flagship instrument of NextGenerationEU, has entered its final implementation phase. Today marks the non-extendable deadline for EU Member States to submit their final payment requests for post-pandemic recovery and reform projects.