Shifting
Power
ANNUAL REPORT 2023
Accountability Counsel strives to create a world where
people and our planet are prioritized over profits;
powerful institutions are responsive to the needs of communities;
and the global financial system respects human and environmental rights.
We hold trillions of dollars in international investments accountable to human rights and environmental standards.
Money matters and presents a critical leverage point to ensuring justice. Behind every project fuelling environmental and human rights abuses is a complex investment chain enabling that project to happen.
We work alongside communities whose rights, livelihoods, and environment are under threat. Case by case, and investor by investor, we shift power to communities to build a more just financial system.
“Today, we have written a page in the history of Haiti. This is the first time that Haitian farmers have stood up and been listened to.”
MILOSTÈNE CASTIN, HAITIAN FARMER AND ADVOCATE
Less than two years after the devastating Haiti earthquake, farmers along Haiti’s fertile northeastern coast were rebuilding their lives. But in 2012, these farmers were evicted without warning from their land to make way for a 607-acre internationally-financed garment factory, fast-tracked after the earthquake as a solvent for economic growth.
The loss of these farmers' land was devastating: over 4,000 people were suddenly without their livelihoods and the regular meals and income those provided. Many faced food insecurity and could no longer pay for their children’s education.
As construction began on the park, the collateral damage only increased. Mismanaged waste facilities overflowed into open dumps, and industrial wastewater was emptied directly into the river, just a few miles upstream from Three Bays National Park, a marine protected area of coral reefs and mangrove forests.
The answer was to demand accountability. Supported by legal advice and expertise from Accountability Counsel and a coalition of advocates, the communities organized and negotiated directly with the project’s investors and the Haitian government to secure a historic remedy agreement, including environmental protection and new land to replace the farms they lost.
This momentous victory – which can never completely repair the harm they endured – is restoring livelihoods to the farmers and families who fought for it, providing hope to other communities in Haiti, and presenting a model for justice for communities around the world.
Less than two years after the devastating Haiti earthquake, farmers along Haiti’s fertile northeastern coast were rebuilding their lives. But in 2012, these farmers were evicted without warning from their land to make way for a 607-acre internationally-financed garment factory, fast-tracked after the earthquake as a solvent for economic growth.
The loss of these farmers' land was devastating: over 4,000 people were suddenly without their livelihoods and the regular meals and income those provided. Many faced food insecurity and could no longer pay for their children’s education.
As construction began on the park, the collateral damage only increased. Mismanaged waste facilities overflowed into open dumps, and industrial wastewater was emptied directly into the river, just a few miles upstream from Three Bays National Park, a marine protected area of coral reefs and mangrove forests.
The answer was to demand accountability. Supported by legal advice and expertise from Accountability Counsel and a coalition of advocates, the communities organized and negotiated directly with the project’s investors and the Haitian government to secure a historic remedy agreement, including environmental protection and new land to replace the farms they lost.
This momentous victory – which can never completely repair the harm they endured – is restoring livelihoods to the farmers and families who fought for it, providing hope to other communities in Haiti, and presenting a model for justice for communities around the world.
Community cases drive direct impact
Our accountability experts work alongside communities to halt harmful investments, redesign them to respect rights, and negotiate remedy when they cause harm.
Research exposes patterns of harmful investment
We conduct data analysis and qualitative research to contextualize our casework and illuminate systemic barriers to accountability – equipping us and others to better understand the system we are working to change.
Policy advocacy changes systems at scale
We leverage lessons from our casework and research to strengthen the systems, safeguards, and practices at investing institutions so that they are responsive to communities, respect their rights, and protect the environment.
Community cases drive direct impact
Our accountability experts work alongside communities to halt harmful investments, redesign them to respect rights, and negotiate remedy when they cause harm.
Research exposes patterns of harmful investment
We conduct data analysis and qualitative research to contextualize our casework and illuminate systemic barriers to accountability – equipping us and others to better understand the system we are working to change.
Policy advocacy changes systems at scale
We leverage lessons from our casework and research to strengthen the systems, safeguards, and practices at investing institutions so that they are responsive to communities, respect their rights, and protect the environment.
We have supported
132
communities
to demand justice,
pushed
95
institutions
to commit to accountability,
and shifted power to
3.2
million people
worldwide.
Regardless of a project’s intentions – when rights, livelihoods, and land are involved, or when decisions are made far from their impacts – the risk of harm is high.
Accountability Counsel has supported communities negatively impacted by extraction in Mongolia and Peru, agribusiness in Ukraine and Liberia, infrastructure in Uganda and India, energy in Nepal and Mexico, education in Tanzania, and conservation in Myanmar.
The need for accountability is universal.
Defending rights in Nepal
In the mountains of Nepal, a high-voltage power line would run straight through the homes, forests, and communal spaces of the region’s Indigenous residents. The communities did not consent to the project, and their peaceful protest was met with violent retaliation. Accountability Counsel is raising their concerns to the highest level to ensure the project respects their rights.
Preserving livelihoods in Mongolia
Nomadic herders in Mongolia have tended their sheep, goats, and camels for generations. When a gold and copper mine took their land, drained water resources, and leaked toxic chemicals on pastures, Accountability Counsel supported the herders to secure remedy and preserve their traditional lifestyle.
Protecting the planet in Myanmar
As stewards of a biodiverse coastal region, the Karen Indigenous community in Myanmar knew that a top-down conservation project would displace people and inadvertently open ecosystems to devastating deforestation. Instead, they proposed an alternate Indigenous-led vision to protect the land and sea.
Our approach translates lessons learned from community cases into systemic change to prevent future harm. A recent community case from Kenya has helped lay the foundation to hold over three trillion dollars of Chinese overseas investment to greater accountability: proof that community action can scale global impact.
Along Kenya’s eastern coast, Lamu is the oldest and best preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa – a UNESCO heritage site. It is home to farmers, fishers, and herders, as well as delicate mangrove forests that help prevent erosion and flooding and act as nursery habitats for local fisheries.
This historic town has been under threat from a massive coal-fired power plant, just one aspect of an even larger mega-infrastructure project of oil refineries, pipelines, petrochemical factories and a deep sea port - all of which would renew reliance on fossil fuels and devastate the environment, culture, and way of life that the communities of Lamu have stewarded for centuries.
Our approach translates lessons learned from community cases into systemic change to prevent future harm. A recent community case from Kenya has helped lay the foundation to hold over three trillion dollars of Chinese overseas investment to greater accountability: proof that community action can scale global impact.
Just as in Haiti, the people of Lamu organized to defend their rights, livelihoods, and environment. With support from a coalition of experts, including Accountability Counsel, the communities pressured the project’s investors, one by one, to divest from the coal plant. Targeting the financial power behind the project ensured justice was served in Lamu.
Lessons from this case and others catalyzed new guidelines that require Chinese investors to create avenues for accountability, as well as a China-led initiative that creates a new channel for community concerns about mining and mineral projects.
The impacts of this victory do not stop with the land and people of Lamu – their advocacy is putting trillions of dollars on a path to greater accountability.
Along Kenya’s eastern coast, Lamu is the oldest and best preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa – a UNESCO heritage site. It is home to farmers, fishers, and herders, as well as delicate mangrove forests that help prevent erosion and flooding and act as nursery habitats for local fisheries.
This historic town has been under threat from a massive coal-fired power plant, just one aspect of an even larger mega-infrastructure project of oil refineries, pipelines, petrochemical factories and a deep sea port - all of which would renew reliance on fossil fuels and devastate the environment, culture, and way of life that the communities of Lamu have stewarded for centuries.
Just as in Haiti, the people of Lamu organized to defend their rights, livelihoods, and environment. With support from a coalition of experts, including Accountability Counsel, the communities pressured the project’s investors, one by one, to divest from the coal plant. Targeting the financial power behind the project ensured justice was served in Lamu.
Lessons from this case and others catalyzed new guidelines that require Chinese investors to create avenues for accountability, as well as a China-led initiative that creates a new channel for community concerns about mining and mineral projects.
The impacts of this victory do not stop with the land and people of Lamu – their advocacy is putting trillions of dollars on a path to greater accountability.
Money is moving faster than accountability. Investors globally are pouring billions of dollars into communities to respond to compounding crises, including climate change, pandemics, conflicts, and poverty.
The urgency of the crises people and our planet are facing demand that every dollar meets its mark.
This is the moment to shift power to communities and ensure that financial flows protect people and the planet. Join us as we:
Lama Almoayed
Stephanie Amoako
Samer Araabi
Gregory Berry
Julio Castor Achmadi
Ishita Chakrabarty
Caitlin Daniel
Margaux Day
Radhika Goyal
Madigan Griffin
Lani Inverarity
Sara Jaramillo
Annie Lascoe
Marisa Lenci
Frances Maybach
Robi Chacha Mosenda
Anirudha Nagar
Teresa Nyankonyu Mutua
Carla Ortiz
Dickens Otieno Ochieng
Megan Pearson
Hannah Schiweck
Nadia Sims
Megumi Tsutsui
Sutharee Wannasiri
Ant Williams
Niranjali Amerasinghe
Vanessa Barboni Hallik
Caroline Bressan
Gary Cookhorn
Andrew Dickson
Erica Gould
Jason Haggins
David Hunter
Sujatha Jesudason
Kim Keller
Carolyn Rashby
Fernanda Venzon
Yousef Alkoblan
Sy Baker
Rudi Barwin
Avalon Bauman
Brooke Behrmann
Olivia Belanger
Emma Buday
Kashvi Chandok
Hiran Dewar
Irmak Ersoz
Alara Hanci
Deveen Harischandra
Christopher Liu
Melissa Liu
Katie McKinney
Maria Fernanda Quintero Sirtori
Dion Romano
Anonymous (1)
The Burkehaven Family Foundation
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
David and Anita Keller Foundation
Stichting Foundation for International Law for the Environment
Ford Foundation
Global Commons Alliance
Global Greengrants Fund
Open Society Institute
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Woodcock Foundation
Amanda Amoako
Elisa & Nathan Armstrong
Joanne Bauer
Anne Bellows
Lauren & Joshua Benjamin
Suzanne & Richard E. Bissell
Daniel Bradlow
Christy Chin
Elizabeth Davidson, in honor of Emily Goldman
Stephen Diamond
Andrew Dickson
David & Natasha Dolby Fund
Mary Fields
Jonathan Fox
Jennifer Cheng & Bryce Gee
Julia & John Griffin
Coleen Higa, in memory of Gerald Gray
Cynthia Hunter Lang
Richard Jaffe
Sujatha Jesudason
Michael Kaufman
Daniel Keller
George Kenny & Chris Moore
Alaina Kipps
Marty Krasney
Meissa Lee
James Marciano
Hillary Margolis
Micheline Markey
Yvonne Moore
Doug Norlen
Anne & Jamie O'Connell
Dawn Payne
JaMel & Tom Perkins Family Foundation Fund
Nancy Quinn & Thomas Driscoll
Rachel Reichenbach & Doug Mitarotonda
Robert Reichenbach
Erin Ricci
Ellen & Steve Rosenblum
Tim Ryan
Oscar Salinas
Kaitlyn & Ian Shannon
Julia Shepardson
Marco Simons
Kim Smaczniak & Tarun Theogaraj
Joe Timko
Beth Van Schaack & Brent Lang
Harriet Young
Sara Zion & Tushar Shah
BlackRock
Kaiser Permanente
Travelers
Covington & Burling, LLP
University of California, Berkeley
Team
Lama Almoayed
Stephanie Amoako
Samer Araabi
Gregory Berry
Julio Castor Achmadi
Ishita Chakrabarty
Caitlin Daniel
Margaux Day
Radhika Goyal
Madigan Griffin
Lani Inverarity
Sara Jaramillo
Annie Lascoe
Marisa Lenci
Frances Maybach
Robi Chacha Mosenda
Anirudha Nagar
Teresa Nyankonyu Mutua
Carla Ortiz
Dickens Otieno Ochieng
Megan Pearson
Hannah Schiweck
Nadia Sims
Megumi Tsutsui
Sutharee Wannasiri
Ant Williams
Board
Niranjali Amerasinghe
Vanessa Barboni Hallik
Caroline Bressan
Gary Cookhorn
Andrew Dickson
Erica Gould
Jason Haggins
David Hunter
Sujatha Jesudason
Kim Keller
Carolyn Rashby
Fernanda Venzon
Students
Yousef Alkoblan
Sy Baker
Rudi Barwin
Avalon Bauman
Brooke Behrmann
Olivia Belanger
Emma Buday
Kashvi Chandok
Hiran Dewar
Irmak Ersoz
Alara Hanci
Deveen Harischandra
Christopher Liu
Melissa Liu
Katie McKinney
Maria Fernanda Quintero Sirtori
Dion Romano
11th Hour Project
Anonymous (1)
The Burkehaven Family Foundation
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
David and Anita Keller Foundation
Elizabeth R. & William J. Patterson Foundation
Stichting Foundation for International Law for the Environment
Ford Foundation
Global Commons Alliance
Global Greengrants Fund
Luminate
Open Society Institute
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Woodcock Foundation
Eduardo Abbott
Amanda Amoako
Elisa & Nathan Armstrong
Joanne Bauer
Anne Bellows
Lauren & Joshua Benjamin
Suzanne & Richard E. Bissell
Daniel Bradlow
Christy Chin
Elizabeth Davidson, in honor of Emily Goldman
Stephen Diamond
Andrew Dickson
David & Natasha Dolby Fund
Mary Fields
Jonathan Fox
Jennifer Cheng & Bryce Gee
Julia & John Griffin
Coleen Higa, in memory of Gerald Gray
Faith Horowitz & Richard Speizman
Cynthia Hunter Lang
Richard Jaffe
Sujatha Jesudason
Michael Kaufman
Daniel Keller
George Kenny & Chris Moore
Alaina Kipps
Marty Krasney
Meissa Lee
James Marciano
Hillary Margolis
Micheline Markey
Yvonne Moore
Doug Norlen
Anne & Jamie O'Connell
Dawn Payne
JaMel & Tom Perkins Family Foundation Fund
Vicki Piovia & Michael Scott
Nancy Quinn & Thomas Driscoll
Rachel Reichenbach & Doug Mitarotonda
Robert Reichenbach
Erin Ricci
Ellen & Steve Rosenblum
Tim Ryan
Oscar Salinas
Kaitlyn & Ian Shannon
Julia Shepardson
Marco Simons
Kim Smaczniak & Tarun Theogaraj
Joe Timko
Beth Van Schaack & Brent Lang
Harriet Young
Sara Zion & Tushar Shah
Anonymous (2)
BlackRock
Genentech, Inc.
Kaiser Permanente
Omidyar Group
Travelers
Anonymous (1)
Covington & Burling, LLP
Healy & Associates
University of California, Berkeley
Ramp
We are forever indebted to Accountability Counsel’s extraordinary founder, Natalie Bridgeman Fields. She founded Accountability Counsel in 2009, with an audacious vision for justice and accountability. As anyone who has worked alongside Natalie knows, she is a powerful force for change. Though she is deeply missed as our organizational leader, Natalie’s vision for community-led advocacy remains the beating heart of Accountability Counsel.
Thank you Natalie, for modeling what courage and integrity in the face of injustice can accomplish to create a more just world.
Thank you Natalie, for modeling what courage and integrity in the face of injustice can accomplish to create a more just world.