Blog

Over a year into its new climate mission, the World Bank faces questions about human rights and accountability, as recent complaints reveal vulnerabilities linked to its climate-focused projects.

The Bank Information Center (BIC) and Accountability Counsel (AC) welcome the introduction of Chairwoman Maxine Waters and Congresswoman Joyce Beatty’s International Financial Institution Improvements Act of 2024. This comprehensive legislation directs the U.S. to advocate for improved environmental, social, accountability, and transparency standards at the IFIs in which it is a member. This bill also reflects the priorities of our organizations and broader civil society around the need for the IFIs to improve their due diligence before project approval and provide remedy when their projects cause harm. 

For increased climate finance to meet its ambitions, it has to be good. And right now, the prevailing model is far from it.

While it would be ideal if directly impacted people were able to file cases and demand justice whenever harm occurs, significant barriers to access can make it nearly impossible for that to happen. There is an obvious solution: equipping IAMs with the ability to self-initiate compliance investigations.

A version of this blog was also published in the AIIB Observer Vol. 2 As the Board of Governors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank gather for their annual meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, we call on the Bank to strengthen its Project-Affected People’s Mechanism (PPM) and reaffirm the importance of…

Experience faster, more reliable data exports on the Console with our new asynchronous export feature – optimized for large volumes of data and seamless analysis.

Explore the EIB’s controversial investments in Israel, the implications of its new defense financing policy, and the urgent need for alignment with international law to prevent complicity in human rights violations, especially in light of the recent ICJ ruling.

Dispute resolution facilitated by Independent Accountability Mechanisms (IAMs) is an important tool for giving communities harmed by development or infrastructure projects an opportunity to express their concerns about project impacts, directly engage with the actors responsible for ensuring proper project implementation, and reach an agreement on how those project impacts…

Last month, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee passed legislation to reauthorize the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). The legislation, which received bipartisan support, would give DFC seven more years to operate, increase its lending cap to 120 billion USD, and extend its geographical reach. For DFC to meet…

Tomorrow, the Committee on Development Effectiveness (CODE) of the World Bank Board of Executive Directors will discuss the IFC’s draft Remedy and Responsible Exit Framework, which is intended to outline how the institution will deliver remedy to communities harmed by projects it finances. This would be the first policy to…

While accountability mechanisms are meant to provide impartiality and justice, strict adherence to impartiality can sometimes render them ineffective in addressing the unique needs and vulnerabilities of the very communities they were established to assist.

We are saddened by the news of killings, abductions, arbitrary detentions, and violence meted out by the police in Kenya against its citizens. As an international organization that amplifies the voices of communities around the world seeking protection of their human rights and environment, we are alarmed at the retaliation…

Discover how development financial institutions’ risk categorizations impact local communities and the environment, and why current safeguard measures may be falling short in protecting those most affected by investment projects.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), whose finance last year exceeded USD 52 billion, is currently reviewing the effectiveness of its independent accountability mechanism (IAM) for addressing allegations of environmental and social harm from communities, the Project-Affected People’s Mechanism (PPM). Ultimately, the success of the PPM as a trust-building office…

The African Development Bank (AfDB) held its Annual Meetings on May 27–31, 2024, in Nairobi, Kenya, under the theme ‘Africa’s Transformation, the African Development Bank Group, and the Reform of the Global Financial Architecture.’ About 5,000 delegates, including representatives from civil society organizations (CSOs) working in Africa, attended the event.…

Accountability Counsel is thrilled to welcome Michael Jarvis to our Board of Directors!

This article analyzes community-led complaints about forced displacement in development bank projects, including coercive resettlement agreements and violent removals, and suggests measures to prevent future harm.

One year since the signing of a dispute resolution agreement, advisors Accountability Counsel and Witness Radio evaluate progress toward the agreement’s implementation and remedy for community members.

We welcome the World Bank Board’s initiative in moving forward with the external investigation of the alleged Bridge Academies cover-up. However, the Bank’s press release sends mixed messages.

As Accountability Counsel prepares for the annual meeting of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in Yerevan, Armenia, we highlight the sobering story of one of the EBRD’s most contentious projects in the country – the Amulsar Gold Mine. This project serves as a reminder of  what can go wrong when investment happens without adequate preparation for remediating negative impacts on local communities. As the EBRD revises the Environmental and Social Policy (ESP) that governs its operations, it must commit to remediating harmful impacts and develop a plan for responsibly divesting from projects.