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Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Jam v. International Finance Corporation, a landmark case challenging the World Bank Group’s claim to immunity in a lawsuit brought by Gujarati fishing communities and their lawyers at EarthRights International. As the Supreme Court deliberates, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) is claiming that because the IFC has its own “robust internal accountability mechanism,” it does not need to be sued. This internal mechanism is the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO).

Today, the World Bank Inspection Panel announced that Ramanie Kunanayagam will be the newest member of the Inspection Panel. As advocates for people who seek justice through independent accountability mechanisms, Accountability Counsel welcomes Kunanayagam into her new role.

WASHINGTON DC, U.S.A – Monday, October 22, 2018 The World Bank finally released a report by international dispute-resolution expert, the Consensus Building Institute (CBI) late last week. The CBI report sheds new light on ways to prevent the “proliferation of conflicts” that had been occurring in Nepal between local communities…

During the 2018 World Bank Group annual meetings in Bali last week, Indonesian authorities forcibly shut down civil society convenings that have, for decades, met alongside the Annual Meetings.

Accountability Counsel welcomes Shuen Quek as our first Communications Fellow. In this new role, Shuen will support our teams’ strategic media to strengthen Accountability Counsel’s community cases, policy advocacy, and research initiatives.

The IFC recently released the Operating Principles for Impact Management (the Principles), a set of impact investing standards developed by asset owners, managers, and other industry experts. These Principles mark an important first step toward institutionalizing a uniform set of standards that impact investors of all sizes can reference when making investment decisions. They provide investors with guidance on how to manage investments so that they contribute to measurable positive social, economic, or environmental impact, while simultaneously generating financial returns. Investors may apply the Principles to their entire portfolio, or in the case of institutions that also engage in non-impact transactions, a smaller subset therein.

(Washington, D.C., October 15, 2018) – Accountability Counsel, Bank Information Center (BIC), and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) welcome the statement from U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin supporting many of the key advances we have been seeking with regard to accountability at the World Bank Group.

This week, the Equator Principle Association (EPA) is holding its annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Member banks will deliberate proposed updates to the Principles as part of the Equator Principles IV Review (EP IV). The focus of the review covers four thematic areas: (1) social impact and human rights; (2) the scope of applicability of the Equator Principles (EPs); (3) climate change; and (4) the use of “designated countries” to determine where the EPs should apply.

Accountability Counsel is pleased to report that, on October 9, 2018, the Board of Directors of the European Investment Bank (EIB) refrained from approving a problematic new policy for its Complaints Mechanism (CM). Rather than strengthen the CM – as Accountability Counsel and 24 partner CSOs called for in 2017 – the proposed policy would have further undermined the CM’s independence and hindered local communities’ ability to seek meaningful redress for environmental and social harms.

Accountability Counsel’s Stephanie Amoako will be in Nairobi this week for the annual African Coalition for Corporate Accountability (ACCA) General Assembly (GA).

On October 8, 2018, communities affected by the European Union funded 220 kV Marsyangdi Corridor transmission line have filed a complaint with the Complaints Mechanism, the European Investment Bank’s independent watchdog and mediation office in Luxembourg.

Last week, on the International Day for the Universal Access to Information (28 Sept. 2018), 30 civil society organizations wrote to the private sector arm of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB Invest), demanding that it provide safe, timely and accessible information to communities about the projects it finances. Comunidades Unidas – a community organization based in Bogotá – has direct experience with the innumerable obstacles facing communities who try to access that information under existing bank policies. Gloria Molina, the director of Comunidades Unidas, writes:

On October 3, 2018, the U.S. Senate passed the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2018, which includes the Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development Act (BUILD Act). Passed in the House last week, the legislation now awaits the president’s signature. The BUILD Act creates a new development finance institution for the United States, subsuming the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and some United States Agency for International Development functions. Since the legislation was first introduced in February 2018, Accountability Counsel and partners have worked hard to ensure that the legislation required the new agency, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (USDFC), to have strong environmental and social practices as well as accountability. From years of experience working with communities negatively impacted by internationally financed projects, we know that sustainable development is impossible without these pillars.

On September 30, Accountability Counsel submitted joint comments to the World Bank Board of Directors on the review of the Inspection Panel’s “toolkit.” Our comments address seven issues flagged by the Bank’s notice.

The World Bank’s approach towards freedom of information and citizen engagement is perpetuating violent conflicts between Nepal’s hydropower sector and its affected communities in two ways. Firstly, the bank is funding hydropower sector projects that forcibly displace Indigenous Peoples, and other marginalized groups, without providing project information and opportunities for consultation. Secondly, the bank is refusing to share important conflict mitigation information with the communities.

The World Bank Board of Directors is accepting public comments from now until September 30th about potential changes to the functions of the Inspection Panel. The Panel was the first independent accountability mechanism. It was established in 1993 for people who believe that they have been, or are likely to…

We recently had the honor of hosting an event celebrating Accountability Counsel, an innovative organization working to protect human and environmental rights around the world. Over the past few months, I have gotten to know Accountability Counsel’s founder Natalie Bridgeman Fields, who is a fierce advocate and pioneer in international human rights and environmental law.

Listen to the Cornell Policy Review podcast interviewing Accountability Counsel’s founder and director, Natalie Bridgeman Fields. She talks about Accountability Counsel’s founding, mission, our approach to policy work and where we are going as an organization. Thank you to Nida Mahmud, Editor-in-Chief of the Cornell Policy Review, for her thoughtful interview.

Lisa Trainer Fields brings over 20 years of experience as a senior human resource leader to her role as an Advisor at Accountability Counsel. We are fortunate to benefit from Lisa’s passion and energy for inspiring change in two major ways. First, this October, with Lisa’s support, our Executive Director Natalie will join Lisa in a challenge to climb the equivalent elevation of Mt. Everest by summiting a mountain in Vermont 17 times. For each of their climbs, Lisa and Natalie will honor one of the 17 audacious people who inspire Accountability Counsel’s work.

After much anticipation, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently released Strategy 2030, its long-term corporate strategy to respond effectively to Asia’s changing needs. As the ADB looks to the future of development finance in Asia, it must keep community engagement, including access to effective remedy, at the forefront.