Blog

Today, Accountability Counsel, along with 40 civil society organizations from around the world, sent a letter calling on the World Bank Inspection Panel to ensure the independence of its Secretariat.  Seven highly-respected former members of the World Bank Inspection Panel also forcefully called on the current Inspection Panel to stop efforts to undermine its own independence.  To learn more about this breaking news, see our page on the 2014 Inspection Panel secretariat crisis and read our blog on the Council on Foreign Relations website.

Thirty-two Civil society organizations joined together last week to demand changes to the World Bank Inspection Panel’s draft Operating Procedures.  The Panel’s proposed revisions to its policy risk undermining the Panel’s ability to deliver accountability.  Read the Joint CSO letter and learn more about the Inspection Panel.

Today, for the first time, OPIC committed to conducting an independent review of the impacts of its investment in Buchanan Renewables.  While this is an important first step, we are awaiting details regarding OPIC’s timeline and what steps it intends to take to ensure that the review is transparent, truly independent and leads to remedy for our Liberian clients.  Sign our petition to continue putting pressure on OPIC to fulfill its commitment.  Read our joint press release.

Today, the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation (“OPIC”) committed for the first time to conducting an independent review of the impacts of its investment in an abusive biomass project in Liberia. On January 22, 2014, hundreds of Liberian farmers, charcoal producers and workers filed a complaint with OPIC demanding redress…

Today, hundreds of Liberians, with assistance from civil society organizations Accountability Counsel and Green Advocates, filed a complaint with the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), one of the financiers of Buchanan Renewables’ operations in Liberia. Read full press release here.

Today, hundreds of Liberian farmers, charcoal producers and workers filed a complaint with the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation, demanding accountability for its funding of a biomass project that caused serious human rights, labor and environmental abuses, including sexual abuse by company employees of local women.  The affected Liberians call on the U.S. government to take responsibility for its role.  Demand accountability by signing this petition and learn more here.  Read our joint press release.

The World Bank Inspection Panel has recommended an investigation into human rights violations associated with construction of a high voltage transmission line in Nepal funded by the World Bank.  The investigation, and a commitment by the Bank to address issues on the ground in the meantime, is the result of an Accountability Counsel-supported complaint from communities in the Sindhuli District of Nepal.  More on this case is available here.

In celebration of #GivingTuesday, we are pleased to announce our new brochure highlighting our work in communities around the world.

Today, Accountability Counsel, OT Watch, and an international coalition of advocacy organizations delivered a review of Rio Tinto’s recently published audit and Operational Management Plans to the World Bank Board.

Environmental groups in Ukraine have highlighted the negative local impacts of one of the biggest agribusinesses in the country, MHP, that is in line to receive additional credit by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

On October 18, 2013, Accountability Counsel and 25 organizations and individuals submitted joint comments to the OPIC Office of Accountability on the draft of their revised rules of procedure (also available in Spanish).  AFL-CIO, Amnesty International USA, Friends of the Earth US, Greenpeace, and Sierra Club are among the 25 organizations who endorsed Accountability Counsel’s letter.  More on the campaign to improve the OPIC OA can be found here.

On October 11, 2013, Accountability Counsel’s Executive Director, Natalie Fields, spoke at the Annual Meeting of the State Bar of California at a Panel on the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights and how they have impacted accountability in the extractive industry.

Today, a group of nomadic Mongolian herders filed a complaint demanding just compensation for the impacts of Rio Tinto’s Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine in the South Gobi desert.  The complaint was filed with the Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman (“CAO”), the accountability mechanism for the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (“IFC”) and Multilateral Insurance Guarantee Agency (“MIGA”), both of which are considering supporting the project.  Read the joint press release and learn more on our Mongolia case page.

On September 27, 2013, Accountability Counsel co-hosted a Roundtable Meeting at the World Bank exploring the Promise of Remedy and Accountability with the staff of the world’s independent accountability mechanisms (IAMs).  Over 100 people attended the event that featured a lively conversation and a commitment to continued IAM-civil society dialogue around quickly moving accountability issues.

On September 30, 2013, Accountability Counsel submitted comments to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) joined by 20 other civil society organizations with suggestions for improving the functioning of the IDB’s accountability office.  Background information and the comments in Spanish and English are available here.

Both the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) announced that they are accepting comments on their accountability policies.  We will be feeding our experience using these mechanisms into our comments about how these accountability offices can improve their transparency, accessibility, independence, and effectiveness.

Today, Accountability Counsel, in partnership with ICAR members, urged President Obama to make implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights a priority.  Read the letter and about this Accountability Counsel initiative here.

On July 15, 2013, the Inspection Panel notified our Malawian clients that their complaint to the Panel regarding Bank policy violations in the creation and implementation of a water meter project would not be registered.  On July 17th we sent a letter to the Panel demanding reconsideration of that decision, which shows disregard for the Panel’s own rules.

We are pleased to share our Summer 2013 Newsletter that covers our work in ten countries, policy advocacy around the accountability mechanisms, and organizational updates.

Accountability Counsel filed a complaint to the World Bank Inspection Panel on July 10, 2013, on behalf of communities in the Sindhuli District of Nepal, raising concerns about human rights violations associated with construction of a planned high voltage transmission line funded by the World Bank.  Read more about this case here.