Blog
-
25 July 2011Accountability Resource Guide Updated
The Guide contains updated sections on the Inter-American, African and Brazilian Development Banks, among others. Please see our Resource Guide page for more information. -
11 July 2011Maple Energy Responsible for Another Spill in the Shipibo Village of Nuevo Sucre
On July 10, 2011, children bathing in a creek observed a spill while the community was in mourning over the death of Luis Saldaña, see below. The company had men from Nuevo Sucre clean up the spill with no training, protective gear, or information about the impacts of exposure to crude oil. Women and children continued to use the water during the spill. Despite our complaint to the CAO about the same atrocities in 2009, Maple provided no food or water to the community members who rely on the waterway for their survival. Read more on our Peru case page. -
8 July 2011In Memoriam
We mourn the loss of our client Luis Saldaña, who passed away on July 7, 2011 in the Shipibo village of Nuevo Sucre in the Peruvian Amazon. Luis suffered greatly in the past few years from the impacts of oil contamination on his land. We will continue to fight for accountability on behalf of Luis and his people. -
12 March 2011Construction on Cerro de Oro Project in Mexico Suspended, Historic Agreement Reached
On March 11, 2011, the company and the communities reached an agreement that places the future of the project in the communities’ hands. See the agreement (English version). -
1 February 2011
World Bank Inspection Panel Attacked, But Defended
In late January 2011, the World Bank’s Board met to discuss Inspection Panel reports in three cases. The Chinese Executive Director to the World Bank requested that the Bank’s General Counsel intervene in the cases, significantly challenging the Panel’s independence. Accountability Counsel and colleagues worked to ensure that the Board vote maintained the Panel’s key independent role – and succeeded. This was a reminder of the vigilance required by civil society to keep accountability mechanisms strong for the communities who need them. -
27 January 2011Mexican Lawmakers Call for the Immediate Suspension of the Cerro de Oro Hydroelectric Project
On Wednesday, Mexican lawmakers called upon the State Governor of Oaxaca to suspend the Cerro de Oro Hydroelectric Project. The call comes in support of indigenous communities in the Project area who filed a complaint to a U.S. government agency financing the Project based on concerns about the Project’s impacts… -
30 November 2010Complaint Seeks Accountability for Human Rights Violations by U.S.-Supported Hydroelectric Project in Oaxaca, Mexico
Today, Mexican villagers filed a complaint to prevent contamination of their drinking water and fishing areas, and other threats to their livelihoods and culture from a U.S.-backed hydroelectric project. Located in Oaxaca, Mexico, the project is financed by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), a U.S. government agency. The project… -
6 November 2010Accountability Counsel submitted comments to the State Department
Our comments ask for key reforms to the U.S. National Contact Point. Read more about the US NCP here. -
20 September 2010Panel Papua New Guinea Complaint Moves Forward
In early September 2010, the World Bank Inspection Panel visited PNG to conduct a formal investigation of the complaint. Accountability Counsel and PNG-based CELCOR traveled to Oro Province to accompany claimants in meetings with the Panel. Read more about our case in Papua New Guinea here. -
16 July 2010Paper on Banking and Human Rights to UN Special Rep. for Business and Human Rights, John Ruggie
On July 15th, 2010, BankTrack submitted a paper written by Accountability Counsel’s Natalie Bridgeman Fields on a proposed human rights policy for private sector banks. -
22 April 2010
Letter to World Bank President Zoellick
On April 21, 2010, Accountability Counsel sent a letter to the President of the World Bank requesting that funding for the World Bank’s Smallholder Agricultural Development Project (“SADP”) be suspended until admitted policy violations are corrected. Read more about our case in Papua New Guinea here. -
6 April 2010Peruvian Indigenous Communities’ CAO Complaint re Maple Energy
Today Accountability Counsel and partners filed a complaint with the World Bank’s accountability mechanism, the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), seeking redress for toxic oil spills that have caused human rights and environmental violations in Peru. Read more about our case in Peru here. -
6 April 2010Multinational Corporation’s Toxic Contamination in the Peruvian Amazon Harms Indigenous Communities with World Bank Support
Today, two indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon filed a complaint demanding accountability for toxic oil contamination of their land and rivers by Maple Energy plc, a multinational oil corporation. Members of the Shipibo-Konibo indigenous communities of Canaán de Cachiyacu and Nuevo Sucre have endured years of Maple’s contamination, including… -
1 September 2009International Award: Echoing Green Recognizes Accountability Counsel
Natalie Bridgeman Fields was recognized internationally as one of fourteen 2009 Echoing Green Fellows for her groundbreaking social entrepreneurship.