In the News

How can multilateral development banks and bilateral donors such as the IKI work together in a changing environment without weakening the rights of those affected? This question was discussed at an expert meeting.

Eighteen rural communities in Lesotho’s Mokhotlong district have lodged a formal complaint with the African Development Bank (AfDB) about Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project.

Grievances listed include unsatisfactory relocations, damaged homes, a lack of compensation and loss of livelihoods caused by the project.

More than 50 human rights organizations, nonprofits and international development experts are calling on the World Bank to investigate its health-care investments in Africa and Asia.

Villagers in Lesotho’s Mokhotlong District have filed a complaint with the African Development Bank over the Polihali Dam, citing damage to homes, livelihoods, and the environment, while the project authority insists safeguards and compensation measures are in place.

Accountability Counsel gives communities a voice – and that can be good news for miners.

Eighteen rural communities in Lesotho have filed a complaint with the African Development Bank over its funding of a multibillion-pound water project whose construction process they claim has ruined fields, polluted water sources and damaged homes.

Communities have filed a formal complaint to the African Development Bank and demanded that the project be temporarily halted. Among other issues, they say they’ve been displaced by the development and denied adequate compensation.

The global regulatory landscape for corporate supply chain responsibility is evolving unevenly in 2025, and this is leaving companies to navigate mounting litigation risks and stakeholder expectations without clear regulatory harmonization.

As the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank enters its second decade, questions are mounting over whether its streamlined model sacrifices accountability for speed.

Civil society leaders in Nepal continue to raise concerns about the in-development Tanahu hydropower project in Gandaki province, citing a lack of proper consultation, inadequate compensation for displacement, and environmental impacts.

As fossil-heavy nations race to expand solar and wind by 2030, weak environmental and social safeguards risk fuelling local pushback. Experts warn fast-tracked permitting must not come at the cost of proper spatial planning and public consultation.

The decade-old bank needs to be accountable for the displacement, loss of livelihood and environmental destruction caused by its lending.

Letting communities speak for Nature may be the best way to safeguard it.

The European Investment Bank has indicated it has no plans to halt existing funding to Israel despite receiving a formal complaint about its financing of €1 billion of projects in the country involving two UN blacklisted companies.

The new report exposes how development banks and the Nepalese government have systematically failed to protect Indigenous Peoples’ rights in four major hydropower projects.

The Civil Society Policy Forum (April 22-25) at this year’s World Bank Group-International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings hosted panel discussions that clarified and often challenged the policies and approaches of international financial institutions. Among the highlights was the session “Ensuring Accountability: The Challenges and Opportunities Posed by the Full Mutual Reliance Framework (FMRF),” which attracted a packed room of attendees.

In January 2025, Indorama Agro abruptly prepaid its loans and walked away from its contractual obligation to implement the EBRD’s E&S standards in Uzbekistan.

The World Bank has released the first-ever framework to address environmental and social harms caused by projects the bank financed through its private sector branches, including the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

A human rights group this week released a report accusing four hydropower projects in Nepal funded by multilateral development banks of violating the rights of Indigenous Peoples to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent, leading among other things to severe biodiversity harm.