Bank failed to apply safeguards in DRC: Inspection Panel (Bretton Woods Project)

Bank failed to apply safeguards in DRC: Inspection Panel

After a preliminary investigation by the Inspection Panel into programmes to develop the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Bank has acknowledged that: it did not properly apply its safeguard policies; was "not aware of the existence of 'Pygmy' communities in areas that would be affected by its projects"; and that it was inappropriate to set targets for the number of new logging concessions. Simon Counsell, of NGO The Rainforest Foundation, said "this is a major victory for the Pygmy people of the Congo, whose rights and livelihoods could be seriously harmed by inappropriate development of the country's rainforests."

Congolese groups unite to demand scrutiny of forest policies News|Bretton Woods Project|5 April 2004|update 39|url
NGOs in the Democratic Republic of Congo have allied to challenge industrial logging in their country's rainforests. In February they appealed to the World Bank and other agencies to halt a plan which would make up to 60 million hectares of rainforest available to logging companies in the coming years. read article...
Where did the Inspection Panel go? News|Bretton Woods Project|8 April 2006|update 50|url
After a relatively quiet year in 2005, the Inspection Panel will move back into the limelight over the coming months as it issues a series of reports and decisions on requests for investigation. The Bretton Woods Project talked with Eduardo Abbott, Executive Secretary of the Panel secretariat about Wolfowitz, the attack on safeguards, and the impact that the Panel is having on the Bank. read article...

Related resources

The Rainforest Foundation by Simon Counsell Resource|The Rainforest Foundation|3 April 2006|Website|URL
Inspection Panel Resource|World Bank|13 January 2006|Web page|URL

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Published: 8 April 2006 , last edited: 26 June 2006

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Bank failed to apply safeguards in DRC: Inspection Panel

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