The World Bank’s Land Policy department is preparing a Policy Research Report on land reform, which NGOs criticise for too heavily favouring a market-assisted approach.
Displacement
Rights
News
Coal India letter gets strong backing
115 civil society groups backed a letter urging the World Bank Board to endorse an action plan for remedial measures on the Coal India project. The local NGO, which brought a successful claim to the Bank's Inspection Panel, has demanded that action be taken to compensate people who have lost their land and livelihoods. The Bank's management took a surprisingly long time to file its response to the Panel report, and as the Panel has no ability to enforce action by the Bank, civil society groups d
Accountability
News
UK government reply to Baku-Ceyhan memo
Letter from Rt Hon Baroness Symons, UK Minister of State International Trade and Investment in response to NGO memorandum on the Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline.
Environment
News
Complaints panel finds major problems in Coal India mines
An official report has found that villagers in Eastern India, have suffered harm to their livelihoods as a result of a Bank-backed coal mining project.
Environment
News
Complaints panel report finds social problems in Coal India mines
A new official report has found that villagers in Jharkhand state, Eastern India, have suffered harm to their livelihoods as a result of a Bank-backed coal mining project.
Rights
News
IFC pulls out of goldmine, considers pipeline
In early October the International Finance Corporation (IFC) announced that it would not back the Rosia Montana goldmine in Romania.
Rights
News
World Bank rejects controversial gold mine project
On October 10th, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank’s private lending arm, announced that it would not financially support the controversial Rosia Montana gold mine project in Romania’s Apuseni mountains.
Rights
News
IFC backs Laos gold mine
Serious environmental and social concerns have been raised about a Rio Tinto gold mine in Lao PDR which is to receive $30 million from the International Financial Corporation.
Infrastructure
News
Engineers, campaigners condemn Bank for Dams Commission follow-up
The World Bank was praised for helping establish the World Commission on Dams, a body which included fierce critics and ardent proponents of dams. Now, however, it is under fire from both sides for failing to implement the Commission’s suggested new approaches to water and energy planning. The Bank’s new draft water strategy “seriously misrepresents” the Commission’s findings.
Environment
News
Tanzanian authorities attempt to silence activists on Bulyanhulu case
Tanzanian authorities have arrested Rugemeleza Nshala, President of the Lawyers Environmental Action Team (LEAT), and raided the house of another LEAT lawyer, Tundu Lissu in connection with their investigations into abuses and irregularities at the World Bank-backed Bulyanhulu gold mine.