ISSUE OVERVIEW: Human rights
26 September 2013
26 September 2013
Statement by two Indian human rights group urging the World Bank not to approve a major loan to the state of Andra Pradesh on 16 December. The statement outlines many problems with human rights and governance in the state and argues that a loan at this time of crisis and instability would embolden the government to continue with its repressive policies, while civil society groups would not be in a position to criticise improper utilization of the loans.
A motion signed by 42 MPs urges the UK government to encourage Botswana to respect the rights of Botswana's Bushmen.
Human rights issues will be a part of project and company assessment, says the head of the World Bank arm which provides finance to private companies.
The coalition of Human Rights Associations in Chad has called for a national day of mourning on October 10, the date of the official inauguration of the Chad Cameroon Oil Pipeline.
The World Bank President has pledged that the Bank will revive its support for megaprojects and a new report expresses serious concerns about the Bank's track record in this area.
Just after key project documents were released in June campaigners in Georgia and the UK filed legal challenges to the Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline, raising awkward questions for the World Bank Group and other potential financiers.
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A new report by the UN High Commission for Human Rights outlines guidelines for the implementation of a human rights-based approach to PRSPs.
James Wolfensohn recently replied to an NGO letter of last summer requesting clarification of what the Bank planned to do to implement a human rights agenda.
James Wolfensohn recently replied to an NGO letter of last summer requesting clarification of what the Bank planned to do to implement a human rights agenda. Wolfensohn said he recently met the newly appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and reiterated that "continued dialogue with human rights groups as well as with governments and other stakeholders is quite important to the Bank". Yet the letter did little to take forward this dialogue, making vague references to collaboration in Po