BIC recently coordinated a sign-on letter to President Kim in reaction to the draft safeguard policies released on July 30, 2014. Over fifty organizations endorsed the letter that reflected on the updated policies from a child rights perspective.
Dear Dr. Kim,
We write today in order to comment on the World Bank’s Proposed Environmental and Social Framework, dated July 30th.
We welcome the inclusion of provisions related to child protection in the safeguard draft. We particularly appreciate the requirement in ESS 1, and the associated annex 1, that social assessments examine the risks that project impacts will disproportionately affect disadvantaged or vulnerable groups, including children. However we believe it is very important to clarify whether impact assessments will be required to look at the unique impacts of projects on children separately from other vulnerable groups or whether a general assessment of how projects impact all vulnerable groups would suffice. We must also take this opportunity to express our very serious concerns about several structural weaknesses with the draft in terms of accountability for compliance with the safeguards, the presence of a number of loopholes allowing borrowers to avoid some safeguard requirements, and a lack of detail in terms of how the safeguards will be implemented.
Because the ways in which children may be affected directly, and indirectly, by development projects vary greatly from the ways in which other vulnerable groups may be affected it is critical that impact assessments be required to look at the unique impacts of projects on children so that any potential negative impacts on children can be prevented or mitigated. Even short periods of deprivation can have long-term effects on children that can severely damage their growing minds and bodies, and can lead to further entrenching the cycle of poverty in their communities. As the World Bank itself has stated, “the economic costs of allowing child and youth deprivation can be enormous.”
Read the full letter:
WB Child Rights Sign On Letter, November 20, 2014