Over 100 civil society groups from 31 countries are calling on financial backers to withdraw their support from the the controversial Phulbari Coal Project in Bangladesh. The project will displace over 200,000 people, impoverish farming households and cause immense environmental impacts in one of the most fertile regions of Bangladesh. Despite these factors, according to information available on its website, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) remains interested in financing the project after having distanced itself from it earlier this year.
The Director of the Asian Development Bank’s Private Sector Operations Department, Robert Bestani, notified the Bank’s Board of Directors last week that it will take the Phulbari Coal Project in Bangladesh out of the Bank’s funding pipeline.
Civil society groups from South Asia are planning to boycott the Asian Development Bank’s consultation meeting on its safeguards policy update, to be held in New Delhi, India tomorrow. The groups, from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh state that the ADB’s consultation draft, released in October 2007, greatly dilutes the Bank’s earlier policies on Environment (2002), Involuntary Resettlement (1995) and Indigenous Peoples (1998), and is opposed to indigenous peoples’ rights and subverts environmental considerations.
Citing violations of five of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) own policies, non-governmental organizations from around the world have petitioned the ADB to discontinue its pre-appraisal of the Phulbari Coal Project and remove it from the funding pipeline.
The report was developed after a three day site visit by members of civil society organizations. It will be submitted to ADB Management and Board in order to highlight outstanding resettlement provisions and several other compliance deficiencies.
ADB requested to move quickly on establishing an independent resettlement monitoring panel.
Water Law will decentralize control of country’s water resources and allow private sector involvement.
Compliance Review Panel finds violations of 7 Asian Development Bank policies in Southern Transport Development Project. Recommends 19 courses of action.
No further action will be taken on these issues until the contractual dispute between PCD and the turnkey contractor is resolved.
Asian Development Bank Compliance Review Panel releases draft report in response to Sri Lanka Southern Transport Development Project complaint.