In the News
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14 July 2021We need fair compensation! Kawaala residents run to World Bank over KCCA’s forced eviction
The community members in Kawaala Zone II in Kampala, Uganda have filed a complaint to the World Bank’s Inspection Panel following attempts to evict them from their homes and farmland without adequate compensation. The eviction is aimed at paving way for the Lubigi drainage channel expansion. -
13 July 2021Civil society calls for IFC and MIGA to build upon CAO reform
On 1 July, the board of directors of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank’s private sector lending arm, and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), the World Bank’s political risk insurance arm, announced that it had finalised the development of a new policy for the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), the independent accountability mechanism of IFC and MIGA. -
9 July 2021Kawaala residents protest expansion of Lubigi channel, want fair compensation
Community members in Kawaala Zone II in Kampala, Uganda have filed a complaint to the World Bank’s Inspection Panel following attempts to evict them from their homes and farmland without adequate compensation.The eviction is intended to make way for the expansion of the Lubigi drainage channel, a project funded by the World Bank. -
2 July 2021Activists cautiously optimistic about new IFC accountability policy
23 June 2021EU Energy Project in Nepal Sets Landmark Precedent on Indigenous Consent
Indigenous rights are at a critical crossroads after communities in Nepal have succeeded in holding the European Union’s investment bank accountable for its role in forcibly constructing a hydropower project on Indigenous land.
2 June 2021Everything in its place: From stolen art to endangered monkeys
In a win for local Indigenous groups, the European Investment Bank (EIB) vowed to address gaps in the implementation of a hydropower project in central Nepal.
2 June 2021Agency in Hot Water for Financing Fracking in the Dark
Stephanie Amoako is a senior policy associate with the Accountability Counsel, which advocates for people harmed by the kinds of projects supported by OPIC and the DFC. “The DFC should welcome any opportunity to increase transparency and accountability to the public,” Amoako said in a phone call, “particularly those most affected by the projects.”
12 May 2021How JPMorgan’s DFI invested and defined its impact in its first year
J.P. Morgan recently released its first annual report on its year-old development finance institution. Accountability Counsel’s policy director, Margaux Day, discusses the need for J.P. Morgan’s development finance institution to develop an accountability mechanism to ensure it can effectively manage unintended risks and impacts.
4 May 2021Report criticizes EIB over Nepal energy project
In its report released last month, the European Investment Bank’s Complaints Mechanism found a series of problems, including environmental assessment shortcomings, no stakeholder engagement plan, poor outreach to local Indigenous people, and no evidence of that community’s endorsement for the project.
30 April 2021Rare win for Nepal indigenous groups as EIB admits ‘gaps’ in hydropower project
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has pledged to address gaps in the implementation of a power project in Nepal, handing a rare victory to Indigenous groups and local communities who had raised concerns about being uprooted from their land.
14 April 2021As Impact Investing Grows, So Do Expectations
The industry needs to do a better job being accountable to communities directly impacted by projects, as individuals living near and working at investment sites bear the most risk if an investment has unintended environmental and social consequences, said Margaux Day, Policy Director at Accountability Counsel.
25 March 2021This Tiny Fishing Town Was Poisoned By a Coal Plant. The Government Is Trying to Replace it With a Mine.
When local communities complain about projects, their adversaries are powerful, and complaint structures can be incredibly opaque and burdensome.
20 January 2021Accountability in Action – Three Lessons in Centering Communities
Based on over a decade of working with communities around the world, Accountability Counsel has seen various pitfalls of not adhering to community-led accountability and developed recommendations for how to improve.
10 December 2020New CAO vice president urged to fight for CAO independence
Margaux Day of Accountability Counsel emphasized that Janine Ferretti, the new vice president of the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman, will have to put her experience working on environmental and social safeguard issues at the Inter-American Development Bank to use as she endeavours to fulfil the terms of reference of the post during these challenging times.
3 December 2020What we learned about the state of impact accountability from 74 investors
The International Finance Corporation’s Operating Principles for Impact Management take a step to protect against impact-washing by requiring disclosures and verification. Genuine accountability requires more.
30 November 2020Updating investment ‘exclusion lists’ for deeper social and environmental impact
Watchdog groups such as Accountability Counsel amplify community voices around the world to protect human rights and environment. While these organizations serve as advocates for those harmed by internationally financed projects, screening for potential adverse effects at the inception stage can identify issues that may be non-obvious to the project sponsors or financiers.
19 November 2020Plan and Design the Project with Us: Advice from Sri Lanka’s Northern Province Fisherfolk
Earlier this year, the Asian Development Bank withdrew its financial support for the Northern Province Sustainable Fisheries Development Project in Sri Lanka, effectively halting a years-long community-led effort to make funders accountable to community priorities. Anirudha Nagar
22 October 2020From Juukan to Jharkhand: Demanding Accountability for Desecration of Indigenous Cultural Heritage
In September, senior executives at mining giant Rio Tinto resigned over the destruction of ancient Aboriginal caves in Juukan Gorge in Western Australia after communities and investors alike voiced concerns that the company was failing to hold them accountable for their actions. This incident has focused attention on the need for accountability…
7 October 2020Changes at the top for IFC and its accountability mechanism
The IFC’s Chief Executive Officer, Philippe Le Houérou, announced that he will be stepping down from his position, effective 1 October.
22 September 2020To reduce climate change learning curve, philanthropists lean on collaboratives
Philanthropists and impact investors who “intend to do good” with their money often have “a blind spot” because they fail to consider “the potential negative consequences in a real way,” said Natalie Bridgeman Fields, founder and executive director of Accountability Counsel.