Accountability Counsel

AC’s Robi Chacha Mosenda breaks down the overlooked shortcomings of strict impartiality that can render accountability mechanisms ineffective – maintaining rather than rectifying power imbalances when people challenge corporations and institutions. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g4wqV9dM

On the World Bank's 80th anniversary, women rights defenders from Asia, Africa, and Latin America remind us that there is nothing to celebrate. When World Bank projects harm peoples' human rights and environment, the Bank refuses to be responsible and it doesn't learn from past mistakes. And yet, the Bank is asking for the public to trust it to do more. We agree with Titi Soentoro, Mbole Veronique, and Verónica Gostissa's call to action: the World Bank should withdraw from controversial new projects, provide remedy to harmed communities, speed up investigation processes, and seek meaningful consent before building something.

How the EU is killing farmers' livelihoods with multi-million dollar aid to a Ukrainian chicken king - a very detailed article at Follow the Money that brings attention to the consequences of IFIs financing factory farming in Ukraine. Accountability Counsel and partners have been working with communities due to investments by the EBRD, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and the IFC - International Finance Corporation on MHP. https://lnkd.in/d4Uas22G

How the EU is killing farmers' livelihoods with multi-million dollar aid to a Ukrainian chicken king - a very detailed article at Follow the Money that brings attention to the consequences of IFIs financing factory farming in Ukraine. Accountability Counsel and partners have been working with communities due to investments by the EBRD, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and the IFC - International Finance Corporation on MHP. https://lnkd.in/d4Uas22G

AC stands with workers in Mongolia demanding that Rio Tinto respect their rights and pay them fairly! For years, the Oyu Tolgoi gold and copper mine has destroyed the livelihoods of traditional herders in the South Gobi. As a result, many herders turned to the mine itself to seek employment. But earlier this year, the company cut wages by up to 80%. AC's long-time partner Oyu Tolgoi Watch NGO says: "The key demand of workers is to bring wages to similar levels paid for the same type of work performed in other Rio Tinto mines." We stand in solidarity with the workers on strike and urge Rio Tinto and Oyu Tolgoi Mongolia to uphold #LaborRights! Learn more in Reuters: https://lnkd.in/gK-kyMZW

Development financial institutions assign risk categories to investment projects to gauge potential harm to local communities and the environment. These risk categorizations are crucial because they trigger safeguards designed to prevent and mitigate harm. Despite these systems, complaints often reveal significant adverse impacts across all risk categories, raising questions about the effectiveness of current assessments. In this month’s newsletter, Megumi T. explores how current risk assessments and safeguard measures may fall short in protecting communities through a deep dive into risk categorization data and complaint data.

In June 2024, the Managing Director of the Complaints-resolution, Evaluation and Integrity Unit (MD-CEIU) released the external review report of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)'s Project-affected People's Mechanism (PPM) policy. In addition to making wide ranging, timely, and crucial recommendations to direct the PPM policy towards the baseline of international good practice, the report also sheds light on some institutional perceptions of the PPM and the timing of the PPM Policy review. In a new blog, we discuss the findings and recommendations and briefly address the concerns of accountability skeptics.

If the @European Bank of Reconstruction and Development is serious about investing in #UkraineReconstruction, it must take key steps to ensure recovery doesn't come at the expense of rights. For Ukrainian communities impacted by the Vinnytsia Poultry Farm, it's been more than a decade since EBRD agribusiness investments began damaging their homes and roads and polluting their air, water, and soil. After years of advocacy, a bank investigation is due for release this year to determine whether the project has violated bank policies. As the bank ramps up financing in Ukraine, now is the time for EBRD to provide remedy to those impacted by this project and to strengthen their policies to protect other communities and prevent future harm. Check out our newest op-ed by AC Communities Associate Alexandre Andrade Sampaio and Communities Co-Director Caitlin Daniel to learn more about the steps we are calling on EBRD to take to ensure its investments in Ukraine meet their mark: https://lnkd.in/gYN9ub-y

Accountability Counsel is thrilled to welcome Michael Jarvis to our Board of Directors! Michael has advocated for more accountable government and corporate practices throughout his career. Michael leads the Trust, Accountability and Inclusion Collaborative, a platform for funder learning and collective action. Michael shares Accountability Counsel’s commitment to holding financial flows accountable to people and the planet. Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Michael and expressing our gratitude to him for joining our Board. Thank you, Michael!

In the June issue of the newsletter, Aleena Mufti Anand explores complaints to IAMs involving involuntary resettlement, noting two patterns: 1) breached resettlement agreements and 2) forced displacement through coercive or other violent means. The article examines the unsettling frequency of complaints mentioning physical displacement in conjunction with violence, suggesting that development banks must do more to prevent forced displacement going forward.