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The construction of the Barro Blanco dam in Panama is entering the final stage. Project developer Genisa is planning to bring the dam into operation in May. The indigenous Ngäbe people that live in the area, a tribe of about two hundred thousand, are opposed to the construction of the dam. They have entrenched themselves in the areas where the building of the dam is being completed. All of them are afraid of the security forces, who acted with a lot of violence in the last confrontation.

Our own Dutch development bank FMO recently introduced a complaints mechanism. This means that anyone adversely affected by a project supported by the FMO may file a complaint.

Amnesty International, Bank Track, Both ENDS and SOMO have contributed to the design of the complaints mechanism and have now issued a response to the final result.

Anouk Franck of Both ENDS has provided input into the complaints mechanism and explains why it is so important for institutions to have a good complaints mechanism.

“I will not go!” Sena Alouka yells in the bus along the highway as we pass a desolate farm that is totally surrounded by bulldozers and soil that has been turned and ploughed. A familiar sight for most of the riders in the bus, which includes nine Africans, an Indonesian and a handful of Dutch people. Evictions and land expropriations are an almost daily occurrence in Africa and Indonesia. And then the whole group spontaneously chants: “I will not go! We will support you!”

We welcome Dickens Kamugisha (AFIEGO), Sena Alouka (JVE Togo), Christian Hounkannou (JVE Benin), Ken Kinney (The Development Institute), Robert Kugonza (NAPE), Serah Munguti (Nature Kenya), Halinishi Yusuf (ELCI) and Abby Onencan (Nile Basin Discourse). They have all been working on participatory watermanagement in the countries they come from, and we've invited them to come to the Netherlands to see how they can join forces. 

Today, we received some unexpected but positive news: the US congress has instructed the US government to oppose the construction of large dams through international financial institution from now on. The Congress also called for justice for the victims of human rights abuses as a result of the projects of these financial institutions.  The US will oppose any loan, grant, strategy or policy of such institutions supporting the construction of large hydroelectric dams, as defined by the World Commission on Dams.

Thirza and Remi are currently working on the first steps towards a more sustainable future in Uganda after the discovery of oil in 2006. The oil was found on different locations close to Lake Albert. About 6 to 8 million people, mostly fishers and farmers, are dependent on this region to survive and the biodiversity in this region is very rich. For example, 7 of the 10 most important bird species in Uganda brood in this area.

‘The polluter pays’ is a good principle, but what about the institutions that financially support polluting companies and projects?  Shouldn’t banks, that are often major investors in unsustainable activities, take their responsibility and pay as well? In the end, these banks also cash in. Pieter Jansen of Both ENDS contributed to research about the ‘Green Credit Policy’ of Chines banks, executed by the Chinese NGO ‘Green Watershed’. Pieter Jansen of Both ENDS and Chen Yu of Green Watershed have launched the report 'Green Credit Footprints of Chinese Banks'.