153 NGOs Urge World Bank Not to Support Nam Theun 2

Date: 
Monday, March 14, 2005

NGOs from around the world call on World Bank President Wolfensohn not to finance the Nam Theun 2 project.

...from the introduction of the letter:

Dear Mr. Wolfensohn:

We, 153 civil society organizations from 42 countries, are writing to urge the World Bank to refuse to provide guarantees and credits for the Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project in Laos. This project does not meet the World Bank’s environmental and social standards and there is no evidence that the impacts of the project on local communities and the environment can be successfully managed. The negative track record of other dam projects in Laos and the government’s failure to transparently manage revenues and respect the rights of its people provide a strong indication that the costs of Nam Theun 2 will dramatically outweigh any potential benefits. In fact, the Bank’s December 2004 Country Economic Memorandum points to the weak governance environment in Laos and notes that without significant governance improvements upfront, natural resource revenues will not result in good development outcomes.