Letter

Current Status: At Validation (as of Aug 2009) Comments on the Project Design Document for the Huanza Hydropower Project Submitted for validation for Senter Internationaal’s CERUPT Carbon Credit Programme We have reviewed the project documentation on the Huanza Hydroelectric Power Project and would like to raise several questions regarding the baseline assumed, additionality of the project, and the effects of climate change on the hydrologic conditions of the region. Baseline The Baseline Study Document (BSD) uses the assumption that all the power displaced by Huanza would be fossil–fuel g

The World Bank has recently published the paper, "Issues in Using Country Systems in Bank Operations", for comment. The following comments have been endorsed by 200 civil society organizations from 58 countries. What we support We believe that sound development models integrate social justice, environmental protection, economic progress and democratic governance. The principles of sustainability must be the starting point for the development strategies of governments and financial institutions. Appropriate, well–implemented social and environmental safeguard policies need to be

Mr. Haruhiko Kuroda, President Asian Development Bank P.O. Box 789 0980 Manila Philippines Dear Mr. Kuroda, We, the undersigned organizations, are writing to express concerns with the plan to push forward with the Greater Mekong Sub–region Power Trade and Interconnection initiative. We understand that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is facilitating the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on the Implementation of Stage I of the Regional Power Trade Operating Agreement (RPTOA) at the Second GMS Summit in Kunming, China on July 4–5, 2005. This multi–billion dollar initiati

NGO Report on the Implementation of the Infrastructure Action Plan Dear Executive Director, In July 2003, the Board of Directors adopted a new Infrastructure Action Plan (IAP), a Plan that is based on the World Bank’s new ‘high risk/high reward’ strategy. A progress report on the IAP was discussed by the Board of Directors on April 8, and will be discussed as part of the Global Monitoring Report by the Development Committee on April 25.It makes sense to take stock of how the IAP is being implemented nine months after its adoption. International Rivers will release a report

This letter was written by the Society for Threatened Peoples and sent to both Norconsult and NORAD, both of Norway and both involved in the Epupa Dam feasibility study. To: Norconsult Director Rolf Skaar P.O. Box 626 N–1301 Sandvika Fax: 0047/67549590 And: NORAD Director Tove Stand Gerhardsen P.O. Box 8034 dep N–0030 Oslo Fax: 0047/22314401 Stop Pushing the Dam Project in Northern Namibia! Don't Twist the Words of the Affected Himba People!  Dear Sirs, The company Norconsult and the Norwegian governmental development agency NORAD are among those who ordered and

The Epupa Action Committee (Established 27.4.1997) P.O Box 3119 Windhoek, Namibia His Excellency President Martti Ahtisaari Government of Finland Transmission by hand The Himba and Hydro–Electro Power Dam Scheme at Epupa Dear Sir, The Government of Namibia has decided to build an Hydro–electro power dam at Epupa on the Kunene River. The area of Epupa is inhabited by my people, the Ovahimba. My community have been opposing the construction of this dam for many years. We are still against the said plans due to the following reasons: our dead are buried at the sit

Dear Messrs. Wolfowitz and de Rato, We are writing to express our dismay at the World Bank’s and IMF’s reaction to the Singaporean government’s ban on about 20 representatives from five NGOs from attending the upcoming Annual Meetings. We are also dismayed at your institution’s reactions to the pressure exerted by Singapore on the Indonesian authorities to prevent civil society activities on Batam island. We understand that these steps by the Singaporean government violate the Memorandun of Understanding signed with the World Bank and the IMF concerning the organisation of the Annual M

Dear David, Thank you for your detailed message of June 1. We would be happy to discuss the issues at stake in a personal meeting. Let me already respond to a few issues that you raised in order to clarify where we agree and disagree so that we can better prepare our next discussion. We agree that a wide range of options need to be pursued in the water sector, and that in Pakistan and more generally, the World Bank is pursuing many of them. We do not agree with the way the Bank prioritizes different options, the Banks implementation of certain policy issues, and its approach to corruption.

In May 2005, HSBC was the first private bank to adopt the decision–making framework of the World Commission on Dams. In July, International Rivers and BankTrack called on more than 80 banks in 17 countries to follow the example of HSBC and adopt the WCD recommendations. What follows is the NGO letter to the banks.Dear Madam/Sir: We are writing to discuss the financing of large dams and to suggest that, following the example of other actors, your bank adopt the decision–making framework of the World Commission on Dams (WCD) to guide your activities in the water sector. Experience sh

Ms. Janet West Export Credits Division Trade Directorate, OECD Dear Ms. West: I would like to contribute to the process whereby the Participants to the OECD Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits and the environmental practitioners are currently considering strengthening their environmental policies for large hydro projects. May I ask you to kindly forward this memorandum to the Participants and the environmental practitioners? My expertise is that of an academic researcher and a consultant who has been studying the social and environmental impacts of large dams, especially hydro