Article

Controversial Lao Dam Not Suitable for World Bank Support The World Bank is poised to consider a controversial dam in Laos, despite the fact that the government’s capacity to manage the project’s massive economic, social, and environmental risks remains in question. On Friday, September 10 the Bank will host a "technical workshop" in Washington, D.C. as part of a series of international workshops on Nam Theun 2 being organized this month. Workshops have already been held in Bangkok, Tokyo and Paris. The workshops mark a crucial stage in the World Bank’s deliberations over whet

An Interview with NAPE by Terri Hathaway, International Rivers Background In several recent publications, including his recently published book The World’s Banker and an article in Foreign Policy entitled "NGOs: Fighting Poverty, Hurting the Poor," author Sebastian Mallaby identified the Ugandan NGO, National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE), as an example of NGOs that do more harm than good for development. NAPE was instrumental in halting the proposed Bujagali Dam, a project found to be an economically poor deal for the government, as well as having social and environme

Sebastian Mallaby, a columnist with the Washington Post, recently published a new book on the World Bank (The World’s Banker, Penguin Press, September 2004). In his book and in separate articles that appeared in Foreign Policy, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, Mallaby disparages non–governmental organizations such as International Rivers, and independent bodies such as the World Commission on Dams. Below is a preliminary response from International Rivers: NGOs such as Uganda’s National Association of Professional Environmentalists and International Rivers have a lot in co

A Critique of the World Bank’s New Middle Income Country Strategy

A key “Strategic Priority” of the World Commission on Dams addressed the need to greatly improve the often secretive and corrupt processes which lead to decisions to build large dams. Critics of large dams have long called for water and energy planning to be made more participatory, accountable and comprehensive. A recent workshop showed that at least some of those involved in building and funding large dams agree that past and current planning practices are inadequate and that we must move toward the types of options assessment processes outlined in the WCD’s report. The workshop w

Controversy over proposed construction of Bui hydropower Dam deepens After months of preparing to come to Ghana to continue with a research on hippopotamus and crocodile populations at the Bui National Park, where a 400 MW hydropower Dam is to be constructed, Mr. Daniel Bennett, a biologist from the University of Aberdeen in Great Britain is now vowing never to return to this country. This follows a recent decision by Mr. Nick Ankudey, Director of the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission in Ghana abrogating a long standing agreement between them and asking Mr. Bennett not to set