Just as China took a moment to enjoy Washington and Tokyo’s discomfort over Europe’s biggest economies declaring in favour of a new Chinese-led Asian investment bank, Washington and Tokyo took a moment to caution joiners to beware of governance standards. We say: beware of multilateral development banks in general.
UK lawmakers unclear on how aid money is spent
(July 30, 2013) Lawmakers in the UK say the country is handing out billions of dollars in foreign aid without knowing how it is spent.
Cancel the Xayaburi Dam
(May 6, 2011) The Save the Mekong coalition and its alliances have called for the halt of construction activity at the dam site and for the Government of Thailand to cancel its plans to purchase the dam’s electricity. Many groups from around the Mekong region have also called for cancellation of the Xayaburi Dam as it would jeopardize the livelihoods and food security of millions of people in the region.
Lugar Urges International Development Banks to Step Up Corruption Cases
(December 17, 2010) U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar announced today that criminal prosecution of firms and individuals caught defrauding the World Bank and the other multilateral development banks is an important deterrent, but use of this tool varies widely among the banks.
The aid industry in Nepal — large budgets, large problems
(November 26, 2008) The Asian Development Bank, Chinese banks, and Indian firms are using foreign aid to build a mega-dam in Nepal where experts say an earthquake is likely. Nepal’s Federation of Water and Energy Users says the decision bypassed Parliament, violates the constitution and the human rights of Nepalese. Meanwhile, local micro-hydro operators are churning out cheaper, reliable, aid-free power.
Asian Development Bank: Protests Continue Over ADB’s Rice Distributions
(November 7, 2008) Hundreds of villager continued their protests Thursday over their exclusion from the Asian Development Bank’s emergency food distributions in 200 communes around the Tonle Sap Lake and in Oddar Meanchey province, human rights workers said.
Why consumers and citizens should pull the plug on the Asian Development Bank- part 1 of 2
(May 3, 2000) Without market discipline or public oversight, the ADB is a financial and environmental menace, providing a breeding ground for electricity investments that destroy the environment, create poverty, sink Asian citizens in debt, cost taxpayers in donor countries money, and deprive consumers of cheaper, better generating options.
China’s Sinohydro in MDB-backed road-and-rail megaproject
(December 10, 2007) Eight countries have signed an agreement to spend $18.7 billion on roads and railways linking central Asia to China and Europe, Financial Times reports.
Cambodia: Asian Development Bank fails fishermen
(April 19, 2007) A planned survey to check the economic pulse of fishing communities
WB blacklists Bhasha dam surveyors
(November 12, 2006) The World Bank blacklisting of Lahmeyer International has jeopardized the future of a dam scheme the company is working on in Pakistan; although widely reported by the media, Pakistan authorities say they need to verify the company’s debarment first before taking action. Work on the Bhasha dam project in Pakistan is in jeopardy now that the World Bank has blacklisted the German engineering firm, Lahmeyer International, after finding the company guilty of paying bribes in the multi-billion dollar Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP).
US Congress challenges World Bank and Asian Development Bank support for Nam Theun 2 dam
(October 8, 2004) There is no evidence that the government [of Lao PDR] has the capacity to manage the significant economic, social and environmental risks of
the project.
Probe: Is Asian Development Bank defending Vietnam’s secrecy?
(August 26, 2003) With reference to the attached August 1st 2003 letter from ADB external relations specialist, Bart Edes, to Russell Peterson, NGO Forum on Cambodia, the ADB appears to be refusing to disclose the Se San 3 Hydropower Project Environmental Impact Assessment (TA 3222-VIE) dated February 2001.
ADB searches for private funding to develop Mekong region
(June 4, 2003) The private sector needs to contribute up to 90 percent of a 14-billion-dollar program to economically integrate the six nations that share the Mekong River the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said.
PRESS RELEASE Mekong hydro consultants convicted of bribery in Africa
(September 18, 2002) A major Canadian engineering firm that has worked on hydro projects and resettlement planning in Asia’s six-country Mekong region has been convicted by the Lesotho High Court on two counts of bribery.
Canadian survey sheds new light on rural livelihoods in Laos
(September 6, 2002) Survey warns that hydro dams, irrigation schemes, and tree plantations – in the name of poverty alleviation – can do more harm than good for Laotians whose livelihoods depend upon natural rivers and forests.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
Lisa Peryman
Probe Media
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