Organizations call on IDB for transparency in new program
A coalition of 13 entities warns that the South Connection Program is being prepared without consulting with affected communities and could lead to severe social and environmental impacts
Sede do BID, em em Washington, D.C Foto APK - Own work, CC BY 4.0,
A coalition of civil society organizations, including Conectas, sent a letter to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) denouncing the lack of transparency and social participation in the design of the South Connection Program (SCP), meant for development and regional integration. According to the denouncing entities, the program has been prepared behind closed doors, without consulting with indigenous peoples, local communities, and populations of African descent that could be directly affected.
The letter warns that, without dialog and robust socio-environmental assessments, the SCP could reproduce problems that have already been noted in other projects backed by the bank, such as land grabbing, forced displacements, loss of biodiversity and worsening of social conflicts. In spite of commitments taken on by the IDB in previous meetings, such as sharing a preliminary proposal and opening spaces for consultation, the coalition states that these measures have not yet been fulfilled.
The recommendations include opening consultations with communities, the assurance of free, prior and informed consent, and the creation of an independent consultive panel, with the participation of indigenous peoples, people of African descent, civil society, and the scientific community, just as in the Amazonia Forever program. The document has been signed by 13 Latin American and international organizations, including Asociación Ambiente y Sociedad (Colombia), Fundeps (Argentina), ECOA (Brazil) and Conectas Direitos Humanos (Brazil).
