Green Advocates International (GAI), Alliance for Rural Democracy (ARD), Natural Resource Women Platform (NRWP) recently launched the Community Advocacy for Land and Livelihood Support (CALLS) project.
Launched under the theme: “Communities Defend human rights within rubber concession’ , the project will be implemented in Margibi, Bong and Grand Bassa Counties working with communities in defending human rights on rubber plantations.
Almost half (46%) of investors surveyed in sub-Saharan Africa have experienced disputes with local communities over land, new research from the ODI and TMP Systems has found.
As part of an ongoing initiative to facilitate responsible land investment, experts have warned companies are failing to avoid serious risks both to themselves and local communities, even though it makes financial sense to do so.
The European Investment Bank has large investments in Nepal, with four projects in its energy sector, but has done little to stop rights violations.
ReconAfrica, a Canadian company exploring for oil and gas upstream of one of Africa’s most lush and wildlife-rich habitats, may have fraudulently misled investors by misrepresenting its work on the project, according to several experts and allegations in a whistleblower complaint filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Demand for funds which cherry pick investments with strong environmental, social or governance (ESG) credentials has surged in recent years.
Many of these funds include terms such as 'ethical' or 'impact' in their names. But what do these words actually mean?
Below is a glossary of the key terms often used to describe investment styles and processes.
SUSTAINABLE/RESPONSIBLE INVESTING
(Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The European Investment Bank (EIB) has pledged to address gaps in the implementation of a power project in Nepal, handing a rare victory to indigenous groups and local communities who had raised concerns about being uprooted from their land.
A complaint by Nepali civil society groups had pointed to inadequate analysis of environmental and social impacts of the Marsyangdi Corridor Transmission Line project, and a failure to consult with local communities and obtain their consent.
From 9-12 November 2020, 450 finance institutions from around the world will gather(link is external) for the first international meeting of public development banks, dubbed the “Finance in Common” summit, hosted by the French government. The institutions, which range from the World Bank to the China Development Bank, collectively spend $2 trillion a year on so-called development projects — roads, power plants, agribusiness plantations and more.
Zimbabwe plans to select a financial adviser by Christmas to help it raise US$3.5 billion to compensate white farmers, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube says.
Resolving the issue is seen as crucial to restoring Zimbabwe’s relations with Western nations and multilateral lenders, including the U.S. and the International Monetary Fund, which have imposed sanctions on the country’s leaders and frozen financial assistance.
THE weather outlook is favourable to Zimbabwe’s efforts to increase food production but economic challenges, aggravated by the coronavirus (COVID-19), could adversely affect yields.
The rainfall outlook for the November 2020-January 2021 period points to a higher probability of above-normal rainfall, which according to experts points to conducive conditions for the 2021 cereal crops.
However, the increased risk of excessive rainfall and flood damage is another lingering concern.
The Doing Business Report (DBR) has been “paused” by the World Bank after acknowledging a number of “irregularities” in the data used.
The report—used to drive policy and regulatory changes favorable to businesses and corporations—ranks countries on the “ease of doing business.”
This suspension comes less than two years after the World Bank’s then-Chief Economist, Paul Romer, exposed the manipulation of DBR data to support right-wing governments in Chile.