CALL FOR REVISION OF ADB SAFEGUARD POLICY STATEMENT PRIOR TO CONTINUED PUBLIC CONSULTATION PROCESS

Unacceptable Weakening of ADB Environmental and Social Standards

Concerns regarding Proposed Continuation of Public Consultations Based on Deeply Flawed and Incomplete Documentation

PRESIDENT KURODA

President, Asian Development Bank

February 7th 2008

Dear President Kuroda,

It is with concern and disappointment that we feel it necessary to write to you and the Board of the ADB directly to raise our significant problems with the on-going Safeguard Policy Update. As detailed in the appended letter to the SPU team, we believe that the public consultation draft for the new Safeguard Policy Statement (released in October 2007) is regressive and damaging.

We have provided detailed critiques of the current draft to the SPU team and have provided detailed and extensive recommendations and suggestions to the SPU team in regards to the design and conduct of the public consultations currently being held.

We are requesting that the ADB halt the process of the Safeguard Policy Update and request your resident safeguard specialists with years of experience in safeguard standard development and application to redraft the Safeguard Policy Statement and associated appendices. Further, we request that the reformulated draft is then released for public consultation of a form, process and content that is commensurate with international good practice in policy formulation. We will not be able to participate in the process of updating this safeguard framework until such a redrafting is undertaken.

This is not a decision that we take lightly, and we have provided extensive information and input into the process to date as part of our commitment to work for the betterment of the peoples of the Asia Pacific region.

We look forward to your response,

Regards,

NGO Forum on the ADB, Manila, Philippines

Bangla Praxis, Bangladesh

Global Focus on the South, Bangkok, Thailand

Solidaritas Perempuan, Indonesia

Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), Jakarta, Indonesia

Oxfam Australia

Bank Information Centre, United States of America

Forest Peoples Programme, UK

Environmental Defense, USA

Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT), Sikkim, India

National Forum of Forest People & Forest Workers, India

Centre for Environmental Justice, Sri Lanka

International Accountability Project (IAP), USA

International Rivers, USA

Urban Research Centre, Bangalore, India

Rural Reconstruction Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal

Least Developed Countries (LDC) Watch, Nepal

South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE)

Irshad Abbasov, Ecological Renaissance Galina Chernova, Globus

Saodat Saidnazarov, Kalam

Himalayan and Peninsular Hydro-Ecological Network (HYPHEN)

Ecological Society Green Salvation, Kazakhstan

Umeedenao Citizen Community Board, Pakistan

EcoCentre of Tajikistan, Tajikistan

Sri Lanka Green Movement, Sri Lanka

Oil Workers Rights Protection Organization Public Union Azerbaijan

Asienhaus, Germany

Environmental Law Center "Armon", Tashkent, Republic of Uzbekistan

Nadi, Indonesia

Rural Development Services Centre, Vietnam

Indian Confederation of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples North East Zone, Guwahati, Assam, NE India

Orissa Marine Resource Conservation Consortium (OMRCC), India

Mekong Alumni Network, Chiang Mai University, Thailand

Association for Sustainable Human Development, Armania

Japan Center for a Sustainable Environment and Society (JACSES), Japan

Global Association for People and the Environment (GAPE), Canada

Water & Energy Users' Federation Nepal (WAFED)

Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO), Bangladesh

Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD) Azerbaijan

Urgewald, Germany

11.11.11 Coalition of the Flemish North-South Movement, Belgium

EQUATIONS, India

South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People, Delhi, India

River Basin Friends (NE), India

Rural Volunteers Centre, Akajan, Assam, India

Self Employed Boro Women's Association (SEBWA), Bijni, Assam, NE India

Arunachal Citizen's Right (ACR), Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, NE India

United Zo Indigenous Peoples, Aizawl, Mizoram, NE India

Nagaland Children's Home, Dimapur, Nagaland, NE India

Boroland Children's Home, Bijni, BTC, Assam, NE India

Borosa Onsai Afat (BOA), BTC, Assam, NE India

All Rabha Students'Union (ARSU), Goalpara, Assam, NE India

All Dimasa Students' Union (ADSU), NC Hills, Assam, NE India

All Rabha Women's Council (ARWC), Goalpara, Assam, NE India

Diphupar Naga Students' Union, Dimapur, Nagaland, NE India

Mainao Welfare Society, Bijni, Assam, NE India

Society for Aie Valley and Manas Area Road and Communication Development, Santipur, Assam, NE India

Rege-regang, Kokrajhar, BTC, Assam, NE India

Progressive Mother and Child Care Mission, Dhaligaon, BTC, Assam, NE India

Panbari Alongbar Harimu Afat, Panbari, BTC, Assam, NE India

Dimas People's Council, Haflong, NC Hills, Assam, NE India

Boro People's Welfare Society, Kokrajhar, BTC, Assam, NE India

Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, Badwani, Madhya Pradesh, India

Both Ends, The Netherlands

Mushtaq Gaadi, MAUJ, Pakistan

Parviz Umarov , Tajikistan

Dana Sadykoa, Karaganda Ecological Museum, Kazakstan

FIVAS, Association for International Water Studies, Norway

CC:

Board of Executive Directors of the Asian Development Bank

Posted by dcjaya at February 12, 2008 11:00 PM