World Bank Board silent on Guatemala dam investigation

08.04.2020: Today the Bretton Woods Observer published a news story about the Barillas dam project in Guatemala, where local communities continue to demand remedy from the International Finance Corporation.

Noting that the World Bank’s Board met in February 2020 to discuss a Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) investigation report into the project, the article notes ‘This marks the first time the board has asked to review the outcome of a CAO case ahead of publication, as normally investigations are only reviewed by management of the World Bank Group before they are made public. At the time of publication, neither the CAO’s investigation, completed in 2018, nor IFC management’s action plan responding to the investigation, have been made public.’

The article quotes Kate Geary from Recourse, who has been working to support local communities for several years.

‘Kate Geary from Netherlands-based CSO Recourse said, “This gives the board an opportunity to do the right thing: to ensure that any breaches of IFC standards found by the CAO are addressed effectively by IFC to remedy the harms that communities continue to suffer to this day.”’

Read the full article here.