Cana Brava Project Activity Timeline

10 January 2004

2003

• On April 7, the IIM Roster member appointed to review the request for investigation of the project submitted his report indicating that the complaint is substantive and not frivolous, and consequently meets the procedural requirements for application of the Mechanism.
• On May 10, Bank Management submitted a response to the request and asked the consulting Roster member to consider whether to recommend an investigation to the Board of Executive Directors.
• As of August, despite assurances from the eligibility mission team to project claimants that the case would be recommended for full investigation, no further information has been provided to the claimants on the current status of investigation approval by the IIM. Claimants are concerned that the approval of their case may be stalled until a separate review of the project currently being conducted by the IDB’s Private Sector Department (PRI) is completed, despite the fact that the IIM Coordinator assured the claimants that the two processes would be completely independent.
• On September 5, the IDB website acknowledged the Cana Brava inspection request process for the first time.

2002

• In January and February, the Cana Brava reservoir is filled, and transmission lines connecting the hydroelectric facility with the Serra da Mesa substation are completed. Power generation begins.
• In April, the Tocantins River unexpectedly floods the reservation of the avas-canoeiros people, despite studies conducted by Gerasul that showed the Tocantins would not overrun its banks.
• On May 30, MAB and the Brazilian NGO Rede Brasil file a request for inspection of the Cana Brava project by the IDB’s Independent Investigation Mechanism (IIM).
• MAB and Rede Brasil initially receive no response from the IDB acknowledging receipt of their inspection request. When pressed, the IIM coordinator at the IDB claims the letter requesting investigation did not contain any return address, making it impossible to acknowledge its receipt.
• A phone call is “received” by the IIM Coordinator, via an already-dialed cell phone handed over by a project manager, in which the “caller” claims to be from MAB and states that they no longer wish to pursue the investigation.
• On August 20, MAB sends another request to the IDB for support of the inspection claim. Again, there is no acknowledgement of receipt of the request by the IDB.
• In November, six months after the original request was filed, the IDB finally sends a mission to Brasilia to confirm that the inspection request complies with requirements for applicability of the IIM. Approximately 200 people protest outside the IDB Brasilia office, and affected people meet with the IIM coordinator, the IDB Brazil Country Director, the head of the Private Sector Department, and Iglesias (via teleconference), asking for clarity on the IIM’s requirements and procedures.
• The IDB’s IIM Coordinator finally promises to move forward with a preliminary investigation of the allegations raised in the request. The IDB also promises to hold an additional meeting with project affected people, a Brazilian government agency and the project sponsor, and invites several affected people to Washington DC for an additional hearing. Although the IDB originally suggests holding this hearing in December, the Bank has yet to schedule it as of early March 2003.

2001

• On March 17, affected families block access to the project work site to call attention to their lack of equitable compensation.
• On June 21, members of three Brazilian NGOs again send a letter to Iglesias, calling attention to the inadequate compensation negotiation process and demanding increased IDB staff involvement and oversight of the process. Again, there is no response from Iglesias.
• On October 11, Project leaders receive “Best Project Team” award from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for their “outstanding work with civil society.”
• On October 30, approximately 350 dam-affected people occupy Tractebel headquarters in Rio de Janeiro in protest of subsidiary Gerasul’s involvement in the Cana Brava project construction.

2000

• On March 14, the International Rivers Network (IRN) sends a letter to IDB President Enrique Iglesias calling attention to severe environmental and social impacts of the dam and inadequate compensation efforts.
• On March 23, IRN receives a response letter from CEM, the project sponsor, although the original letter did not go to the company.
• On May 31, over two months after the initial letter was sent, IRN receives a response letter from Ms. Muni Figueres of the External Relations Department of the IDB, although the original letter had been sent to Iglesias.
• On June 15, the Movement of Dam-Affected Peoples (MAB), sends a letter to Iglesias re-iterating the concerns of the affected populations and calling attention to the inadequate compensation measures.
• On June 22, MAB receives a response letter from CEM, although again the original letter did not go to the company. Iglesias sends no response letter.

1999

• Construction of the Cana Brava dam begins in May.