BICECA | Bank Information Center: Monitoring the projects and policies of the World Bank, IMF and other international financial institutions


bicusa.org/biceca Home Regions Latin AmericaBICECA BICECA: Building Informed Civic Engagement for Conservation in the Andes-Amazon Overview Key Issues Problem Projects Updates Resources RSS Press Clipping \| 19 March 2010 IDB arrives at Cancun meeting weakened by poor management Severe doubts have been raised by some of the IDB's own members regarding Luis Alberto Moreno's management. Read more Press Clipping \| 3 March 2010 Egasur dispuesta a pagar US$ 200 millones de compensación para desarrollar central de Inambari Read more Update \| 18 March 2010 Tip Sheet: Inter-American Development Bank’s 2010 Annual Meeting in Cancun A coalition comprised of more than 100 civil society groups from 20 countries are attending the IDB's Annual Meetings in Cancun, Mexico this week seeking answers from Bank Governors and Executives on crucial reforms that must be discussed before a Board vote on a multi-billion dollar capital increase. Read more Press Clipping \| 18 March 2010 Brazil and Argentina oppose reelection of Luis Alberto Moreno Brazilian Minister of Finance, Guido Mantega: "we will propose at the meeting that the IDB elect a new administration that is more efficient and beneficial to the region". "Our joint evaluation is that his performance has been unsatisfactory". Read more Press Clipping \| 18 March 2010 Moreno’s management questioned as IDB funding increase pared While Moreno prays for "white smoke" at the IDB Annual Meetings in Cancun, both critics within the Bank and civil society offer sharp criticism of the leader's performance. Read more Update \| 17 March 2010 The challenge of transparency in the construction of megaprojects This article is based on an investigation of the Puerto Suárez - Santa Cruz Bi-Oceanic Corridor conducted by a team of professionals from the Center of Applied Studies of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CEADESC) in Bolivia. The investigation is centered on transparency policies applied in the management and development of mega-infrastructure projects within the IIRSA integration initiative in South America, and aims to ignite a debate between civil society and the various international actors that finance IIRSA. The CEADESC study shows that this debate can only take place within a wider discussion about the interrelation between development policy, democracy and human rights given that each one of these dimensions is a condition for advancement of the others. Read more Update \| 9 March 2010 Programa CAF/INRENA Read more Update \| 10 March 2010 Read more Update \| 8 March 2010 Estudios de Impacto Socio Ambiental del Corredor Vial Interoceánico Sur Read more Update \| 8 March 2010 World Bank recapitalization update - “New world – same World Bank” The proposed capital increases for the World Bank and IFC would expand their size without expanding the scope of their reform. Read more Press Clipping \| 3 March 2010 Peru: Relocating entire villages for mines, dams Hundreds of Peruvian communities were displaced as they fled the 1980-2000 civil war. Today the government is pushing for urgent passage of a law that would facilitate the relocation of entire villages or neighbourhoods in mineral or energy-rich areas. Read more Press Clipping \| 1 March 2010 Puno mining authorities against Inambari hydroelectric dam “In our capacity as regional authorities, we have conducted a technical analysis of this project and we will not endorse it, because this project will only benefit Brazil” stated Víctor Paredes Argandeña, regional director of Energy and Mining in Puno. Read more Press Release \| 27 February 2010 Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Bid for 200% Capital Increase in Jeopardy IDB Board of Governors Urged to Address Civil Society Concerns During Upcoming March 2nd Meeting in Washington, DC Read more Press Clipping \| 26 February 2010 IDB provides grant for Peru’s national waterway plan Read more Press Clipping \| 22 February 2010 No Justice for Indians in Amazon Massacre Eight months have passed since the bloody confrontation between police and local protestors in Bagua over decrees passed by the Peruvian government that opened up indigenous land in the rainforest to oil, mining and logging companies, resulting in the death of 12 policemen and at least 10 indigenous demonstrators. Nevertheless, two falsely accused demonstrators remain behind bars, while no policemen have been charged for the deaths of the protestors. Read more Update \| 20 February 2010 No More of the Same - the Search for Governance 0n the Southern Interoceanic Highway Read more Update \| 17 February 2010 IDB Governor Accountability in Question as IDB Cruises Toward Cancun Recapitalization Request More than 100 civil society organizations from 18 countries stepped up pressure on the IDB by submitting a letter to the Board of Governors demanding Transparency and Evidence of Structural Reforms before the approval on the Capital Increase in Cancun, Mexico. Read more Press Clipping \| 16 February 2010 Brazil, Argentina say IADB failing Latin America Brazil and Argentina called on Friday for reforms at the Inter-American Development Bank, saying the regional lender had failed to understand the needs of Latin America during the global financial crisis. Read more Press Clipping \| 13 February 2010 US-HAITI: The IDB Loan that Wasn't – Part 1 Read more Update \| 12 February 2010 The New Extractivism in South America So-called extractivism, which includes mineral and oil exploitation, has a long history in Latin America. Current exports have been nourished by extractivist activities. Extractivism has continued to play a key role in national economies. It has also occupied a place at the center of powerful struggles because of its economic, social, and environmental impacts. Read more Press Clipping \| 12 February 2010 Unasur pledges 300 m USD for Haiti The Union of South American Nations, Unasur, leaders agreed Tuesday to provide 300 million US dollars in aid to Haiti at a summit in Ecuador which left aside regional disputes that have undermined relations since 2008. Read more Press Clipping \| 11 February 2010 Madeira: Brasil Public Ministry Hears Bolivian Grievances on Effects of Dam Read more Update \| 9 February 2010 A debate on energy agreement with Brazil is requested Without transparency the energy agreement would be less accountable Read more Press Clipping \| 7 February 2010 Brazil, Argentina To Take IDB Reform Proposal To G-20 Brazil and Argentina will present a proposal for reform of the Inter-American Development Bank at the next meeting of G-20 nations, Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega said Friday, according to the Estado news agency. Read more Press Clipping \| 6 February 2010 HAITI: U.S. Lawmakers, NGOs Call for Debt Cancellation On the eve of Friday's meeting by G7 finance ministers in Iqaluit, Canada, 94 members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner that also called for 'the provision of assistance to Haiti in the form of grants so that the country does not accumulate additional debts. Read more Update \| 6 February 2010 Civil Society Organizations and Academics Warn Against Peru-Brazil Energy Treaty Read more Press Clipping \| 5 February 2010 Brazil Gives Green Light to World's Third Largest Dam Despite Kayapo protests over flawed consultation process, IBAMA has granted a preliminary license to move forward with the 11,000 MW - $20 billion Belo Monte hydroelectric dam. Brazilian government officials have threatened the Para Public Ministry not to bring lawsuits to block the dam. Read more Press Clipping \| 3 February 2010 Brazilian Constructor OAS Offers $100 mn for Inambari in 2009 Read more Update \| 3 February 2010 World Bank Amazon Dieback Study Predicts Greater Probability & Severity of Biome Collapse "The World Bank released a study that finally put the impacts of climate change, deforestation and fires together. The tipping point for the Amazon is 20 percent deforestation," and that is "a scary result," Tom Lovejoy, a member of the external review panel for the report, told Tierramérica in an interview. The study, "Assessment of the Risk of Amazon Dieback," released Jan. 22, drew on the expertise of several international research institutions, including Japan's Meteorological Research Institute, Britain's Exeter University, Brazil's Centre for Weather Forecasting and Climate Change (CPET/INPE), Germany's Potsdam Institute and Earth3000. Read more Press Release \| 1 February 2010 Indigenous Federation of Madre de Dios Says No to Inambari Dam The principal indigenous federation of the Madre de Dios region of Peru issued a press release rejecting the proposed construction of the Inambari dam and call for the immediate suspension of the project. Read more Press Release \| 28 January 2010 The Desired Future of the Peruvian Amazon 2021? Book Launch: Jan. 26 & 27, 2009 - Lima, Peru: Peruvian Amazon in 2021-Infrastructure and the Exploitation of Natural Resources: What is happening and what does it mean for the future? by Marc Dourojeanni, Alberto Barandiarán y Diego Dourojeanni is a publication in which the authors fill a informational gap that exists for Peruvian citizens regarding what the government and private investors plan to do in the coming decade in the Peruvian Amazon. Read more Press Clipping \| 27 January 2010 Peru lacks Amazon development plan Expert in envrionmental issues Marc Dourojeanni criticized Peru for its lack of an Amazon Development Plan and warned that the Peruvian jungle will experience irreversible changes if even a third of the planned projects are implemented over the next 12 years. Read more Press Clipping \| 26 January 2010 Hundreds will lose their schools if the Inambari dam is built, warns Regional Director of Education 19 educational institutions will be lost in the construction of the Inambari hydroelectric center, affecting 634 students if the government goes forward with the project, which will benefit Brazil. Read more Press Clipping \| 26 January 2010 “Inambari is a threat to human health" An interview with Roxana Torres Camacho, of the Association of Biologists of Puno, who asserts that the construction of the Inambari hydroelectric dam will not only spur the disappearance and death of plants and animals, but may even increase the spread of diseases among humans. Read more Press Clipping \| 22 January 2010 Candidates emerge to head Inter-American Development Bank Read more Update \| 22 January 2010 Glenn Ross Switkes (1951-2009) Read more Update \| 21 January 2010 2010 IDB Annual Meeting - Cancun All the latest news from the IDB Global Capital Increase (GCI-9) and the Annual Meetings taking place from March 19-23, 2010 Read more Press Clipping \| 20 January 2010 CAF approves another $200 million for Southern Interoceanic Highway The Andean Development Corporation (CAF) confirmed today that it has approved an additional loan of 200 million dollars for the implementation of the final phase of of sections 2, 3 and 4 of the Southern Interoceanic Highway (CVIS). The total cost of the project, originally set at $892 million in 2006 could now exceed $2 billion. Read more Update \| 1 January 2010 Esclusas del Complejo hidroeléctrico del río Madeira Read more Press Clipping \| 20 January 2010 Brazil, World Bank to promote water transport investment in 2010 Brazil's Ministry of Transport, in partnership with the National Departament of Infrastructure and Transport (DNIT) will begin to implement water transport projects over the next 20 years. The projects will be supported by the World Bank Strategic Waterway Plan. Read more Press Clipping \| 16 January 2010 Ecuador Minister Resigns Over Amazon Oil Project Fander Falconi was the third government official to resign over a plan to seek international donations of $3 billion over the next 10 years to keep an estimated 850 million barrels of heavy crude oil under the ground in the remote Yasuni National Park. Read more Update \| 1 January 2010 Lineas de transmisión (complejo del río Madeira) Read more Update \| 1 January 2010 AHE Guajará-Mirim Read more Update \| 1 January 2010 El complejo del río Madeira en los planes de infraestructura El complejo del Rio Madeira es un emprendimiento prioritario dentro de la iniciativa IIRSA y el Plan de Aceleramiento del Desarrollo (PAC) del gobierno brasilero. El complejo del río Madeira en los planes de infraestructura Read more Update \| 1 January 2010 Objetivos del Complejo Hidroeléctrico del rio Madeira Read more Update \| 1 January 2010 La cuenca del rio Madeira Read more Update \| 6 January 2010 Cronología del Complejo Hidroeléctrico del Rio Madeira Read more Update \| 10 January 2010 The Challenges of "Vivir Bien" - Living Well: Bolivian Debate Indigenous, university, academic and NGO organizations participated in the symposium on Vivir Bien within the V Latin American and Social Science Conference (CLASO) in La Paz, Bolivia. Read more Update \| 10 January 2010 CEADESC Informs on IIRSA Megaproject Impacts in Pando Workshop Indigenous and small farmer communities of Pando and Brazil participated in a workshop convened by CEADESC about the social and enviromental impacts of IIRSA megaprojects such as the Northern Corridor Highway, the Rio Madeira Hydroelectric Dams in late August, 2009 Read more Press Clipping \| 10 January 2010 Neighbors Challenge Energy Aims in Bolivia President Evo Morales’s leftist government, which has asserted greater control over some of South America’s most coveted natural gas reserves, is facing a challenge as neighboring countries move to achieve energy security by cutting their dependence on Bolivian gas supplies. New gas projects in Brazil and Argentina have come on line at a time when Mr. Morales is winning plaudits for a strong economy. Read more Update \| 1 January 2010 UHE Cachuela Esperanza Read more Update \| 1 January 2010 UHE Jirau Read more Update \| 4 January 2010 UHE Santo Antonio Read more Press Clipping \| 7 January 2010 Bolivia announces million dollar investment in infrastructure The road sector will be the main beneficiary with the unprecedented investment of U.S. $ 1 billion the government has budgeted for infrastructure during 2010 Read more Press Clipping \| 7 January 2010 Ecuador announces important projects for 2010 The government announced that this year will launch the construction of large projects such as the hydroelectric dam of Coca-Codo Sinclair and different opening of new roads. Read more Press Clipping \| 5 January 2010 Over a mile of new road Interoceanic collapsed without having been opened The construction company blames illegal mining, while the authorities blame the own construction company Read more Update \| 3 January 2010 Bolivia convenes Peoples Summit on Climate and the Rights of Nature The Plurinational Government of Bolivia has invited social movements, defenders of Mother Earth, scientists, academics, lawyers, government officials that want to work with their citizens to a World Peoples Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Nature to be held in Cochabamba, Bolivia from 20- 22 of Abril, 2010. Bolivia. Read more Press Clipping \| 30 December 2009 Brazil allocates first funds under plan to save the Amazon Brazil's Amazon Fund committed first $40 million to five NGO projects to reduce deforestation. Projects focus on monitoring, environmentally-responsible land use, forest protection, and payments for avoiding deforestation. Read more Update \| 22 December 2009 BIC signs letter congratulating IDB on sustainable transportation project BIC Executive Director Chad Dobson signed the letter to IDB president Luis Alberto Moreno after the approval of the San Francisco-Mocoa Alternate Road Construction Project. The letter notes how constructive dialogue with civil society led to many improvements in the project and encourages some of these commitments to be formalized during the general capital increase. Read more Press Clipping \| 19 December 2009 Brazil and Peru Deepen Interoceanic Integration Read more Press Clipping \| 16 December 2009 Peruvian police attack local population opposed to Amazon dam Last Saturday, elements of the Peruvian National Police violently suppressed residents of San Labán, Puno during a protest opposing the construction of the Inambari hydroelectric dam. Read more Press Clipping \| 15 December 2009 Lula & Alan García prioritize highway between Cruzeiro do Sul and Pucallpa The two presidents met in Lima on Friday during the seminar ‘Interoceanic Highway: a new link between Brazil and Peru”, to announce joint investments in road work linking Acre and the Pacific coast. Read more Press Clipping \| 14 December 2009 Amazon projects undercut Brazil's new green path Straddling one the Amazon's main tributaries and flanked by dense jungle, a construction pit the size of a small town bustles with bulldozers and nearly 10,000 workers blasting huge slabs of rock off the river bank. Read more Press Release \| 14 December 2009 BankTrack calls upon banks to help fight runaway climate change New position paper outlines hard choices banks must make if they wish to be part of the solution to the climate crisis Read more Press Clipping \| 5 December 2009 Brazil BR 319 Highway: Criticism and Praise - the Debate Continues A BBC crew traveled twelve days from Manaus to Porto Velho documenting the debate over the rehabilitation of the BR 319 Amazon Highway Read more Update \| 5 December 2009 CAF approves grant to prepare stage two mitigation project for Interoceanica Sur The government of Peru approved a resolution authorizing the use of a non-reimbursable technical cooperation from the CAF to begin the design of second generation project to mitigate the direct and indirect impacts of the Southern Interoceanic Highway. Read more Update \| 4 December 2009 Prince of Wales Rainforests Project Features Madeira River Dams Read more Press Clipping \| 3 December 2009 Carbon scam: the Noel Kempff project in Bolivia Greenpeace recently released a report which illustrates clearly why REDD offset projects will neither address climate change nor stop deforestation. The report, “Carbon Scam: Noel Kempff Climate Action Project and the Push for Sub-national Forest Offsets“, looks in detail at the Noel Kempff Climate Action Project in Bolivia. Read more Press Clipping \| 3 December 2009 Ecuador: the Amazon's dirty war In the Ecuadorean Amazon basin our thirst for oil has triggered an eco-disaster: wholesale pollution and catastrophic cancer rates. And a bloody turf war has broken out. Ecuador is taking a survival plan to the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference. But will western governments listen? Read more Press Clipping \| 3 December 2009 No-shows among South American leaders at Amazon summit Read more Press Clipping \| 1 December 2009 García encourages more hyrdoelectric dams The Peruvian head of state reiterated the country's need to become a great energy power in South America. Read more Press Clipping \| 30 November 2009 IDB approves funds for Misicuni hydroelectric project The Bolivian government and IDB have signed funding agreements totaling US$262mn to finance a number of development initiatives in the country, according to a communications official at IDB's Bolivian office. Read more Press Clipping \| 30 November 2009 Brazil: Development bank funds destructive projects, say activists Public money in Brazil is being used by the state development bank to finance deforestation projects and others that trample rights, concentrate wealth, and encourage "imperialist" expansion of large national companies, according to activists at a three-day meeting in Rio de Janeiro. Read more Update \| 28 November 2009 IDB rejects CSO concerns over IIRSA Corridor in Peru IDB President Moreno evades definitive response to observed socio-environmental threats caused by IIRSA project, Road Interconnection, Pucallpa-Cruzeiro do Sul (Peru-Brazil). Read more Press Release \| 28 November 2009 BNDES ignores advice of bank-affected population Frustration. That was the sentiment felt by the representatives of those impacted by BNDES-financed projects. The group of social leaders met with the institution's president, Luciano Coutinho at bank headquarters, on November 25, however the meeting did not result in the acknowledgement of any of their claims. Read more Press Clipping \| 28 November 2009 ¿Lula Suggests to Evo that both work to favor Brazilian companies? Saturday the 22 of August in Villa Tunari, Cochabamba, an agreement between Bolivia and Brasil was finalized to build a highway between Cochabamba (Villa Tunari) and Beni (San Ignacio de Moxos). Highway to Beni: Villa Tunari - San Ignacio de Moxos Read more Press Clipping \| 27 November 2009 Bolivia: Presidential Candidates Have No Plans to Confront Brazilian Dams Read more Press Clipping \| 27 November 2009 Colonization Settlements are Consolidated in Pando Read more Press Release \| 27 November 2009 Civil Society Presents Proposal for Reform of the Southern Interoceanic Highway Read more Press Clipping \| 27 November 2009 The Bolivian Government Plans to Invest in 13 Hydroelectric Projects The Bolivian state intends to recover its dominant role in the electricity sector through the execution of 13 large and medium size energy generation projects through the national Electricity Company (ENDE) with a planned investment of between $ 5.5 and 6 billion. Read more Press Clipping \| 27 November 2009 The Evaluation of Health Impacts of the Madeira Hydrolectric Dams Read more Press Clipping \| 25 November 2009 Regional development bank Banco del Sur created Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela signed an agreement on Monday inaugurating a new regional development bank which will lend only to member countries for projects implemented in South America. Read more Press Clipping \| 25 November 2009 Peru and Brazil to sign deal on waterways The project, to be signed next December, will allow both countries to take advantage of transport via the Huallaga, Marañón and Amazon rivers. Read more Press Clipping \| 24 November 2009 Messing around with dams The Inambari dam would flood 120 km of the Interoceanic Highway, on which upgrading work has already begun. It seems that in both Peru and Brazil the ministries of transport and of energy don’t talk to each other. Read more Update \| 23 November 2009 Conservationists Fight Proposed Amazon Road "The new roads and waterways have to be built, but built in compliance with local communities looking for protection of the forest," said Marina Silva, a senator from the western Brazilian state of Acre, and the country's former environment minister. Read more Press Clipping \| 18 November 2009 Bribery for Inambari exposed An investigation by the Brazilian daily Folha de Brasil revealed the involvement of ex-Minister of Mining and Energy Silas Rondeau in a bribery scandal favoring the Brazilian company Engevix for the construction of six hydroelectric centers in Peru at a cost of US$ 16 billion. Read more Press Clipping \| 17 November 2009 Puno residents express opposition to the construction of Inambari hydroelectric dam Documents from the informational forum held in Madre de Dios stated that the hydroelectric center's reservoir would flood all territory below 540 meter above sea level, covering approximately 410 square kilometers. Read more Press Clipping \| 17 November 2009 Funding resources for water in Latina America, IBD, Spain and Netherlands take the lead Latin American water crises require bold investments and strategic alliances, IDB president says. Luis Alberto Moreno warns about impact of climate change on key sectors of region's economy; highlights sustainable solutions. Latin America is facing multiple water crises with far-reaching consequences for health, food security, renewable energy sources and export competitiveness, Moreno said today. Read more Press Clipping \| 16 November 2009 IDB and World Bank to invest US$ 43 million in plans for hydro basins in Peru The Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank will invest in the development of six hydrological basins, located in mining areas around the country during the next five years, according to the coordinator of the hydrological resource management modernization project of the National Water Authority (ANA). Read more Press Clipping \| 16 November 2009 Chaglla hydroelectric center in Huánuco to be built with investment of US$ 600 million According to studies, the Chaglla hydroelectric center will have an installed potential of 360 MW and its construction could begin as early as the second trimester of 2010. Read more Update \| 13 November 2009 IIRSA: Development for business, an attack on lives The following video was presented to the Inter-American Comission on Human Rights in Washington, protesting the construction of mega-projects financed by the World Bank and IDB. Read more Press Clipping \| 10 November 2009 Madre de Dios: Buried in Mercury A flight over the forest between Madre de Dios and Puno provides a panoramic view of the devastation: thousands of tons of removed soil and forests that have disappeared or been buried beneath waste left by years of intense and illegal gold mining activity in the Amazon. Read more Update \| 10 November 2009 Report Identifies Racial Inequality in IDB Projects and Employment A new report prepared by GAP shows that the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the most important multilateral lender to Latin America, fails to promote racial equality adequately. The issue affects the identification, preparation, and implementation of IDB programs and projects in the region, as well as the Bank’s hiring, retention, and promotion practices. Read more Press Release \| 10 November 2009 OAS CIDH Tracks Impacts of Megadams in Latin America AIDA, International Rivers, and IMDEC present evidence of human rights violations from dams. Read more Press Clipping \| 10 November 2009 Madeira Rivers Dams Denounced OAS CIDH Read more Update \| 10 November 2009 $100 Billion Recapitalization of BNDES makes it the largest development bank in Latin America Read more Press Clipping \| 10 November 2009 Indigenous groups file claim against IIRSA Indigenous groups from Bolivia, Brazil and Peru filed a case against their respective governments Nov. 2 in the Washington-based Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, alleging that the Initiative for the Integration of Regional Infrastructure in South America, or IIRSA, is causing collective human rights violations against their communities. Read more Update \| 8 November 2009 Obama memo on implementing State duty on consultation of indigenous peoples Within 90 days, all US federal agencies must submit a plan for implementation of regular, meaningful, previous consultation processes with indigenous peoples. Read more Update \| 5 November 2009 DPLs now over half of World Bank lending: Gaping hole in transparency and accountability In 2009, Development Policy Operations increased dramatically as a percentage of overall World Bank lending, from an average of about 33% to over 50%. Dogged by concerns that stem from a lack of a strong set of safeguard policies or clear results, this shift to greater dependence on DPLs/DPOs raises concerns about arbitrage by Bank clients to soften or avoid transparency and accountability commitments. Read more Update \| 5 November 2009 World Bank recapitalization conditioned on reforms The World Bank is quietly preparing the first capital increase in nearly 20 years to replenish the coffers after unprecedented lending in 2008 and the coming two years. Read more Press Release \| 5 November 2009 IDB GCI consultation at early crossroads Guadalajara Civil Society Meetings in Guadalajara, Mexico open with increased demands for consultation process accountability, transparency guarantees. Good faith participation by CSOs rests on Bank decision to disclose and discuss a second draft of the proposed revisions to the Independent Consultation and Inspection Mechanism (ICIM). Read more Update \| 3 November 2009 Belo Monte hydro auction in Brazil to take place on December 21 Environmental agency Ibama will still have to issue the final permission for Belo Monte construction. Read more Press Clipping \| 3 November 2009 Feasibility contract for Shushufindi thermo project in Ecuador is to be awarded by end of November Output would help cover demand in Francisco de Orellana and Sucumbíos provinces as well as oil sector demand. Read more Update \| 3 November 2009 Indigenous leaders denounce IIRSA megaprojects that violate the rights of Mother Earth The Confederación Andina de Organizaciones Indígenas de Perú (CAIO), the Organización Indígena Chiquitana de Bolivia (OICH), el Centro de Estudios Aplicados a los Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales de Bolivia (CEADESC), Comunidades Nativas de Pueblos Indígenas de Rondonia de Brasil and Indian Law Resource Center today denounced various IIRSA projects at the Inter-American Court for Human Rights in Washingtion DC for the violation of the right to free and prior informed consent of indigenous peoples. Read more Update \| 3 November 2009 Flor de Ucayali affected by Pucallpa – Cruzeiro de Sul segment of IIRSA The 220 km IIRSA project will cut through territory of the indigenous communities of Flor de Ucayali and others in the Iskonahua Territorial reserve. Indigenous groups have expressed concern over the consequences forced contact could have on these groups, which live in voluntary isolation. Read more Update \| 3 November 2009 ALBA Approves Special Declaration About the Rights of Mother Earth Read more Press Release \| 2 November 2009 Inter-American Commission on Human Rights examines impacts oflarge dams in Latin America Read more Press Clipping \| 29 October 2009 US$ 34.7 million approved for environmental licensing automation The legal council of the Ministry of Environment of Brazil approved last Wednesday a financing package of 34.7 million dollars for the National Environmental Program (PNMA). 24.3 million will be provided by the World Bank (IBRD) and the rest will be financed by the Brazilian government. Read more Press Clipping \| 29 October 2009 Ecuador President says rich world should pay poor countries not to pollute "Climate change has been produced principally by the rich countries, but it most affects the countries of the third world," President Rafael Correa said in London. Read more Press Clipping \| 26 October 2009 Brazilian Firm Threatens Other Six Dams if Inambari Fails Read more Press Clipping \| 26 October 2009 Brazil Transport Ministry Costs Reflect Focus on Large Projects The General Director of the National Department of Transport Infrastructure (Dnit), Luiz Antônio Pagot, requested an increase of R$ 1.2 billion in his 2010 budget solely for mitigating socio-environmental costs caused by projects carried out by the department. According to Pagot, the costs of managing social and environmental impacts have been growing among highway projects during the last few years. Read more Press Clipping \| 26 October 2009 New project will divert waters from Huallaga and Marañón rivers to the Santa River basin The “Corina” megaproject will require a total investment of US$ 10 billion, to be provided by the central government and private capital sources. Read more Press Clipping \| 25 October 2009 IDB to finance road maintenance and improvement program in Peru A $150 million loan will help expand and refurbish the road network, putting the country on a stronger economic footing. Read more Press Clipping \| 25 October 2009 Proinversión oks auction for hydroelectric energy purchase On October 12, the Agency for Promotion of Private Investment (ProInversión) approved contract bidding for purchase of energy from hydroelectric centers, which are expected to begin supply between 2013 and 2015, stated Executive Director Cayetana Aljovín. Read more Press Clipping \| 25 October 2009 Camisea partners meet with Alan García Investors promise to address the growing demand for gas in Peru. Read more Press Clipping \| 25 October 2009 Peru Energy Minister Does Not Convince Congress on Gas Shortages The Minister was questioned by Congress on persistent complaints about a gas shortage on the local market. Now the Minister claims that there are 15 TCF in gas reserves, which will supply the internal market for a period of up to 27 years. Read more Press Clipping \| 25 October 2009 Informal Mining in Peru Moves up to $650 million Small and medium-scale mining in Peru are no longer artisan activities. They have become a veritable machinery complex, moving millions of dollars on the black market. The general director of Mining at the Ministry of Energy and Mines, Víctor Vargas, acknowledged that this activity is no longer exclusive to Puno and Madre de Dios, and has in fact extended throughout the entire country. Read more Press Clipping \| 25 October 2009 Bolivia announces Amazon development projects Bolivian President Evo Morales announced the implementation of several development projects in the Amazon department of Pando in hopes of making it a center of development in the country. Read more Press Clipping \| 25 October 2009 Rondonia State Assemby Seeks to Expedite Road Infrastructure Investment On June 5th, the Legislative Assembly of Rondônia convened a public hearing to seek alternatives for expediting resources amounting to approximately one billion reais, to be applied works directly on the federal highways in Rondônia. Read more Press Clipping \| 25 October 2009 Pasto-Mocoa: First Environmentally Sustainable Road The environmental license of the project was granted by MAVDT in December of 2008 and includes strict environmental standards that guarantee the protection of ecosystems affected by the highway. Read more Press Release \| 25 October 2009 Specialists question studies and vulnerability of Belo Monte Hydroelectric dam According to specialists, the unprecedented energy inefficiency of the project and the accelerated public hearing process demonstrate that the government and contractors will push for a large project at any cost. The Panel of Specialists warned the government and public about this grave mistake, whose real costs are unknown and whose environmental impact studies are incomplete. Read more Press Clipping \| 25 October 2009 Eletrobras eyes 9,000 MW project in Peru Eletrobras, Latin America’s largest electric utility, may build a $4.8 billion hydroelectric project in northern Peru, according to a government official interviewed by Bloomberg. Read more Press Clipping \| 25 October 2009 Ecuador Reactivates the Contruction of Coca-Codo Dam The hydroelectric project that will cost US$1.979 million will provide 75% of the electricity needs of the country. Read more Press Clipping \| 25 October 2009 Bolivia will invest US$5.000M in six hydroelectric dams The country plans to triple installed capacity with 3,290 MW of added hydroeletric power in the next 13 years in order to restrict thermoelectric power. Read more Press Clipping \| 25 October 2009 Jirau dam problems related to relocation After work was halted for 45 days, the licensee Sustainable Energy of Brazil, in charge of building the Jirau hydroelectric project on the Madeira River, is cautious about formalizing a request for an advance schedule for the entry into operation of the plant. The president of the company, Victor Paranhos, says it is entirely possible to begin generation of the first megawatts, but fears that new strikes could delay the work further. Read more Press Clipping \| 25 October 2009 IDB approves $1 billion credit line for Ecuador’s road network A first loan for $350 million to finance investments in key bridge, maintenance work, road safety Read more Press Clipping \| 24 October 2009 New Study Shows Dam in Brazil Amazon Would Be Social and Ecological Disaster A new independent review by a panel of 40 Brazilian experts show the true costs of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Project, planned for the Xingu River in the Brazilian Amazon. The panel found that the dam would have serious consequences for the region, its inhabitants, and ecosystems of the Amazon rainforest. Read more Update \| 24 October 2009 World Bank Brazil Project Seeks to Automate & Integrate Environmental Licensing With funding from the World Bank, the Brazilian Ministry of Environment is planning to expedite and integrate the environmental licensing processes now divided between Federal, State and Local authoriteis. In an effort to speed up large infrastructure with the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC), the move could lead to licensing regional of river basins. Read more Update \| 24 October 2009 Brazil Environment Ministers Wants to Facilitate Regional Licensing of Dams According to the executive secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Isabella Teixeira, the Brazilian Institute of Environment (IBAMA) is studying a way to streamline licensing by issuing regional licenses to address the country's increasing energy demands. Read more Update \| 24 October 2009 BNDES has invested $4.8 billion in the beef processing sector BNDES has invested close to $R 5 bilion in the last two years as shareholders in the largest beef shippers, including JBS Friboi and Bertin. In Bertin alone, BNDES has purchased 27% equity position. Read more Update \| 24 October 2009 Civilization in crisis and Living Well: "Vivir Bien" Education in the Context of Multiple Crises Read more Update \| 24 October 2009 "Vivir Bien" - The search for a new paradigm in Bolivia Read more Press Clipping \| 24 October 2009 Brazilian Settlements in Pando Awaken Tensions Lula and Evo coordinate the return of 1,000 Brazilians located in Pando. Some call for the defense of their lands. Read more Press Clipping \| 24 October 2009 EU Support to Bolivia Focuses on Chiquitania Region The Prefect of Santa Cruz, Rubén Costas, and EU ambassador Kenny Bell inaugurated 14 bridges, a viaduct and six road accesses. The projects were financed as part of the fourth section of the bioceanic corrdior Santa Cruz-Arroyo Concepción. Bolivia receives more European financial assistance than any other country in the region. Read more Press Clipping \| 24 October 2009 El Tinto-San José Section of SC-PS Highway Divided, Delayed Astaldi fined $6 million, Paraíso-El Tinto section also behind schedule Read more Update \| 20 October 2009 Construction of hydroelectric projects in the Amazon should protect national interests Declaration of the Peruvian College of Engineers (CIP) published in El Comercio October 19 Read more Update \| 20 October 2009 CIDOB and Cross-Cultural Bridges Foundation denounce IIRSA at Climate Justice Tribunal Read more Press Clipping \| 19 October 2009 Lula and Uribe promote Amazon country summit The two leaders are pushing for the meeting in hopes that "all countries in the region with Amazon territory arrive at the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen in December of this year with a unified strategy ", explained Lula da Silva. Read more Press Clipping \| 19 October 2009 International Climate Justice Tribunal begins its first hearing The tribunal will hold its first hearing in Cochabamba, Bolivia today, judging the multinationals and states responsible for global warming and violating the rights of the people and Mother Nature. Read more Update \| 19 October 2009 IDB Rush to Increase Capital Fails G-20 Stress Tests Read more Press Clipping \| 15 October 2009 ProInversión will approve conditions for concession of Section 2 of IIRSA Centro this Friday The Minister of Transport and Communications granted the company concession for Section 2 of the IIRSA Centro highway, which includes the stretch between the Ricardo Palma Bridge (Lima) - La Oroya (Junín) and La Oroya - Huancayo. Read more Press Clipping \| 12 October 2009 Inambari and Transparency The most worrying feature of the proposed Inambari hydroelectric project is the manner in which the central government has made the decision to build the dam, leaving at the margins of the decision making process regional and local authorities, civil society, and in particular, the inhabitants of the planned construction zones. Read more Press Clipping \| 12 October 2009 Catholic Bishops Criticize Amazon Infrastructure Projects At a congress in Manaus new hydroelectric and highway projects were questioned. Clergy members from the Catholic Church rmeeting in Brazil stated that the idea that indigenous peoples hinder economic development is false. Read more Update \| 10 October 2009 From No Man's Land to Land for All Pando on the one year anniversay of the Porvenir Massacre Read more Update \| 8 October 2009 World Bank and Camisea: A Missed Opportunity The problems of the Camisea I project should be more carefully examined before the IFC approves another $300 million loan in February for the Camisea II project. Read more Update \| 8 October 2009 Peru approves regulations for National Environmental Impact Assessment System Peru approves Law Nº 27446, which establishes a national Environmental Impact Assessment system Read more Press Clipping \| 8 October 2009 Eletrobras considering partnership in 800 Mw hydroelectric project in Guyana At a ceremony in Roraima, Lula announced that Minister of Mines and Energy, Edison Lobao and president of the Brazilian National Development Bank (BNDES), Luciano Coutinho will meet in Guyana in October to discuss the matter with Guyanese president Bharrat Jagdeo. Read more Update \| 8 October 2009 IFC Board Approves Gas Investment to Support Economic Growth in Peru Read more Press Clipping \| 8 October 2009 Troy is burning: Who will benefit from the Inambari hydroelectric project? “It's difficult to say whether Inambari or the other dams will represent a benefit to Peru. What is evident is that the construction of large dams on Amazonian rivers will have enormous economic repercussions in terms of foreign debt, and obviously extreme social and environmental impacts. The truth is that we are obligated to reflect on these impacts before embarking on construction”, said Marc Dourojeanni, consultant to the IDB. Read more Press Clipping \| 8 October 2009 CIP accused of altering conclusions of Inambari forum Sociedad Civil por la Carretera Transoceánica (SOCIT) accused the College of Engineers of Peru (CIP) of altering the final conclusions of the Regional Forum “Construction of the Inambari Hydroelectric Station", organized and hosted by the college August 28 and 29. Read more Press Clipping \| 8 October 2009 Cesar Hildebrandt calls for referendum before the construction of the Inambari Hydroelectric Station The renowed journalist stated on Pachamama Radio that the construction of the Inambari Hydroelectric Station should be decided through a referedum, given what he described as an attitude of conquest and disrespect toward local regions among authorities in Lima. Read more Press Clipping \| 8 October 2009 AFC: New credit to finance Southern Interoceanic Highway will reach US$200 million "We're working with the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) to work out the details of a new credit for the final stage of the project, which will be approved by the end of the year", stated AFC representative Eleonora Silva. Read more Press Clipping \| 8 October 2009 Inambari Hydroelectric Station could be given permanent concession National congresswoman Susana Vilca warned that granting definitive concession to the Inambari Hyrdoelectric Station to EGASUR would be permanent, as stipulated in the Law of Electric Concessions. Definitive concessions for the development of electric projects are granted for unspecified periods of time. Read more Press Clipping \| 7 October 2009 Conclusions from the Regional Forum “Construction of the Inambari Hydroelectric Station” In the Regional Forum “Construction of the Inambari Hydroelectric Station” which took place August 28 and 29, the College of Engineers of Peru reached some critical conclusions surrounding the proposed hydroelectric project. Read more Press Clipping \| 7 October 2009 Belo Monte project will cost R$16 billion The estimate, which does not consider transmission, includes the provision of tax exemptions, the cost of training of the Special Purpose Company (SPC) and the cost of insurance. "This was the value quoted to TCU as the result of a study on investment optimization" says Mauricio Tolmasquim, president of EPE. Read more Press Clipping \| 7 October 2009 Belo Monte: little energy for many damages Disregard of environmental impacts, lack of foresight on how to compensate the families who will be impacted by the work, and overestimation of energy and jobs that will be generated. According to investigators, prosecutors and civil society organizations, these are just some of the flaws in the Environmental Impact Assessment of the hydroelectric plant of Belo Monte, planned for construction on the Xingu River. Read more Press Clipping \| 7 October 2009 Large companies eye Belo Monte Companies such as Vale, Votorantim, CSN and Alcoa evaluate possible partnership in the venture. Read more Press Release \| 6 October 2009 PRESS RELEASE: IDB Rush to Increase Capital Fails G-20 Stress Tests The IDB must implement crucial reforms before a capital inrease is approved. Read more Update \| 2 October 2009 Open letter to Mr. Luis Alberto Moreno, President of IDB Civil Society outlines their concerns about socio-environmental impacts of the IIRSA project "Road Interconnection: Pucallpa-Cruzeiro do Sul" and demands that the IDB promote more transparency and public consultation in the IIRSA process. Read more Press Clipping \| 1 October 2009 COFIDE to contribute US$ 100 million to Joint Infrastructure Investment Fund of Peru Economy and Finance Minister Luis Carranza annouced today that the Development Finance Corporation (Cofide in Spanish) will contribute $100 million in capital to the Joint Infrastructure Investment Fund of Peru, created by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Andean Finance Corporation (CAF). Read more Press Clipping \| 1 October 2009 SEDEPAL recieves proposals from AFC and World Bank to guarantee next disbursement of bonds “Backing from AFC and the IFC would allow us to improve the structuring of bonds”, the Andean agency said today. Read more Update \| 30 September 2009 Open letter to Mr. Luis Alberto Moreno, president of the IDB In this letter, members of civil society outline the minimum conditions which they feel the Independent Consultation and Investigation Mechanism (ICIM) must meet. Read more Update \| 30 September 2009 Video of the Inambari Info Workshop, Mazuko Read more Press Clipping \| 30 September 2009 $ 600 million infrastructure fund created "The fund will be for cost-effective infrastructure projects. In Peru we have a deficit of between 7 and 10 billion dollars in infrastructure”, IDB director for Peru, Ana María Rodríguez told reporters. Read more Press Clipping \| 29 September 2009 Bank of the South Formalized, Aims to Expand to $20 Billion The Bank of the South, a project finance bank of South American countries, will start with $7 billion in capital and will grow to $20 billion, the Venezuelan Finance Minister said. Read more Press Clipping \| 28 September 2009 Guyana: Brazil Opens Gateway to Wider Caribbean Earlier this month, Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula DaSilva flew more than 1,600 kilometres from his base in Brasilia to a remote state on the Guyanese frontier to formally commission a border river bridge with his country's English-speaking neighbour. Read more Press Clipping \| 25 September 2009 Extension of Central Railroad will benefit projects of five mining companies The extension of the Central Railroad will benefit the investment projects of five mining companies. These companies, who anticipate an increase in production, say the train will facilitate transport of these products, according to the general manager of Cormin. Read more Press Clipping \| 25 September 2009 Natural gas reserves to be re-certified Camisea. The Ministry of Energy and Mining to hire a consultant. Natural gas reserve estimates have been updated since 2004, causing Congress to question a new certification. Read more Press Clipping \| 23 September 2009 Manifest Destiny in the Amazon Basin In this article from Americas Quarterly, Bruce Babbit questions the economic benefits of the Interoceanic Corridor as purported by the Brazilian government, noting that the project will essentially be financed by the Peruvian government. He highlights the disastrous environmental and social impacts the project will have on the Amazon Basin, calling for a plan for climate change mitigation as ambitious as the plan for regional integration. Read more Press Clipping \| 21 September 2009 Altamira hoping for progress Last year's termination of many logging activities in the region of Altamira of western Pará caused an estimated loss of 30 thousand jobs in an area where the number of inhabitants is less than 350 thousand. In a place with many prospects for job creation, many see the Belo Monte hydroelectric project as the solution to their problems. Read more Press Clipping \| 21 September 2009 Belo Monte to be site of Xingu River bypass and two worksites The bypass will reduce the volume of water in this part of the river considerably, having a large impact on the fauna and flora. There is also some concern that the forest will dry as well. Local leader José Carlos Arara says the environmental impact studies do not make clear how this project will affect the lives of Indians. Read more Update \| 17 September 2009 IDB begins consultation on Ninth Global Capital Increase Read more Update \| 16 September 2009 Conpes: “Highway Development of Southern Colombia” project vital to regional integration Colombia's Department of Planning announces a pledge of 796 billion pesos to finance a highway that would connect the cities of Tumaco, Pasto, Mocoa and Puerto Asís, part of the Regional Infrastructure Integration Initiative (IIRSA). The projects will be completed between 2010 and 2016. Read more Press Clipping \| 16 September 2009 Economic viability of Inambari hydroelectric dam will not be determined until June 2010 Because the Eletrobras-OAS and Furnas consortium of Brazil has not yet completed the feasability study for the project, Minister of Energy and Mining Pedro Sánchez, announced today that it will be June 2010 before the economic viability of construction of the Inambari hydroelectric center is determined. Read more Press Clipping \| 16 September 2009 Peru and Brazil working on legal framework for energy integration that benefits both countries Peruvian and Brazilian authorities made progress on the design of a legal framework which would help solidify an energy integration agreement that benefits both countries and not just one, said Mining and Energy Minister Pedro Sánchez. Read more Update \| 16 September 2009 BNDES looking for new sources of financing The National Development Bank of Brazil (BNDES) nearly quintupled its loan volume between 1997 and 2008, making it one of the largest development banks in the world. Last year, it disbursed loans in the amount of R$ 92.2 billion; as of July this year, it has already disbursed R$ 75.1 billion. Total 2009 loans could reach R$ 131 billion. Read more Update \| 15 September 2009 FENAMAD appeals for protection measures against Hunt Oil Company and Repsol in defense of the Amarak The Madre de Dios River Native Federation (FENAMAD) appealed for protectionist measures against hydrocarbon companies Hunt Oil Exploration and Repsol Exploración Perú, citing the eventual harm that would be caused to the communities that live near the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve. Read more Press Clipping \| 14 September 2009 Amazon peoples call for civil war against Inambari Native assembly denounces the construction of the Inambari hydroelectric dam, amid fears of being displaced from their land. They threatened a repetition of the tragic events of Bagua, where police and civilians were killed. Read more Press Clipping \| 14 September 2009 Jirau labor contractor keeps workers in slavelike conditions In a joint action by the Ministry of Labor (MPT) and the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE) in Rondonia, and with support from the federal police, 38 people registered in the State of Maranhão (in Parnarama) to work for Construtora BS in Jacy Paraná were rescued and have had their employment contracts terminated. Read more Press Clipping \| 14 September 2009 Electrobras will compensate Inambari impacts Read more Update \| 10 September 2009 The Inambari River Basin invaded by illegal gold miners Read more Update \| 10 September 2009 Position of the Peruvian College of Engineers on Inambari The College expressed its profound surprise at the disinterest shown by the Minister of Environment upon failing to attend the Forum, and urged the Minister of Energy and Mining to publicly release the Concession Contract and its outcomes, regarding both the economic and social effects as well as mitigation measures for the environmental impact of the reservoir. Read more Press Clipping \| 10 September 2009 Hydroelectric Projects in the Peruvian Amazon This article provides an overview of a bi-national agreement between Brazil and Peru to construct six hyrdoelecrtric dams in Peruvian territory. Specifically, it compares the proposed Inambari project to a strikingly similar deal signed in 1973 between Brazil and Paraguay, which has since had disastrous consequences for Paraguay. Read more Update \| 10 September 2009 New CAF Loan for Southern Interoceanic Highway in early 2010 The Andean Finance Corporation (CAF) is evaluating a new line of credit to finance the Southern Interoceanic Highway, which is to be approved early next year, CAF representative Elenora Silva reported today. Read more Press Clipping \| 10 September 2009 Inambari: A Policy of Having no Policy Jorge Molina, of the Institute of Hydraulics and Hydrology of Bolivia, during the Symposium “Sustainable Hydroelectric Development in the Amazon and the Madeira River Basin Case". He criticized the current policy of Amazon countries concerning hydroelectric activity, allowing the implementation of mega projects in areas where the social and environmental impacts outweigh the possible benefits of such projects. Read more Update \| 9 September 2009 Brazil and BNDES: The Threat of Development for the Amazon In this month's bulletin, we examine some of the concerns about whether the Bank’s and the Brazilian government’s policies address climate change issues and the social and environmental impacts of these projects. Read more Press Clipping \| 9 September 2009 Sina-Yanahuaya Highway: 33 km. of hope Interview with Esteban Espinoza Justo, a delegate of the National Coffee Board, coffee producer and law student about the demand for the construction of a highway bewteen the towns of Sina and Yanahuaya. Read more Update \| 9 September 2009 World Bank DPL to Brazil: Moving Money or Mainstreaming Environmental Sustainability? This article discusses the changing relationship between the Bank and Brazil within the context of a new $1.3 billion Development Policy Loan. It includes a review of the background and concerns associated with development policy lending since 2004, and then offers a detailed analysis of the Brazilian Sustainable Environmental Management (SEM) DPL. Read more Update \| 9 September 2009 Amazon Dieback Recent evidence suggests that there will be irreversible loss of up to 85% of the Amazon forests by 2100. Still, the prospect of Amazon die-back remains a somewhat misunderstood threat due to perceived uncertainty with the climate models, but also because of the lack of visibility by development institutions. Read more Update \| 9 September 2009 Amazon in Peril: Dams Threaten Rainforest Biodiversity With most of Brazil's future hydroelectric potential in the Amazon, the government is pressing for scores of dams to be built over the next 20 years. However, these dams could disturb the fragile water balance of the Amazon, accelerating the drying of the forest, and expelling thousands of river-bank dwellers from their lands. Read more Update \| 9 September 2009 Economic Efficiency: Environmental Risks and Costs of the Reconstruction of Rodovia BR-319. Executive Summary Read more Press Clipping \| 8 September 2009 Minam estimates US$ 200 million in environmental impacts caused by Inambari Dam The Ministry of Environment estimates US$200 million in environmetal impacts caused by the planned Inambari Hydroelectric Project. Read more Press Clipping \| 7 September 2009 Brazil Interested in Investing $500 million in Interoceanic Highway Regional president of Áncash, César Álvarez Aguilar, confirmed that the Brazilian government is interested in investing US$500 million in the construction of the Interoceanic Highway which will link the regions of Áncash, Huánuco and Ucayali. Read more Update \| 4 September 2009 Southern Interoceanic Highway Impacts: Better to know it now Read more Update \| 4 September 2009 Lula's Veto of PM 458 Considered by many to be a significant step towards protecting the Amazon forest, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva recently vetoed parts of one of the most important and controversial environmental bills in years. Read more Press Clipping \| 4 September 2009 Ministry of Economy and Finance approves external debt measure The loan will finance an environmental sustainability reform program in the country. Read more Press Clipping \| 4 September 2009 Environmental Minister questions the construction of two hydroelectric projects in the jungle Peruvian Environmental Minister Antonio Brack recommended cancelling the construction of two hydroelectric plants in Paquitzapango and Inambari. Read more Press Clipping \| 4 September 2009 Inambari: “If the negative impacts are too severe, the project will not go ahead" Evandro Roberto Miguel, president of the Inambari Project directive, Empresa de Generación Eléctrica Amazonas Sur of Brazil quoted at a recent event in Puno, discussing the pros and cons of the Inambari Hydroelectric Dam. Read more Update \| 4 September 2009 Regarding the Inambari Dam We continue our dicussion on energy; this time with a few lines about Inambari and the energy deal with Brazil. Read more Press Clipping \| 4 September 2009 BNDES will need to be recapitalized after Petrobras capital increase says Energy Minister Brazil's national development bank BNDES will need to be recapitalized in order to be able to keep up other investments and lending activities, after it joins in on new pre-salt oil production and the capital increase for federal energy company Petrobras. Read more Press Clipping \| 4 September 2009 PERÚ - Against Inambari and Paquitzapango Dams Read more Press Clipping \| 3 September 2009 Parliamentary Representation for Lima Provinces will be put to a Second Vote Congress will put to a second vote the law which would create electoral sub districts in Lima on Thursday. The law is intended to give parliamentary representation to Lima provinces. Read more Press Clipping \| 3 September 2009 Social Conflict Caused by Hydroelectric Project Cannot be Ruled Out Affected inhabitants of localities where the dam is to be built must be well-informed of the advantages and disadvantages of the project in order to avoid social conflict such as the one in the northern province of Bagua. Read more Press Clipping \| 3 September 2009 Nixon and the Interoceanic Highway In secret conversations between Nixon and Garrastazú a old Brazilian imperialist plan surfaces that directly affects us and remains one of Brazil's geopolitical projects. Read more Press Clipping \| 3 September 2009 Paying not to suffer We continue to pay for a Brazilian project which will end up submerged by another Brazilian project. All part of a deal that ensures certain Brazilian companies will not suffer. Read more Press Clipping \| 3 September 2009 Tacna and Bolivia coordinate construction of bi-national highway Regional presidents of Tacna and La Paz met today in Bolivia to coordinate and promote the construction of a bi-national highway which would facilitate trade between the two countries. Read more Press Clipping \| 3 September 2009 Defense gathering data on Inambari hydroelectric project The Public Defense Counselor of the Puno region has demanded new information on the controversial construction of a hydroelectric dam in Inambari. She stated yesterday that when all information regarding the consequences of the infrastructure project is made available, she will state her position on the matter. Read more Press Clipping \| 1 September 2009 Union halts construction of the Santo Antonio plant for 4 hours On Monday morning, from 5 to 9, representatives of the Union of Construction Workers of the State of Rondônia (Sticcero) blocked the gate of the construction site of the Santo Antônio plant, causing more than three miles of line on the access road in order to promote deliberative assembly with indications of a general strike. Read more Press Clipping \| 31 August 2009 19 schools will be flooded by Inambari hydroelectric dam- Puno Regional Education Director issues a strong warning Read more Press Clipping \| 31 August 2009 Govts form bi-national committee to promote Trasandino Central rail tunnel Argentine and Chilean authorities have created a bi-national permanent committee to promote the construction of the Trasandino Central rail tunnel initiative to transport cargo between the two countries, the Chilean government reported in a release. Read more Press Clipping \| 31 August 2009 Lula inks deal with Morales on transnational corridor, discusses gas imports Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva over the weekend signed an agreement with his Bolivian counterpart Evo Morales to embark on a bilateral project to construct a freeway between Bolivia's Villa Tunari and San Ignacio de Moxos cities as part of a plan to create a corridor between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Read more Press Clipping \| 31 August 2009 Fiscal Intervention Rescheduled in Inambari The visit will take place the 7, 8 and 9th of September, announces Puno's environmental attorney. A joint inspection with environmental authorities from Madre de Dios and Cusco will be held later. Read more Press Clipping \| 31 August 2009 Animal Droppings can replace "Jirau" Waste, particularly manure, can also generate income for farmers, FAO study shows. Read more Press Clipping \| 28 August 2009 Brazil to provide $300 million financing for Bolivian highway Brazil will provide financing worth $300 million to the Bolivian government for construction of a highway critical for regional trade, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Monday. Read more Press Clipping \| 27 August 2009 BNDES Portfolio for South America Totals $US 15.6 Billion A significant increase in the number and value of projects approved or under analysis by BNDES for the South American region will bring a commensurate increase in the purchase of Brazlian goods and services over the next four years, says BNDES President Luciano Coutinho. Read more Update \| 27 August 2009 New Study Estimates Large Carbon Impact of the Inambari Dam The Inambari Hydroelectric Project, with a reservoir projected at 46,000 ha of tropical forest, would be an important source of greenhouse gas emissions to the extent that total emissions for Peru could increase by 5.8% Read more Press Clipping \| 27 August 2009 Fluvial ports might be concessioned as one package in Peru Peru's fluvial ports Yurimaguas and Iquitos in Loreto region and Pucallpa in Ucayali form part of the anti-crisis package announced by President Alan García last December, designed to attract investments of over US$92mn. Read more Press Clipping \| 21 August 2009 Section of the Santa Cruz-Arroyo bi-oceanic corridor inaugurated The prefect of Santa Cruz and ambassador from the European Union unveil 14 bridges and a viaduct in the fourth section of the Santa Cruz-Arroyo Concepción bi-oceanic corridor. Read more Update \| 21 August 2009 The Madeira dams: impacts and actions in Bolivian territory Jirau and Santo Antonio promise to cost much more than the stated financial value of their construction: deforestation, disease, damage to fish population just to name a few. These and other costs, however, will not be paid only by Brazilians; Bolivians are also facing some of the costs of this venture. Read more Press Clipping \| 21 August 2009 Puno citizens question Inambari Hydroelectric Dam After watching a report by Foro TV about the ecological damage that would be caused by the construction of the Inambari dam to the areas around Puno, citizens expressed their concern and demanded that local officials assume a responsible position to confront this threat. Read more Update \| 21 August 2009 Puno regional government rejects proposed Inambari Dam Read more Press Clipping \| 20 August 2009 The Madeira hydroelectric complex can negatively affect the environment Brazil is building hydroelectric dams in the Amazon that some technicians and economists applaud while several environmentalists regret. It is worth the risk and investment? Read more Press Clipping \| 20 August 2009 Construction of Jirau and San Antonio dams change the life of the region An examination of how the hydroelectric plants of Jirau and Santo Antônio will impact the environment and the lives of Amazonian communities. Read more Press Clipping \| 20 August 2009 Unasur to create IIRSA division The Union of South American Nations (Unasur) will create a division to coordinate the South American infrastructure integration initiative IIRSA. A document regarding the structure of the division is expected to be signed at the next Unasur meeting to be held in Ecuadorian capital Quito on September 7. Read more Press Clipping \| 17 August 2009 Beyond the world creditors’ cartel In Latin America and elsewhere, the IMF may be re–emerging—but in a changed landscape. Read more Press Clipping \| 17 August 2009 Peru will renegotiate the Camisea gas contract Peruvian government will negotiate directly with the companies. Specialists said they should also review the export tariffs. Read more Press Clipping \| 13 August 2009 Brazil concedes on Itaipú Energy Deal, Signals Commitment to “Good Neighbor” Policy The agreement, signed in Asunción, finally resolved a decade long disagreement between the two governments regarding the Itaipú dam. The revisions in the Itaipú treaty had far reaching implications for the national standing of Paraguay’s President Fernando Lugo and Brazil’s President Luíz Inacio Lula da Silva as well for Brazil’s leadership role in Latin America. Read more Update \| 13 August 2009 MAB Organizes protest encampment at Madeira San Antonio site Read more Press Clipping \| 13 August 2009 Brazil, Peru mull new hydroelectric ventures Peru hopes the hydroelectric project will push the Amazon region into the 21st century, despite strong misgivings of conservationists and environmentalist groups. In that sense Peru's aspirations are similar to the hopes of Paraguay, which is already sharing an electricity generation project with Brazil. Read more Update \| 13 August 2009 Inambari: the Brazilian Hydroelectric Dam Read more Press Clipping \| 13 August 2009 Irregularities with Camisea Gas In the midst of a possible energy crisis en Peru over the coming years, increasing criticism of exports of as much as half of the Camisea gas reserves requires greater attention Read more Press Clipping \| 13 August 2009 Oil Exploration in Northern La Paz Divides Indigenous Organizations Read more Press Clipping \| 13 August 2009 Inambari impacts on Bahuaja Sonene assessed Read more Press Clipping \| 13 August 2009 Peru Ministry of Transport Comunications (MTC) approves changes to IOS concession Read more Press Clipping \| 13 August 2009 Peru begins annual payments for Section 5 of Interoceanica Sur Read more Press Clipping \| 13 August 2009 Ecuador dismantles illegal Peruvian logging camp near Yasuni Read more Press Clipping \| 13 August 2009 Brasilian condiciones in Itaipu accord criticized Critics have pointed out that the agreement to increase Paraguay's share of electricity revenues will be conditioned on protections for Brazilians living in Paraguay and contract guarantees for BNDES among other concessions. Read more Press Clipping \| 13 August 2009 Advantages and disadvantages of Inambari Hydro Project analyzed Read more Press Clipping \| 9 August 2009 Camisea lacks capacity to supply Peru's domestic needs Read more Press Clipping \| 9 August 2009 Ecuador reaches agreement for Manta Port Concession Read more Press Clipping \| 9 August 2009 Legal Counsel demanded for communities affected by Inambari Dam Read more Press Clipping \| 9 August 2009 Huepetuhe, the land of sexual trafficking Puerto Maldonaldo, Madre de Dios, in heart of the Peruvian jungle, is the home to some of the worst offenses of sexual trafficking of minors. Read more Press Clipping \| 9 August 2009 Baseline study for Peru Southern Interoceanic Highway presented Read more Press Clipping \| 7 August 2009 Peru to raise payment to indigenous communities for Amazon forest conservation Peru's environment minister now says the government will pay indigenous communities 10 sols ($3.30) for every hectare of rainforest they help to preserve, reports the Latin American Herald. Previously Antonio Brack said that communities would see about half that amount. Read more Press Clipping \| 7 August 2009 Discontent with construction of the Inambari Hydroelectric Project The project of constructing the Inambari mega-hydroelectric dam is generating discontent in the various affected communities in the province of Carabaya, who demand respect for the lands dedicated to agriculture. Read more Press Clipping \| 5 August 2009 Peruvian local governments have US$5bn to invest in infrastructure Peru's local governments have 15bn soles (US$5.07bn) available for the development of infrastructure initiatives, according to Lima's chamber of commerce (CCL). The resources come from canons and royalties, among other sources. Read more Press Clipping \| 4 August 2009 Peru moves to grant concession for highway IIRSA Center In order to make more profitable and viable project, the government decided to shorten the length of the highway concession to be granted and thus provide greater guarantees to investors. Read more Press Clipping \| 3 August 2009 Peru has reduced the length of IIRSA Centro to attract the interest of investors The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) announced today that it will reduce the stretch of road concession project for Integration of Regional Infrastructure in South America (IIRSA) Center with the purpose of make it more profitable for investors. Read more Press Clipping \| 29 July 2009 Leader says that isolated indigenous people will be harmed by hydroelectic dams of Madeira The first indigenous woman elected leader and educator of the people Sagarana in Rondônia, Eva Canoe, said the construction of hydroelectric dams in the Madeira river, in Rondônia, will affect at least four indigenous peoples that still live in voluntary isolation in the region. Read more Press Clipping \| 29 July 2009 Lula to announce PAC II in 2010 The government is currently preparing the new project portfolio that will be offered to domestic and foreign investors; and it will prioritize investments in sectors such as energy, transport, sanitation, housing, rail, waterways and urban logistics. Read more Press Clipping \| 28 July 2009 The Manta-Manaos project is going to Singapore On August 12, an Ecuadorian's government delegation will go to Singapore on an official visit with the intention to promote the Manta Manaus Corridor. The cornerstone projects in the portfolio are the Manta port, an airport and the Manta-Manaus route through the Napo river. Read more Press Clipping \| 28 July 2009 Continued resilience: Regional Report Latin America One way to stem this rising tide, said ministers, would be for Latin American countries to "increase public infrastructure integration to reduce transport and energy costs in order to make their economies more competitive." Read more Update \| 28 July 2009 The assertion that the Madeira Complex will not have impacts in Bolivia is only a Brazilian speech While the hydroelectric plants of Jirau and Santo Antonio in the Madeira river begin their construction, Bolivian organizations and institutes following the projects say that the negative impacts generated by the two dams will be felt not only in Brazilian territory, but also in Bolivia. Read more Update \| 28 July 2009 Environmental licenses for San Antonio and Jirau hydroelectric dams open discussions Environmental organizations have mobilized against licensing of Santo Antônio and Jirau hydroelectric dams Read more Press Clipping \| 28 July 2009 Energy deal with Brazil gives boost to Paraguay For decades Paraguayans have protested the raw deal they got when their dictatorship-era government decided to build the world’s largest hydroelectric power plant with Brazil along their shared border. Read more Press Clipping \| 28 July 2009 Manta port authority resumes control of Manta port The government of Ecuador has come to an agreement with Hong-Kong based Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) to resume the administration of Manta port in Manabí province, local press reported. Read more Press Clipping \| 24 July 2009 Government to launch new tender for Manta port concession Authorities will transfer the concession to a new company which will mean calling a new international tender, the presidential website reported. Read more Press Clipping \| 23 July 2009 Government announces creation of businesses in the Bolivian Amazon Bolivian government announced the creation of a 100 million dollars fund for four state businesses in the Amazon. for a lumber company, tropical frutes, and rubber. The government's hope is that, with these new businesses the people in the north of Bolivia will have more opportunities to work and earn higher wages. Read more Press Clipping \| 22 July 2009 Fobomade study warns of Madeira dam effect on dengue and malaria "Under the current" (“Bajo el caudal…”) is a report by Fobomade that details the possible impacts of the construction of two hydroelectric dams over the Madeira river on the Bolivian northern border with Brazil. Read more Press Clipping \| 22 July 2009 Bolivian government did not consult Indigenous peoples regarding oil exploration Indigenous peoples organizations emphasize that the government did not consult with them on various oil explorations. Because they were not consulted, there is no established forum for their complaints. Read more Press Clipping \| 22 July 2009 The law of community resettlement and the new constitution will increase space for indigenous Groups in Bolivia's Pando department, whose land rights have been historically compromised, look to the resettlement plan as a way to firmly establish their rights under the new constitution. Read more Press Clipping \| 21 July 2009 Group claims that inhabitants are being forced from area of Santo Antonio Groups claim that, because of the construction taking place for the Rio Madera Complex, the area's inhabitants are being forced unwillingly from their homes. Read more Press Clipping \| 21 July 2009 Lethem road (IIRSA) could lead to big forest loss unless REDD framework in place The Linden to Lethem road will have one of the biggest impacts on the forest and figures show that about two million hectares of forest will be lost through the project unless there is a framework to pay for and provide alternative development to what would traditionally occur along such a road. Read more Press Clipping \| 21 July 2009 Resettlement plan for the region of Pando could cost US$21 million Minister of Land, Alejandro Almaraz, announced yesterday that according to a preliminary estimate the Government’s resettlement plan for 2,000 families in the department of Pando could require approximately US$21 million. Under the plan developed by the Government, there are 600,000 hectares of land to distribute this year in three regions of the country. 200,000 hectares of those are in the department of Pando. Read more Update \| 20 July 2009 IDB & IIRSA: Continuity in Question Within the current context of a global capital increase proposal by the Inter-American Development Bank that would permit the Bank to triple its current annual lending volume, 20 civil society organizations from 10 countries demanded that the IDB not renew its mandate to participate in the Technical Coordination Committee (CCT) of IIRSA based on the inconsistency of IIRSA practices with Bank safeguard and operating policies. Read more Update \| 20 July 2009 IDB ignores substance of civil society GCI reform proposal After months of internal planning and vibrant debate over how to best position the Bank to garner an unprecedented capital increase, IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno acknowledged the receipt of a ten page civil society proposal of needed reforms, but failed to respond in any detail to any of the substantive arguments. Instead, the President delegated External Relations to outline a delayed and ambiguous consultation process that the Bank Board is expected to endorse in the coming weeks Read more Update \| 20 July 2009 Peru renegotiating the canon contracts for Camisea The contract permits the export of gas at a price that is lower than the gas directed to the local market. The Government has initiated a new request to renegotiate the contracts and also seeking to limit the gas from Lot 88 for domestic use only. Read more Press Clipping \| 20 July 2009 Brazil interest in Colombia infrastructure and hydrocarbons Brazilian investors are interested in the western zones of Colombia where they envision new ethanol and biofuel projects. Read more Press Clipping \| 20 July 2009 Over $1 Billion in funding available for oil exploration in Northern La Paz The Society formed by GTLI y Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales awaiting an environmental license and Petroandina has entered the phase of seismic studies. Read more Press Clipping \| 20 July 2009 Bolivian governent creates infrastructure fund to acelerate projects Read more Press Clipping \| 20 July 2009 The government of Bolivia announces railroad master plan, launches Mutún tender The new rail development plan consists of rail connections between the east and west, and a rail corridor from the border with Brazil. Read more Press Clipping \| 20 July 2009 Increased costs delay Coca-Codo Sinclair hydroelectric project Negotiations between Ecuador and Chinese Consortium focus on cost Read more Update \| 20 July 2009 Peru Interoceanica Sur Highway has deforested 90,000 hectares Specialist warns of more deforestation from increased migration Read more Update \| 21 July 2009 IDB ignores substance of civil society replenishment recommendations The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) sidesteps civil society concerns raised regarding a proposal advanced by the IDB in Santiago, Chile on July 2 to increase its capital base by $100-$200 billion, which would triple Bank annual lending from an average of $US 6 billion since the last replenishment to a projected $16-19 billion per year. Read more Press Clipping \| 16 July 2009 President should clarify position on the construction of the Inambari Dam Read more Press Clipping \| 16 July 2009 Camisea and Peru LNG: conflict of interests A little known fact is that the majority owners of Lot 88 and Lot 56, which produce gas from Camisea, as well as the hydrocarbon liquids, are the same majority owners of the Peru LNG consortium, which is the entity that buys the Camisea gas and exports it. Read more Update \| 16 July 2009 Reflections on environmental and social program and the indirect impacts on Interoceanico Sur In order to help mitigate the effects of the economic crisis, Peru has created an "Anticrisis Plan" which in part will serve to finance big infrastructure proyects. These projects, given their scale and the government's poor management of such projects are bound to create problems. Read more Update \| 16 July 2009 IDB needs more reforms before planning capital increase, says BICECA BICECA program's manager, Vince McElhinny talks about the need for more reforms at the Inter-American Development Bank before a capital increase. BICECA and their partners submitted a serious of recommendations to the bank ahead of the governor's meeting in early July. Read more Update \| 16 July 2009 Evaluating CAF/INRENA I and the future of the Interoceanica highway BICECA Bulletin 2009 Read more Press Clipping \| 16 July 2009 IFIs restate freeze on funding to Honduras The represenatives of the Interamerican Development Bank (BID) and World Bank (WB) in Washington for Honduras rejected the suggestion that IFI funds assigned to Honduras had been "unfrozen." The pause in IFI funding announced on June 28 will be sustained. Read more Update \| 15 July 2009 Amazonas governor criticizes decision to reject EIS for BR-319 highway Ibama, the national environment authority in Brazil rejected DNIT's (the national transport infrastructure department) call for an environmental impact study of a 875km highway that became impassable in the 1980s. Read more Press Clipping \| 11 July 2009 Peru President Alan García defends vision to exclude indigenous rights to exploit the Amazon President Garcia of Peru published a second editorial letter to the Peruvian people which discredits the clamorings of the indigenous groups whom he believes are impeding development in the country. Garcia's defense of the moral right of the "immense majority" of Peruvian that he believes are supportive of his Amazon development policy leaves little space for authentic, democratic negotiation with indigenous peoples and other opponents of development policies that are viewed as unaccountable and subsidizing unsustainable investment. Read more Press Clipping \| 10 July 2009 Ashaninka communities of the Peru Ene Valley resist Pakitzapango Dam The Ashaninka communities of the Ene Valley, in the districts of Rio Tambo and Pango, Province of Satipo, Junin, Peru, gathered together to celebrate the XIII ordinary Congress of their representative organisation, Central Ashaninka del Rio Ene (CARE), in the community of Pichiquia on the 24th-26th of April 2009 in order to debate the threat of the current project for the construction of the Pakitzapango hydroelectric dam. Read more Press Clipping \| 10 July 2009 Ucayali- Acre (Brazil-Peru) trade mission is set Read more Press Clipping \| 10 July 2009 5o Brazilian firms awaiting green light Hydroelectric dams, Biofuels, Hydrocarbons top the list. A business delegation is programmed for the second semester of 2009 to explore biofuel investment opportunities. Read more Press Clipping \| 10 July 2009 CAF to disburse an additional $270 million for Southern Interoceanic Highway in Peru Cost overruns could push the total for the highway to over $2 billion Read more Update \| 10 July 2009 Camisea canon impact falls short The increase in infrastructure investment does not represent a substantial impact in terms of poverty reduction among the affected populations of the Camisea Natural Gas Extraction Project in Cusco, Peru. This was one of the primary conclusions of a study conducted by Propuesta Ciudadana, with the support of Oxfam America, Bank Information Center and World Resources Institute. Read more Press Clipping \| 9 July 2009 Concession of IIRSA center highway in Peru to be awarded by December Read more Press Clipping \| 9 July 2009 Environmental lawsuits filed against Madeira dam projects Civil lawsuits have been filed against Brazil’s environment institute for ignoring environmental concerns when issuing licences to allow the construction of two dams on the Amazon’s Madeira River. Read more Press Clipping \| 6 July 2009 Complex geopolitics: Brazil y Venezuela In the midst of a blending of strategy, pragmatism and ideology, the enigmatic relationship between Brazil and Venezuela evolves through a series of complicated gambles. Read more Press Clipping \| 6 July 2009 Congressional Deputy Susana Vilca: Inambari should not damage the environment Puno Congressional leader, Susana Vilca Achata, stated that the Inambari Hydroelectric Project will negatively affect that Southern Interoceanic Highway and native peoples, and therefore the private Brazilian contractor, Amazonas Sur, should reformulate the design of the project. Read more Press Clipping \| 6 July 2009 Chavez seen behind unrest in Peru: U.S. backed president pressured by protesters QUILLABAMBA, Peru \| A national strike by thousands of rain-forest Indians is spawning accusations of a proxy war involving Venezuela and an emboldened peasant movement seeking to undermine Peru's pro-U.S. president. Read more Press Clipping \| 6 July 2009 Ministers to inspect progress on bi-oceanic corridor The bi-oceanic highway will run from Brazil's largest port, Santos, through Bolivian departments Santa Cruz, Cochabamba and Oruro, and on to northern Chile's Pacific coast cities of Arica and Iquique. Read more Update \| 4 July 2009 Honduras coup stalls $450 million of World Bank and IDB finance Honduras' finance minister in exile maintains that the recent army-backed coup could cost the poverty-stricken Central American country $450 million in financing from international organizations this year. Without funding from multinational organizations and foreign countries, many of Honduras' social programs and public investments could be in jeopardy. Read more Press Clipping \| 3 July 2009 Hydroelectric Inambari in Peru faces judicial investigations in Bolivia and Ecuador The companies given the concessions for the Inambari hydroelectric dam have a history of violations currently under investigation. Read more Update \| 3 July 2009 Brazil Transport Agency (DNIT) protests against delays in environmental permits Rehabilitation works are stalled in Brazil due to delaying in the granting of environmental permits. Read more Update \| 2 July 2009 IIRSA forum of strategic reflection - chronicle of a death foretold Reflections about the conference on IIRSA Read more Update \| 2 July 2009 20 Civil Society Organizations and networks call on IDB to withdraw from IIRSA In the context of a 9th Global Capital Increase request, for which the IDB is designing a new institutional strategy anchored by sustainability, equity and development goals, IIRSA has not demostrated compatibility with these goals and should be abandoned by the Bank. Read more Update \| 2 July 2009 Integration and Sustainable Development in Times of Crisis An intensive short seminar in Lima, Peru (July 22nd, 23rd, 24th) to address the current situation of regional integration in Latin America, the impacts of the global crisis and the options for advancing sustainable development is being convened by CLAES (Centro Sostenibilidad Ambiental, Uruguay) and the Universidad Peruana C. Heredia Read more Press Clipping \| 2 July 2009 Rehabilitation of Puerto Suarez - Puerto Busch-Mutun roads begin Indian Ore Concessionaire Jindal Steel has financed the $16 million rehabilitation of 100 km roadway between the Mutun iron ore mine and Puerto Busch Read more Update \| 1 July 2009 Civil society demands suspension of Madeira Dams Numerous irregularities cited in environmental licensing process for the San Antonio & Jirau dams Read more Update \| 30 June 2009 Civil society organizations challenge IDB commitments to development results and sustainability As member countries assess the 9th replenishment proposal advanced by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on July 2 in Santiago, Chile, eight civil society organizations submitted recommendations on leadership steps the IDB should take in several critical areas before qualifying for any capital increase. These recommendations focus on two core areas of the IDB’s comparative advantage as a development bank in Latin America, Sustainability and Management for Development Results. Read more Update \| 28 June 2009 IFC & Climate: When the learning curve is long After an abrupt about-face, an agency frets about its footprint Read more Update \| 25 June 2009 Amazon bill controversy in Brazil Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is due this week to make one of the most keenly awaited decisions about land ownership in the Amazon rainforest. Read more Update \| 22 June 2009 An indecent barter The terms of reference for the Jirau dam, signed by several Brazilians, spells out the concession but with several worrisome red-flags given the history of the project and the environmental legislation of Brazil. Read more Update \| 22 June 2009 BNDES becomes principal financier for PAC BNDES approves R$ 59.3 billion in loans for PAC projects. Read more Update \| 22 June 2009 The End of the Amazon? Brazil can save its rain forest. The question is, does it want to? Read more Update \| 22 June 2009 Understanding Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) The increasingly important topic of Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) was recently discussed among civil society organizations in Bogota, Colombia. Participants in the event discussed the ways in which the SEAs can be most effective and how to overcome certain challenges in applying the SEAs to certain projects. Infrastructure and sustainable development topics are also covered in this SEA bulletin. Read more Update \| 19 June 2009 Peruvian congress votes 82 – 12 to repeal two controversial laws Government urged to drop criminal charges against indigenous leaders and allow independent investigation into violent incidents in Bagua, Peru Read more Update \| 17 June 2009 Peruvian government asks Congress to repeal legislative decrees In a complete "about-face", the Peruvian government has asked Congress to repeal legislative decrees 1090 and 1064 which fueled the violence in the city of Bagua, Peru. Thirty-four people died as a result of this violence. Read more Press Clipping \| 17 June 2009 Eletrobrás introduces hydroelectric projects to indigenous in Peru Read more Update \| 16 June 2009 IFC withdraws loan from Brazilian cattle corporation, Bertin Just two weeks after the publication of Greenpeace's report "Slaughtering the Amazon" the IFC halts a $30 million payment to the Bertin corporation which was using the IFC loan to expand further into the Amazon. Read more Update \| 16 June 2009 Questions on hydroelectric power plants in the Peruvian Amazon Region Negotiations are underway for the construction of six hydroelectric power plants in the Peruvian Amazon Region in a joint initiative of Alan Garcia and Lula da Silva. Serious inquires about the nature of the intiative and its implications for the region are not resolved which signals further problems. Read more Update \| 15 June 2009 Letter to Secretary Clinton and other high-level officials to clarify Peru's trade agreement Fifteen organizations have asked Secretary Clinton and members of the US Congress to clarify the US position on the recent violence in Peru. The Garcia administration claims that the source of the tension - a series of legislative decrees - were issued in order to implement the US-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA). Read more Update \| 11 June 2009 Suspension of legislative decrees 1090 and 1064 and the continuation of violence Read more Update \| 5 June 2009 Police violently attack peaceful indigenous blockade in the Peruvian Amazon Four confirmed dead and 18 injured in a pre-dawn attack on peaceful demonstrators Read more Update \| 2 June 2009 President announced the upcoming innaguration of via Inambari - Azangaro Read more Update \| 29 May 2009 Section 5 of Interoceanic Highway is Inspected Read more Update \| 4 June 2009 Interoceanic Highways Forum will present investment opportunities for Brazil Read more Update \| 23 May 2009 The Ecuadorian Government pushes the idea of Manta-Manaus Corridor The country is thinking again about the project that has been discussed for several years. The goal is to link the Pacific and Atlantic. Read more Update \| 30 May 2009 Rafael Correa officially supports the Yasuni-ITT Initiative During his Saturday radio broadcast, the president insisted that this is a historic project. Ecuador's approach regarding the Yasuni-ITT initiative is to help prevent the emition of 400 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. Read more Update \| 22 June 2009 Tribes in Peru to get $0.68/acre for protecting Amazon forest A recent iniciative of from the Ministry of Environment in Peru will pay native groups $1.70/hectare to protect the Amazon. This project comes admist a slew of divisive confrontations between native groups and governments looking to promote development. Read more Update \| 22 June 2009 New resources on Peruvian dams Communities of the Ene Valley in Peru got together to celebrate their representative Congress's 13th meeting and to discuss the currnet Pakitzapango hydroelectric dam. Read more Update \| 22 June 2009 The Amazon Rainforest is More Important than Electric Cars Someone should contact Neil Young and tell him to stop making albums about electric cars and start writing songs about the Amazon. While I write this in jest, the boringness of someone pulling your ear about the devastation of deforestation should still be as important as talking about topics such as the duel between San Francisco and Portland for electric car supremacy. Read more Update \| 1 June 2009 CAF, IDB launch process to select infrastructure fund management firm CAF and the IDB have begun a process to select firms to manage a capital fund for infrastructure projects in Peru. Read more Update \| 1 June 2009 Chávez: Venezuela, Brazil to create billion dollar investment fund Along with Brazil, Venezuela promises to create a fund to make "billions of dollars" available for investment. Read more Update \| 1 June 2009 Brazil ambassador to Guyana Interview ‘The Lethem road would only make economic sense if it was complemented by a deep water harbour’ Read more Update \| 1 June 2009 Ignorance on the Periphery The indigenous people of the Guianas are largely ignorant of their governments’ intentions for the environment and of their inalienable rights. They want to know more about matters that affect their land and their livelihood. Read more Press Clipping \| 30 May 2009 Spiralling demand for IDB funds in Latin America The bank, having already increased lending from $11.2bn in 2008 to as much as $18bn this year, is weighing both alternatives for further expanding lending in the short-term and an extensive capital increase. Read more Press Clipping \| 29 May 2009 Belo Monte dam could displace 19,000 persons Brasilian Mega-dam EIA under review Read more Press Clipping \| 29 May 2009 Peru: energy crisis and the failure of the free market Camisea not resolving Peru's domestic energy needs Read more Press Clipping \| 28 May 2009 ProInversión relaunch IIRSA Centro concession road in coming months, said MTC Read more Update \| 28 May 2009 Rio Madeira - Hydroelectric Dam will impact the Northern Bolivian Amazon (part two) Crown jewel of the IIRSA project portfolio under scrutiny in Bolivia and Brazil Read more Update \| 27 May 2009 Rio Madeira - Hydroelectric Dam will impact the Northern Bolivian Amazon Crown Jewel of the IIRSA Project Portfolio Under Scrutiny in Bolivia and Brazil Read more Press Clipping \| 25 May 2009 IDB funded Brazilian Thermal-Electric Plant to use Carbon Capture Technology The new plant should start operating in 2012. It should have a capacity for generation of 720 megawatts (MW) of energy. The project also counts on financial investment by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), equivalent to 1 billion reais (US$ 490 million). Read more Press Clipping \| 25 May 2009 Peru seeks US$300mn World Bank loan for transport sector The loan would support an overall US$1.08bn transport infrastructure development program, of which another US$630mn is to be covered by the state and US$150mn by IDB. Read more Press Clipping \| 25 May 2009 Peru IIRSA Centro highway concession to be awarded in March 2010 The project consists of upgrading and expanding an 867km highway. The initial investment amount was estimated at US$88.4mn, but the new studies will have to confirm this. Read more Press Clipping \| 25 May 2009 PetroPeru says Indigenous protests causing fuel shortages in Peru State-owned oil company Petroperu said Sunday protests organized by Indians in Peru’s Amazon region were causing fuel shortages in several jungle cities. Read more Press Clipping \| 24 May 2009 Peru gets $120m to protect 212,000 sq mi of Amazon rainforest Peru has historically had one of the lowest annual deforestation rates in the Amazon basin, but forest loss has been increasing in recent years due to illegal logging, mining, agriculture, and expansion of road networks, including the paving of a highway that provides access to a remote and biologically-rich region in southeastern part of the country. In 2005 — the most recent year for which data is available — at least 150,000 hectares of forest was lost, while a similar area was degraded through logging and other activitie Read more Press Clipping \| 23 May 2009 Peru Southern Interoceanic Highway - News Peruvian Congress Approves Report Says No Irregularities in the Southern Inter-oceanic Highway, Opposition Legislators Question the Integrity of the Procedure, Doubts Remain; Brazilian delegation from Rondonia visits Puno; 130 km of highway in Madre de Dios inaugurated; Transport Sector calls for further investigation of construction problems. Read more Press Clipping \| 23 May 2009 IIRSA North Highway section from Tarapoto-Yurimaguas still closed by AIDESEP Amazon protests to revoke harmful Presidential Decrees in 45th day Read more Update \| 22 May 2009 Scientists agree on the need for energy alternatives in Amazon Two day conference underscores the need for improvements in the quality of social, environmental and economic evaluation, as well as the search for energy alternatives. Read more Press Clipping \| 22 May 2009 CONIRSA identifies 12 archeological sites in the construction of Southern Interoceanic Highway 12 Archeological Prehispanic sites have been identified in Section 4 of the Southern Interceanic Highway, between Azángaro to the Inambari bridge, on the border of Puno with Madre de Dios, informed Flavio Leite Mesquita, lead of CONIRSA Concesionaire. Read more Press Clipping \| 22 May 2009 Indigenous Amazonian Threaten Peru's Jugular The native Amazonian peoples are showing themselves to be harder and more battle ready in their demands summarized in the Ishpingo platform, which include the derogation of various legislative decrees promulgated by Peruvian President, Alan Garcia, that threaten indigenous rights in the extraction of natural resources. Read more Press Clipping \| 22 May 2009 Peru: Camisea has not guaranteed enough energy to sustain growth Read more Update \| 22 May 2009 Odebrecht Concessionaire Inaugurates 130 km of Southern Interoceanic Highway President Alan Garcia, Dr. Ernesto Cornejo and the Odebrecht led concessionaire CONIRSA inaugurated on May 14, 130 km of Section 3 of the Southern Interoceanic Highway between Tampopata and Iberia. Read more Update \| 21 May 2009 Photos from the indigenous mobilization in Peru These photos were taken of various aspects of the indigenous protests in Peru. Read more Press Clipping \| 21 May 2009 Jirau dam cost overruns predicted to be 60% Unexplained revisions by the Consortium building the Jirau hydroelectric dam (part of the Rio Madeira complex) to the design of the initial project that was auctioned one year ago are expected to increase the overall project costs by 60% Read more Press Clipping \| 21 May 2009 Studies for Cachuela Esperanza dam ready in five months Consultant Tecsult-Aecom along with ENDE, Bolivia's National Electricity Company, are in the final phases of the feasibility and design process for the proposed hydroelectric project, Cachuela Esperanza, which is expected to conclude in October, 2009 Read more Press Clipping \| 21 May 2009 IIRSA Norte Peru difficulties being resolved by concessionaire Read more Update \| 20 May 2009 Indigenous mobilizations in Peru While one legislative decree has been repealed by the Constitution Commission in Peru's Congress, indigenous groups continue their protests demanding that the other nine decrees also be repealed. AIDESEP leader, Alberto Pizango, who was recently charged with sedition and disturbing the peace, approves of the small step forward. Read more Press Clipping \| 20 May 2009 Electrobras offers $US 16 bn to build six dams in Peruvian Amazon Lula and Garcia advance plans to expand hydroelectric integration. Read more Press Clipping \| 19 May 2009 Huge Bolivian glacier disappears The World Bank warned earlier this year that many of the Andes' tropical glaciers will disappear within 20 years. Read more Update \| 18 May 2009 Brazilian Observatory - looking at the impacts of companies in Latin America An annoucement about a new online observatory to share information and ideas about the impacts of Brazilian companies in Latin America, especially focusing on their impact on sustainable development efforts. Read more Press Clipping \| 16 May 2009 Amazon Indians declare `insurgency' against Peru: Garcia declares defense of indigenous rights Amazon Indians who have been blocking roads, waterways and a state oil pipeline since April are declaring an "insurgency" against Peru's government for refusing to repeal laws that the protesters say make it easier for foreign companies to take their lands, a national Indian representative said Friday. Read more Press Clipping \| 14 May 2009 Odebrecht rejects US$250mn lawsuit - Brazil, Ecuador The Brazilian construction firm, Odebrecht, rejects Ecuador's US $250 million lawsuit which claims that the Brazilian company constructed a hydroelectric plant with serious defects. Read more Update \| 13 May 2009 Guiana Shield Meeting Recap The recent April meeting among indigenous leaders of the Guiana Shield revealed their concerns about the IIRSA project and the lack of clarity around REDD and climate change. The indigenous leaders and their political counterparts agreed that there would be more participation and joint decision-making processes in the future about topics affecting the indigenous groups' land. Read more Press Clipping \| 11 May 2009 Bloodletting in Narino - Ties to IIRSA Amazonas Corridor Read more Press Clipping \| 11 May 2009 Financial Crisis Causes Four Port Concessions to Fail Read more Press Clipping \| 10 May 2009 Energy conflict and cooperation in South America Despite widespread cross-border problems, South America has more than its fair share of major bilateral hydro schemes. Itaipu remains one of the region’s largest hydro ventures, but what other schemes are on the cards? Read more Update \| 8 May 2009 Scenario II - IIRSA Transfer to UNASUR Read more Update \| 7 May 2009 Peru holds public hearings on 2,000 MW Inambari dam Peru is rushing to hold superficial public meetings to inform the public about plans to build the fifth largest hydroelectric dam in Latin America. Read more Update \| 6 May 2009 Interoceanica Sur Highway advances Brazil Peru regional integration Read more Press Clipping \| 5 May 2009 Peru: Destructive Amazonian highway near completion The nightmarish prospect of a scarred Amazonian jungle reeking of diesel fumes from end to end, as heavy-laden trucks thunder by in round-the-clock convoys, is fast becoming a reality. Read more Update \| 3 May 2009 Rio Madeira Hydrolectric Complex - video resources Read more Update \| 3 May 2009 Interoceanic Highway: video reporting Read more Update \| 3 May 2009 Video reporting on Pasto Mocoa Highway Read more Press Clipping \| 2 May 2009 Inambari hydroelectric dam will be 5th largest in Latin America The feasibility study for Peru's largest hydroelectric dam nears completion and public hearings will begin in 2009. Brazilian financing for the dam will likely result the first in a series of jointly funded hydroelectric projects in Peru that provide energy to Brazil Read more Press Clipping \| 1 May 2009 Indigenous leaders get assurances on forestry use and management At the recent Guiana Shield meeting, the Commissioner of Forest, Mr. James Singh, assured indigenous leaders that their communities will be consulted and included in the decision processes for the REDD project (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation). Read more Update \| 1 May 2009 Indigenous peoples of Guiana Shield agree on action plan Read more Press Clipping \| 1 May 2009 Indigenous leaders of the Guianas meet in Georgetown Read more Press Clipping \| 1 May 2009 BNDES looks at the possibility of financing the construction of hydroelectric projects in Peru The president of BNDES, Luciano Coutinho, said that it is possible that the bank will offer financial support for the construction of six hydroelectric projects in Peru. Read more Update \| 30 April 2009 The government is not ready to ratify UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples Groups representing indigenous people of Guyana and the Amazon fear that climate change is superseding the guarantee of actions towards ensuring the rights of the indigenous people. Trevor Stevenson, Executive Director of the Amazon Alliance, is one of those who supports this view. He was in Guyana last week for the meeting of indigenous leaders of Guyana, Suriname and French Guyana. Read more Press Clipping \| 29 April 2009 Lula and Alan García agree to the construction of six hydroelectric projects in the Amazon After a meeting between the two leaders, Lula and Garcia agreed to the construction of six hydroelectric projects which symbolizes stronger relations between the two countries. Read more Press Clipping \| 27 April 2009 The FI-FGTS will become a shareholder of the Madeira river complex In a time when the financial market is lacking credit, the fund for investment in infrastructure which derives its resources from the FGTS (FI-FGTS) will contribute R$ 1,640 billion in financing to the construction of the San Antonio hydroelectric plant in the Madeira river, and become a shareholder of the consortium. Read more Press Clipping \| 27 April 2009 Santander sells part of its share in the consortium of the Madeira river Complex Santander sold half of its shares in the consortium building the San Antonio Hydroelectric Plant in the Madeira River to the FI-FGTS (Investment Fund FGTS) Read more Press Clipping \| 18 April 2009 New rules for environmental licensing will benefit PAC's highways Criticized by the Ministry of Environment, a streamlined licensing process should reach 40% of the roads listed in the federal program Read more Press Clipping \| 18 April 2009 IDB evaluates a re capitalization of US$ 180 billion The IDB looks to recapitalize their resources according to the recommendations in the report written by Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, former Finance minister of Peru. Read more Press Clipping \| 18 April 2009 Brazil and Peru will sign an agreement for energy integration during presidential meeting The energy interconnection agreement will be signed between Electro Peru and Eletrobrás, which will be responsible for the technical assistance on the construction of hydroelectric and teh operations of the electrical systems. The initial project has six hydroelectric plants in Peruvian territory; however, the main custumer will be the Brazilian market, according Belaúnde. Read more Press Clipping \| 18 April 2009 PAC is the target of criticism in the report of the World Economic Forum The Growth Acceleration Program (PAC) became the main target of criticism in a report of the organization of the World Economic Forum and the Fundação Dom Cabral, based in Belo Horizonte. "The PAC will not speed up anything, is the rehabilitation program of growth," said the director of Fundação Dom Cabral Paulo Resende, a specialist in transport and logistics, responsible for examining the question infrastructure for Brazil in the report of the forum. Read more Press Clipping \| 18 April 2009 World Bank fails to combat fraud The World Bank's procedures for detecting fraud in its main program of assistance to poor countries were classified as a "structural weakness" in an internal report, increasing the bank's problems in dealing with issues of corruption. Read more Press Clipping \| 18 April 2009 We must go beyond an agreement between Banks and the Ministry of Environment The Ministry of Environment announced an agreement with the Brazilian Federation of Banks (Febraban) incorporating environmental criteria and guidelines for the release of credits to companies and ventures. While representing an improvement regarding to the enviromental impacts made by some investments, the coordinator of the Eco-Project Finance and the organization Friends of the Earth - Brazilian Amazon, Roland Widmer, warns that for the agreement to be effective, more it needs to be done. Read more Update \| 17 April 2009 Indigenous of Peru block river traffic to repeal new laws Indigineour from Amazon of Preu blocked river traffic from two major rivers in jungle protest against laws they consider prejudicial to the integrity of its territories. Read more Press Clipping \| 17 April 2009 NGOs oppose licensing to pave roads in the Amazon Civil society organizations have written a letter expressing their opposition to a measure that would allow the paving of roads through the Amazon. Read more Update \| 16 April 2009 World Bank to lend US$14bn to Latin America in FY09 The World Bank plans to increase lending to Latin America to suplement decreasing levels of foreign direct investment in the region. Read more Update \| 16 April 2009 ProInversión seeks to re-launch IIRSA Centro concession tender by year-end ProInversion, Peru's state agency for the promotion of private investment, will likely launch a tender to concession the IIRSA highway. Read more Press Clipping \| 16 April 2009 Amazon could shrink by 85% due to climate change, scientists say Scientists say 4°C rise would kill 85% of the Amazon rainforest. Even modest temperature rise would see 20-40% loss within 100 years Read more Press Clipping \| 16 April 2009 Bolivia ratified its concern about the impact of dams being built by Brazil Read more Press Clipping \| 16 April 2009 The paradox of the Amazon On the one hand, Brazil made some improvements reducing the rate of deforestation. On the other hand, IIRSA prevents the country from achieving its national environmental goals while deforestation puts the survival of the entire planet at risk. Deforestation is the cause of 20% of the world's global warming - more than the effects of all automobiles. Read more Press Clipping \| 15 April 2009 Strike in the Amazon of Peru The Machiguengas took over Petrobras' ships in the Bajo Urubamba river Read more Press Clipping \| 14 April 2009 Bolivian organizations reject threats posed by Amazon infrastructure megaprojects Read more Update \| 14 April 2009 Interoceanica Sur Highway in Peru faces new cost overuns Read more Update \| 3 April 2009 Workshop on World Bank transparency in Mexico BIC and FUNDAR (Mexico) are jointly organizing a workshop for the civil society of Mesoamerica in order to deepen their knowledge and plan for effecting change at the World Bank. The workshop will take place April 20th in Mexico City, the day before the World Bank's official consultation about their disclosure policy. Please read the document (in Spanish) linked below for information about participating in the workshop. Read more Update \| 2 April 2009 Not one, but two global crises Read more Update \| 2 April 2009 Ibama issues preliminary licenses for second-stage Transnordestina rail works - Brazil Brazil's environmental regulator Ibama has issued the last three preliminary licenses needed to start second-stage works on the 5.4bn-real (US$2.36bn) Transnordestina railroad initiative. Read more Press Clipping \| 2 April 2009 More work needed on Interoceánica Sur highway - Peru Brazilian concessionaires will carry out additional works on the Interoceanica Sur highway, which may result in further delays in the construction of the project - already close to $400 million over budget. Read more Update \| 23 March 2009 2009 IDB Annual Meeting All the latest news from the IDB Annual Meetings taking place from March 27-31, 2009 Read more Update \| 22 March 2009 IDB financial losses and glaring lack of accountability invalidate replenishment request The Inter-American Development Bank should not receive public funding unless it becomes fully accountable to member governments and the public. Read more Update \| 20 March 2009 Accountability and Participation at the World Bank & IDB New study by BIC shows that IFIs have fallen far short of matching project design with discourse when it comes to promoting a culture of accountability through their own project loans. Read more Press Clipping \| 20 March 2009 Brazil's BNDES signs $1 billion IDB finance deal, seeks $3 billion more The Brazilian National Development Bank, BNDES, receives the third installment of a loan to provide credit for businesses to modernize and expand operations. Read more Press Clipping \| 20 March 2009 Amazon could shrink by 85% due to climate change scientists say A new study shows that even modest temperature increases will shrink the Amazon substantially. Read more Press Clipping \| 19 March 2009 Bolivia worries about the impact of Brazilian dams Bolivians worry about potential flooding and health problems that will result from two dams which are part of the Rio Madeira project. Read more Press Clipping \| 19 March 2009 Bolivians and Brazilians oppose the privatization of Rio Madeira Both Bolivians and Brazilians do not agree with the privatization of the Rio Madeira. For different reasons but the same objective, the Bolivians and Brazilians join forces to oppose the privatization. Read more Update \| 19 March 2009 Brazil and Bolivia discuss hydroelectric dams of Rio Madeira Bolivians fear negative impacts from two dams (part of the Rio Madeira) in Bolivian territory. The Brazilian Minister, Celso Amorim assures the Bolivian government that the construction of the dams will not have these negative impacts. Read more Press Clipping \| 18 March 2009 Madeira's dams and the new constitution For only the last two years has the Bolivian government paid attention to the impacts of dams in indigenous territory. Read more Update \| 18 March 2009 Respecting communal land The leaders of hundreds of indigneous groups of Peru demanded that the government reject a proposal to give Petrobras (Brazilian) a large area in which to operate. The groups' leaders argue that Petrobras will bring contamination and the unnecessary exploitation of a protected area of the Amazon. Read more Update \| 18 March 2009 COICA analyzes the role of IIRSA in Quito Members of the COICA indigneous group held a meeting in Quito, Ecuador in order to discuss the role of the indigenous communities as it relates to the Amazon. Read more Update \| 13 March 2009 Four Bolivians arrested during demonstration in Brazil Read more Update \| 13 March 2009 Distance training course offered on the fundamentals of IIRSA From March 30 - April 8 several experts on IIRSA will conduct a distance class about the fundamentals of IIRSA in order to capacitate community leaders. Read more Update \| 10 March 2009 Citizen observatory for Manta-Manaos project is created Read more Update \| 13 March 2009 GTI Update: World Bank to review transparency standards As the World Bank launches a review of its policy on access to information, the Global Transparency Initiative will track the review process and provide analytical support to civil society groups concerned with transparency standards at the Bank. Read more Update \| 5 March 2009 Brazilian NGOs urge World Bank not to approve $1.3 billion loan for environment Several organizations and social networks have asked the World Bank to postpone a decision on a $1.3 billion project in Brazil. The groups argue that prior loans have not adequately addressed environmental concerns and that the pending project-loan has the potential to continue this trend. Moreover, the groups see attractive alternatives. Read more Update \| 27 February 2009 Challenging IIRSA Mega-Projects for Regional Integration: Priorities, Strategies and Lessons Learned BICECA Boletín Mensual 2009 Read more Update \| 25 February 2009 IDB prepares its first capitalization since 1995 In light of the current financial crisis and future needs in Latin America, the Inter-American Development Bank makes plans for capitalization. The proposed amount for the capitalization will be determined according to the recommendations of an IDB advisory group on the issue. Read more Update \| 23 February 2009 BNDES approves largest loan ever $3 bn for 3.3 GW Jirau dam Brazil's national development bank BNDES has approved 7.2bn reais (US$3.1bn) in financing to build the 3.3GW Jirau hydro plant, the bank said in a statement. Jirau is one of two mega hydro projects on the Madeira river in Rondônia state that will be connected to the national grid. The loan will go to the ESBR consortium and includes support for the transmission system that will link the plant to the city of Porto Velho, according to the statement. The financing, which will cover 68.5% of the required investment, is one of the largest loans ever granted by the bank for a single project. In December 2008, BNDES authorized 6.1bn reais in funding for the 3.15GW Santo Antônio hydro project. Read more Press Clipping \| 17 February 2009 Forum declares Manta, Ecuador as an entry port to South America Various participants at the forum raise their points of view regarding the integration of South America and the Manta-Manaus corridor as the entry point to the region. Read more Update \| 12 February 2009 Manta Port Concession Dispute Chinese controlled Port Concessionaire Hutchinson Holdings TIDE withdraws from Manta port concession - Ecuador Read more Press Clipping \| 12 February 2009 IDB record $2 bn losses force replenishment request The reported scale of the Inter-American Development Bank's investment portfolio losses of $1.9 billion — 10 to 100 times higher than the losses of the other development banks Read more Update \| 10 February 2009 Declaration of the Coordinator of the Amazon Basin Indigenous Peoples Organization (COICA) The Amazon Basin Indigenous Peoples Organization (COICA) with our worldview, diversity of languages, history, cultures, spirituality, territory, economy, have existed since before recorded time. We have adopted different forms of organization and identity under the framework of the nation states which have established laws and regulations according to their own interests, not recognizing the ancestral rights of the first inhabitants of the amazon region. Read more Update \| 6 February 2009 Brazilian bank BNDES will lend again to Ecuador when differences are overcome Last year, the Government reported to an international court of debt of $ 242.9 million provided by the BNDES for the construction of the San Francisco hydroelectric. Read more Update \| 10 February 2009 CAF approves US$400mn contingent credit line to Peru Read more Press Clipping \| 10 February 2009 HPH's TIDE withdraws from Manta port concession - Ecuador Read more Update \| 21 January 2009 Central Corridor project makes strategic alliance with farmers The government reactivates the Central Corridor project to benefit the agricultural sector and commercial towns and cities that are on the road that will link the Manta-Manaus. Read more Update \| 4 February 2009 BNDES plans $43 billion in investments for Brazil Read more Update \| 4 February 2009 SOS Amazon! As world leaders focus on severe economic crisis in their homelands, an estimated 100,000 activists traveled from all over the world to attend the World Social Forum in Brazil. Led by Indigenous people from all across Latin America, over 1000 participants formed a human banner, using their bodies, to draw attention to the increasingly precarious situation of the Amazon rainforest. Read more Update \| 3 February 2009 World Social Forum 2009 For the 2009 World Social Forum (WSF), a group composed of various organizations is organizing a two day workshop for updates and strategy building to inform, discuss, plan and act in defense of the rights of affected populations and the environment. The organizations are working to prevent and/or mitigate any type of social and environmental negative impacts caused by the Initiative for the Integration of Regional Infrastructure in South America (IIRSA) and other harmful development strategies. Read more Update \| 26 January 2009 IDB.50: 50 years financing inequality The 50th Annual Meeting of the Board of IDB Governors - to be held in the city of Medellin, Colombia from the 27 - 31st of March, 2009 - is an occasion both for celebration by the Bank and for deep concern and rejection by a group of popular movements and social organizations throughout Latin America that will confront the Assembly in a series of alternative events. Read more Update \| 21 January 2009 Case study: Corredor Norte BICECA Monthly Bulletin 2009 Read more Update \| 9 January 2009 Global crisis is good news for IFIs in Latin America While the international financial institutions report sharp lending increases due to the global financial crisis, concerns over lack of transparency and accountability remain. Read more Press Clipping \| 14 January 2009 Correa threatens to revoke Hutchison's Manta port concession - Ecuador Ecuador's President Rafael Correa has threatened to revoke the Manta port concession if port operator Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) does not keep to its investment schedule. "If they do not comply with the Manta port concession, they will simply have to leave the country," Correa said in an address to the nation. Read more Press Clipping \| 1 January 2009 Land conflicts continue in Rondonia The state of Rondonia, Brazil is subject to ongoing land conflicts between large land owners, small farmers and the state. The proposed hydroelectric dams on the Madeira River and the promise of jobs will only accelerate uncontrolled migration to the region. Weak governance results in frequent, violent confrontations over natural resource use. Read more Update \| 31 December 2008 Bachelet: Unasur to create infrastructure council in April - Regional Government representatives from the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) plan to establish an infrastructure council in April 2009, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet told BNamericas. The council is expected to be created at the next Unasur meeting, scheduled for April 20 next year, when Bachelet will also leave her post as the organization's pro tempore president. Read more Press Clipping \| 29 December 2008 CAF lends $US 300 mn. for Peru Southern Interoceanic Highway Read more Press Clipping \| 29 December 2008 World Bank to train Brazilian state governments to capture FDI A new agreement between Brazil, the World Bank and the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies is intended to train Brazilian state governments on reforms to local regulatory and licensing frameworks to facilitate great foreign direct investment in infrastructure projects. Read more Update \| 26 December 2008 Colombia issues environmental license for Pasto Mocoa highway IDB Loan Approval Set for early 2009: The $200 million road project in Putumayo, Colombia is an anchor project for the IIRSA Amazonas Corridor and will unlock commercial traffic between the ports of Tumaco and Belem, as well as between Bogota and Quito. Read more Press Clipping \| 24 December 2008 Madeira dam operator responsible for massive fish kill The Madeira Energy S/A (Mesa) business consortium, responsible for the construction of the Santo Antônio 3,100 MW hydroelectric dam, the first of several mega-dams planned for the Madeira in the Brazilian state of Rondônia, was fined R$ 7,7 million ($US 3.3 million) by the Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis (Ibama) as a penalty for their responsibility in the ecological accidente that resulted in the death of 11 tons of fish. Read more Update \| 23 December 2008 Update on Oct. 30 Madeira bilateral technical commission meeting The October meeting between the Brazilian and Bolivian bilerateral technical commission on the Madeira Hydroelectric Dam and related projects focused on new technical research related to the cross-border health effects of the project. Read more Update \| 22 December 2008 Banks step back from two hydroelectric projects in Madeira River The financial crisis and environmental risks have affected the willingness of banks to finance the mega-hydroelectric project which would cost R$21 billion. Santander and Banif are facing difficulties in attaining funds for San Antonio Dam; and Itau has already given up on Jirau and San Antonio. Read more Update \| 22 December 2008 The Peruvian regions of Huanuco, Ucayali and Ancash express intent to form a "macro-region" together The presidents of Huanuco, Ucayali and Ancash signed a letter of commitment on the issue of forming a single region together. The deciding referendum will take place in November 2009 Read more Update \| 22 December 2008 IDB Increases Infrastructure Integration Subsidy IDB replenishment of a popular subsidy for the preparation of high risk infrastructure projects in Latin America anticipates the increased funding of infrastructure to stimulate the economy. Read more Update \| 4 May 2009 Lula and Alan Garcia meet in Acre to discuss integration Read more Update \| 22 December 2008 Hydroelectric projects in Chile and Brazil Read more Update \| 22 December 2008 IDB supports study to improve border crossings - Colombia, Ecuador IDB has approved a technical cooperation donation of US$400,000 to support a study to improve the infrastructure and operation of border crossings between Colombia and Ecuador, the entity reported in a release. Read more Update \| 19 December 2008 Perucámaras highlights prioritization of national projects to address the crisis It is important for the President of the Council of Ministers, Yehuda Simon, to meet with employers' associations and hear their suggestions, since the implementation of the "Anticrisis Plan" requires the participation of both the public and private sectors, said Guillermo Vega Alvear, president of Perucámaras, who participated in the morning meeting with the Premier. Read more Update \| 15 December 2008 Andean Indigenous proposal on IIRSA Open letter regarding the South American Regional Infrastructure Integration Initiative (IIRSA), to the politicians in charge (South American governments) and its financiers (CAF, BNDES, European Union, Fonplata, Santander) Read more Update \| 25 November 2008 Civil Society and IDB workshop: Strategic Environmental Assessments and sustainable development Civil society organizations (CSOs) from 10 South American countries have invited the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to engage in dialogue about the use and misuse of Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) in a two-day workshop to be held in Bogota, Colombia (Dec. 2 and 3, 2008). The workshop will feature presentations on the IDB's progress in developing a strategic decision making system that includes clearer rules for SEAs. CSOs will present lessons learned and recommendations for more effective use of SEAs drawn from a decade of experience with high risk infrastructure projects. Read more Update \| 21 November 2008 Directors of IIRSA reject petition for participation of civil society The President of the Directors of IIRSA and current Director of the Ministry of Planning of Colombia, Carolina Renteria, reported on Monday, November 10 the decision to reject a hearing on IIRSA requested by 20 civil society organizations from 8 countries. The CSOs submitted a proposal to create mechanisms to ensure the participation of civil society in the planning process of integration within the framework of IIRSA, in addition to other potential integration processes as well as for the implementation of Strategic Environmental Studies (SEA) for groups of IIRSA projects. Read more Update \| 14 November 2008 Colombia: Pasto-Mocoa Highway; Indigenous people's rights in Peru; Manta-Manaos in Ecuador BICECA Monthly Bulletin 2008 Read more Update \| 29 September 2008 IIRSA CCT meeting on infrastructure and the Amazon: IIRSA's future in doubt BICECA Quarterly Bulletin 2008 Read more Update \| 29 September 2008 IIRSA CCT Meeting on Infrastructure and the Amazon: IIRSA’s future in doubt On Sept. 4, the Technical Coordinating Committee of IIRSA (CCT) hosted a small day-long meeting to discuss infrastructure and the Amazon. The meeting was motivated by a growing perception that IIRSA and related investment trends in the Amazon region are inducing perverse and unsustainable effects that are undermining the legitimacy of the infrastructure integration initiative. Read more Update \| 29 September 2008 IIRSA-CCT meeting about infrastructure and the Amazon: IIRSA's future in doubt Quarterly BICECA Bulletin 2008 Read more Update \| 15 September 2008 Massacre of 30 campesinos by "civicos" in Pando, Bolivia In the worst violent act in the history of Bolivia's democracy, a campaign by opposition Prefects in Bolivia seeking to destabilize the MAS government, took the lives of as many as 30 people, and wounded dozens more, in the Amazonian province of Pando. Read more Update \| 10 September 2008 Brazil welcomes foreign money for Amazon Brazil's environment minister fought off charges that a new international Amazon conservation fund set to receive a large contribution from Norway could threaten the nation's sovereignty. Read more Update \| 26 August 2008 Leasing of Landmark Turnpike Puts State at Policy Crossroads Hobbled by the credit crisis, Wall Street firms and many state governments are hoping that a pockmarked strip of Pennsylvania highway could provide a road out. Read more Update \| 11 July 2008 Countries take action to boost IIRSA through private investment promotion Regional government authorities are taking action to boost the South American infrastructure integration initiative (IIRSA) Read more Update \| 2 July 2008 Civil society groups propose change in annual IDB-civil society meeting Senior IDB officials have made it a practice to meet with civil society representatives in a special meeting once per year then again during the Bank’s Board of Governors meeting. Despite having direct access to the IDB president Moreno at these meetings, their quality and in turn civil society interest has declined precipitously. Read more Update \| 22 June 2008 “Aguas Turvas”: new book that explains the never ending socio-environmental problems of the Madeira Complex The launching will take place on June 25th in Porto Velho, Brazil. There will be a roundtable with experts and affected communities who will share the conclusions. Read more Update \| 20 June 2008 Brazil:Legal block on Estreito river diversion work River diversion work for the Estreito project in Brazil has been stopped by a court in Maranhao state but the rest of the construction activity is unaffected, IWP&DC has learned. Read more Update \| 8 June 2008 Twilight for the Forest People The world is closing in on the few remaining people who live in such remote isolation as to seem not of this world. Read more Update \| 28 May 2008 ConocoPhillips Warned Amazon Operations Could Kill Off Isolated Indigenous Communities Shareholder Meeting Told Houston Oil Major’s Rainforest Plans Would Also Lead to Deforestation and Exacerbate Global Warming Read more Update \| 28 May 2008 "Systemic" Human Rights Abuses Dominate Chevron Annual General Meeting Chevron’s Victims from Burma, Ecuador and Nigeria Confront CEO David O’Reilly at Shareholder Meeting Read more Update \| 27 May 2008 Minc steps into Brazil deforestation controversy Brazil’s new environment minister takes office on Tuesday in the middle of a spat over an apparent recent increase in deforestation in the Amazon region Read more Update \| 27 May 2008 Brazil's building spree in Amazon draws protests The Belo Monte dam will swallow thick rain forest and harm rare fish, as well as the livelihoods and homes of roughly 15,000 people who live in this remote area of northeastern Para state, critics say. Read more Update \| 19 May 2008 Brazil: Suez consortium wins Jirau auction with US$43.30/MWh bid The Consórcio Energia Sustentável do Brasil (CESB) group led by France's Suez has presented the winning bid to build and operate Brazil's 3.3GW Jirau hydro plant on the Madeira river. Read more Update \| 22 May 2008 Tax reform seen as priority for Latin America Latin America should be looking to European-style tax reform rather than subsidies or export bans to help manage the inflationary threat posed by the global food crisis Read more Update \| 21 May 2008 Brazil: Tensions Boil Over at Altamira I was on the panel discussing the impacts of Belo Monte Dam, when about eight Kayapó Indians incensed at the defense of the project by state company Eletrobrás' project manager Read more Update \| 19 May 2008 European Banks Financing Damaging Agrofuels in Latin America Many major European banks are funding the rapid expansion of agrofuel production in Latin America, leading to large scale deforestation, increasing human right abuses and threatening food sovereignty, according to a new report Read more Update \| 14 May 2008 Brazil's environment minister quits in protest Marina Silva's resignation is linked to her opposition to many of the major megaprojects planned and underway in the Brazilian Amazon, including two large hydroelectric dams on the Madeira River Read more Update \| 25 April 2008 Brazil to rein in foreign groups in Amazon Brazil's military will regulate environmental, religious and other foreign groups working in the Amazon region under a law. Read more Update \| 26 April 2008 Brazil "soy king" sees Amazon as food solution More of the Amazon rain forest should be cut down to make way for farmland to help ease the global food crisis, the governor of a big Brazilian farming state was quoted on Friday as saying. Read more Update \| 21 April 2008 With Guns and Fines, Brazil Takes On Loggers Brazilian agents have caught loggers in Alta Floresta, in central Brazil. Read more Update \| 5 April 2008 IDB criticized for some energy projects Environmental groups accused the bank of pumping billions of dollars into projects that harm the environment. Read more Update \| 5 April 2008 Environmentalists urge IADB to end biofuel loans Environmental groups urged to stop lending money to big companies piling into the booming ethanol business. Read more Update \| 3 April 2008 BID: Meeting to Focus on Biofuels BID announced an energy initiative to encourage Latin America to pursue sustainable power with an emphasis on biofuels. Read more Update \| 1 April 2008 Indigenous Peoples fall backwards in the Realigned IDB With the realignment of the Inter-American Development Bank, the Indigenous Peoples and Community Development Unit was repackaged into a new Gender and Diversity Unit. This shows a weakening commitment to the Indigenous Peoples work. Read more Update \| 31 March 2008 How times have changed since IDB last met in Florida This week some 6,000 government finance officials, international bankers and the groups they lend to will converge on Miami Beach for the Inter-American Development Bank's annual meeting. Read more Update \| 25 March 2008 China's Hunger; Latin America's Commodities With China’s commodity demand on the rise, analysts see a buffer for Latin America economies from a U.S. downturn through Chinese hunger for products ranging from soya to copper to gas. Read more Update \| 14 March 2008 Amazon environmentalist gunned down in Peru After reporting a truck loaded with mahogany illegally logged from the Amazon rainforest, Julio Gualberto García Agapito, a local authority, was gunned down by an illegal timber operator. Read more Update \| 3 March 2008 Brazil: going it alone in biofuels In a nod to Brazil, World Bank president Robert Zoellick said the expansion of the ethanol market could contribute to fighting climate change if trade barriers are minimized. Read more Update \| 5 February 2008 Terna CEO says group to take part in 3 Brazilian bids this year Terna SpA CEO Flavio Cattaneo said the group will take part in at least three bids for grid operations in Brazil in 2008. Read more Update \| 5 February 2008 Free Trade in the agenda for IDB Spring Annual Meeting The Inter-American Development Bank will be hosting its Annual Meeting in Miami and the issue of Free Trade Agreements will be at the top of the list. Read more Update \| 31 January 2008 Latin America Banks on Independence: Bank of the South On December 9, standing before the flags of their countries, the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay and Venezuela, along with a representative from Uruguay, gathered in Buenos Aires and signed the founding charter of the Banco del Sur, or Bank of the South. Read more Update \| 30 January 2008 IDB launches LNG study The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has launched a tender to study the potential of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification plant that would supply Argentina and Uruguay. Read more Update \| 1 February 2008 IDB Fund Supports Inclusive Business Development in Peru and Ecuador The Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank today announced approval of financing for two non-reimbursible technical cooperation projects in Peru and Ecuador, totaling US$1.6 million and US$1.5 million, respectively. Read more Update \| 4 January 2008 Chavez Names New Finance Minister and Vice President Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez replaced his finance minister and vice president as part of a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle after voters rejected his proposal to overhaul the constitution. Read more Update \| 20 December 2007 Troubled Amazon corner - Interoceanica Highway and Complejo Madeira Marcos Chambilla Copari recalls arriving in the of village of San Lorenzo, in the southwestern Peruvian rainforest, in 1986, a refugee from flooding around Lake Titicaca in Peru’s southern highlands. “There was no road to get our products to market,” he said. “Everything rotted in the field.” Read more Update \| 19 December 2007 Peru's Camisea LNG project gets key loan from BID BID approved a $400 million loan to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Peru's Camisea field. But environmentalists and indigenous groups have inquired: At what cost? Read more Update \| 18 December 2007 Pueblos campesinos de la Amazonía boliviana demandan al Gobierno de Brasil Read more Update \| 17 December 2007 Lula's visit to La Paz provokes the detention of Rio Madeira defenders Five persons were arrested in the breakup of a peaceful protest by a group of activists against the construction of hydroelectric dams on the Madeira River. The detention was justified with the argument that an act of protest harms of Bolivian-Brazilian relations. Read more Update \| 13 December 2007 Bank of the South launched Seven South American leaders launched the Bank of the South (Banco del Sur) on Sunday, touting it as the continent's alternative to U.S.-backed lenders. Read more Update \| 10 December 2007 Começa leilão da usina de Santo Antônio Começou por volta das 12h35 o leilão da hidrelétrica de Santo Antônio, no Rio Madeira (RO), organizado na sede da Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (Aneel), em Brasília. Na primeira etapa, os investidores farão uma proposta única para o preço da energia que será produzida pela usina. Nenhum dos três consórcios inscritos terá como saber qual foi o lance oferecido pelos demais interessados. Read more Update \| 10 December 2007 Soy in the Amazon The annual destruction of the Amazon rainforest is tallied every August and announced to a world sadly accustomed to the idea that its greatest tropical forest is being wiped off the face of the Earth. Read more Update \| 6 December 2007 Environmentalists go to court to suspend the auction of Rio Madeira Dam Project With the auction for the Rio Madeira Project approaching, civil society is accelerating campaigns against the dams. Read more Update \| 29 November 2007 Ecuadorian airline receives $62 million loan from the IADB The IADB approved on Thursday a $62 million loan for a commercial airline in Ecuador. Read more Update \| 2 December 2007 Mercosur has become “irrelevant” and “too complicated” “Mercosur has become irrelevant and too complicated, and even more when Venezuela is finally incorporated to the block”, said former Brazilian Foreign Finance minister Mailson da Nobrega. Read more Update \| 3 December 2007 RIGHTS-COLOMBIA: Cooperation for Peace, Not War "A state becomes a violator of human rights when it fails to guarantee, promote or defend them," said Argentine ambassador to Colombia Martín Balza during the Third International Conference on Colombia. Read more Update \| 3 December 2007 A rumble over valuable jungle Destruction and exploitation of rain forests spark an idea: Paying to preserve them. Read more Update \| 3 December 2007 Second Latin American Congress of National Parks and Protected Areas The second Latin American Congress of National Parks and Protected Areas held in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina was the largest gathering of environmental organizations working in Latin America since the last Congress in 1997, held in Santa Marta. Read more Update \| 29 November 2007 Bank of the South Eight countries are planning to inaugurate the Bank of the South on December 5, 2007 in Caracas. Joining ALBA countries (Venezuela, Bolivia), Ecuador Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, Colombia decided two weeks ago that it too would join the initiative. Peru and Chile have so far remained silent. Read more Update \| 20 November 2007 European Commission and Inter-American Development Bank sign Memorandum of Understanding The European Commission and Inter-American Development Bank signed a Memorandum of Understanding on November 19th in Brussels to strengthen their cooperation in the Latin American region. Read more Update \| 19 November 2007 Human rights organization in Brasil investigates human right violations from Madeira project The National Report plans a mission to Rondonia to investigate the human rights violations from the Madeira Complex. Read more Update \| 7 January 2007 Brazil's Lula rules out energy and gas shortages Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sought on Wednesday to play down gas shortages in Rio de Janeiro, saying that the country's energy supplies were guaranteed until 2012. Read more Update \| 3 November 2007 Water as private property Transnational companies tighten their grip on region’s water resources. Read more Update \| 2 November 2007 A Bank of their Own: Latin America Casting off Washington's Shackles "The bank, which will be officially launched on Dec. 5, will make development loans to its member countries, with a focus on regional economic integration.(...) The Inter-American Development Bank, which focuses entirely on Latin America, devotes only about 2 percent of its lending to regional integration." That was Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil - not Washington's nemesis, Hugo Chavez -speaking in the Republic of Congo just two weeks ago. Read more Update \| 2 November 2007 A Changed World? In 2006, Bolivia broke with the International Monetary Fund and signaled its desire for independence. Now this week the Andean nation becomes the first country ever to withdraw from the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, a World Bank body that referees contract disagreements between foreign investors and host countries. Read more Update \| 31 October 2007 Peru: National park saved from new oil and gas drilling Peruvian Government abandoned controversial plan to open up part of the Amazonian rainforest to oil and gas exploration. Read more Update \| 30 October 2007 Inter-American Development Bank to increase infrastructure investment Announcement shows the growing internal pressure at the institution to push lending for major energy initiatives. Read more Update \| 29 October 2007 The Bank of the South: An Alternative to IMF and World Bank Dominance In July, 2004, the IMF and World Bank commemorated the 60th anniversary of their founding at Bretton Woods, NH to provide a financial framework of assistance for the postwar world after the expected defeat of Germany and Japan. Read more Update \| 19 October 2007 IFC, IDB and BNDES create new fund for infrastructure in Brazil The IFC, IDB and BNDES signed an agreement on October 19th to create a $3.99 million private sector participation trust fund to invest in infrastructure projects in Brazil. Read more Update \| 25 October 2007 High financial risks dispersed throughout Rio Madeira Dam Project Study by Amigos da Terra warns investors: Methodology is based on credit rating agencies approach. Read more Update \| 23 October 2007 Chavez's Plan for Development Bank Moves Ahead The idea by Hugo Chávez, Venezuela’s president, to create a Bank of the South to finance regional development projects is moving forward, aided by the tacit approval of Brazil, which has South America’s largest economy. Read more Update \| 17 October 2007 Brazil Again Postpones First Rio Madeira Power Auction- Estado Brazil’s Mines and Energy Minister Nelson Hubner announced Wednesday that the auction of the rights to build Madeira’s Santo Antonio power plant will be delayed until November 29th according to Estado new agency. Read more Update \| 19 October 2007 Brazil to create fund to manage reserves Brazil’s Finance Minister, Guido Mantega, announced on Friday a plan to create a sovereign fund from a portion of its international reserves that will seek seek higher-yielding investments. Read more Update \| 23 October 2007 Brazil plans oil and gas exploration in Amazons Brazil plans to spend some $35.5 million on oil and gas exploration in the northern Amazonian state of Acre, on the border with Bolivia, the official Agencia Brasil news agency reported.The goal of the project, undertaken by the National Petroleum Agency (ANP), is to determine the region's potential for oil and gas production, according to the Spanish News agency EFE Read more Update \| 16 October 2007 World Bank is optimistic about growth in Latin American The World Bank predicted that Latin America and the Caribbean will grow between 4.9 and 5% this year in spite of the turmoil in the US financial markets. Read more Update \| 8 October 2007 South America chokes as Amazon burns The Amazon region is endangered of disappearing as vast areas of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay are wrapped in smoke. Roberto Smeraldi, from Friends of the Earth Brazil, said the current situation was out of control. He was very clear as to who is to blame “…they are mainly the results of expanding cattle ranching.” Read more Update \| 3 October 2007 Chávez Vows Bank of the South Next Monday Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez announced Tuesday night that the Bank of the South will be born next Monday in Caracas. Read more Update \| 2 October 2007 Amazon jungle could be lost in 40 years, says campaigners A new report by Conservation International warns that development plans funded by the IIRSA could have severe environmental consequences for the Amazon jungle. Read more Update \| 25 September 2007 Brazil Cosan Warns Against Petrobras Ethanol Pipeline Brazil’s largest ethanol group, Cosan Ltd., has joined with other ethanol groups in opposition to the ethanol pipeline proposed by Petroleo Brasileiro SA or Petrobras. Read more Update \| 9 November 2007 CAF respalda plan de integración y desarrollo fronterizo entre Bolivia y Argentina Con el propósito de apoyar al país en la formulación de un plan maestro de integración y desarrollo fronterizo binacional argentino - boliviano, la Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF) lanzó este lunes la convocatoria para un concurso público internacional del Programa de Apoyo al Desarrollo y la Integración Fronteriza (PADIF). Read more Update \| 10 September 2007 Request for urgent sign-ons: Madeira River Dams in the Brazilian Amazon Must Not be Build without Adequate Studies of Project's Impacts on Bolivia! Background – The Brazilian government is planning two huge dams on the Madeira River, principal tributary of the Amazon, and a region of mega-biodiversity, with 750 fish and 800 bird species. Read more Update \| 3 October 2008 Biofuels, Agrofuels, the International Financial Institutions and Private Investment: A General Panorama Liquid biofuels are attracting the attention of private investors, as well as developed and developing countries in their quest for alternative energy sources. Biofuels are gaining popularity because of their potential ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, their promise to stimulate rural development and their possibility of providing security and energy independence. Read more Update \| 27 August 2007 Venezuelan funding to Latin America The President of Venezuela, Mr. Hugo Chavez has pledged more than $8.8 billion in aid, financing and energy funding in Latin America and the Caribbean so far in 2007 Read more Update \| 16 August 2007 Scarcity in the midst of surplus: Brazil's energy policy Thanks partly to ethanol from sugar cane, Brazil aims to be an energy superpower. But can it keep its own lights on? Read more Update \| 14 August 2007 Santo Antônio auction scheduled for October 30 Brazil's mines and energy ministry (MME) has scheduled for October 30 the auction to build and operate the 3.15GW Santo Antônio hydroelectric plant, MME said on its website. Santo Antônio will start selling power in 2012, MME said. Read more Update \| 3 August 2007 Bolivia: Populism For a Price Read more Update \| 30 July 2007 Strange beauty draws admirers to Bolivian salt flat Read more Update \| 9 August 2007 Bolivian parade goes off without scuffle Read more Update \| 5 August 2007 'Capital war' is Bolivia's latest battle Read more Update \| 9 August 2007 Bolivia: A quest to save South America's freshwater dolphins Read more Update \| 8 August 2007 Cold snap prompts Chile to seek gas deal with old foe Bolivia Read more Update \| 29 July 2007 Move to shift capital exposes rifts in Bolivia Read more Update \| 30 July 2007 Researcher predicts that hydro power plants will incite rural conflicts Rural conflicts over water will likely increase in the next few years due to hydro infrastructure projects within the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC). Read more Update \| 7 April 2007 Map updates information on Protected Areas in Amazonia - After a long research effort with geographical data and information on protected areas, during the last Brazilian Congress on Conservation Units, the Socioenvironmental Institute (ISA) presented the most updated sample of areas under some sort of legal protection throughout the entire Amazon. Read more Update \| 7 November 2007 Preliminary License with caveats for the Madeira River Complex The same obstacles that resulted in the denial of the preliminary license for the project are now 'conditioning factors' to the project, placed by Ibama, which thereby transfers the responsibility for resolving the problems to whoever wins the government concession to build the hydro plants. Read more Update \| 26 April 2007 Neighboring countries may request suspension of projects on the Madeira Peru and Bolivia may request an injunction in Brazilian court if there is any threat to their territories caused by projects on the Madeira River Read more Update \| 27 July 2007 War on the Madeira Dispute between the Camargo Corrêa and Norberto Odebrecht construction companies over the hydroelectric plants leads to heated exchanges of accusations and puts pressure on government institutions Read more Update \| 30 July 2007 Discontent, Confusion, Non-Transparency: How to Become Relevant in Latin America In this brief: - Timeline - “We are not relevant in Brazil”: Senior staff appointments - Bank Staff Association discontent - Social and environmental safeguards - Development effectiveness – is there a development strategy? - Civil society participation – the new bottom of the priority list Read more Update \| 25 July 2007 IMF’s challenge in Latin America The Europeans will likely select French socialist, Dominique Strauss-Kahn to replace Rodrigo de Rato as the Managing Director of the IMF, very much in the same, closed and undemocratic fashion that the U.S. handpicked Robert Zoellick to replace Paul Wolfowitz at the helm of the World Bank. Few Latin American countries have contested the IMF or the World Bank Presidential selection process, with the exception of some mild finger pointing by Brazil. Read more Update \| 22 July 2007 BNDES to provide full support for Madeira project - Brazil Read more Update \| 22 July 2007 Chesf exec: Eletrobrás could be key partner for Madeira Read more Update \| 25 July 2007 BNDES disbursements reached a record of R$ 58.7 billion for 12 months until June Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social [BNDES] disbursements reached a new record for the last 12 months ended in June. R$ 58.7 billion was released in the period, representing a growth of 30%. This result, which strengthens the growth trend beginning in the second quarter of 2006, was mainly influenced by the sectors related to metallurgy, trade and services, chemical and petrochemical products. Read more Update \| 17 July 2007 Suez SA plans to bid on the construction of Rio Madeira dams Suez SA, Europe's fifth largest electricity producer, plans to bid on rights to build hydroelectric dams in Brazil's Amazon region. Read more Update \| 9 July 2007 Brazil approves a preliminary license for the construction of the mega-project Rio Madeira IBAMA approves preliminary license for the construction of the mega-project Rio Madeira after the denial of the license by the same agency. The license moved forward and its now open for bidding. One of the interested parties and feasible bidders will be, Odebrecht SA and Camargo Correa SA, as reported by an IBAMA official. Read more Update \| 6 June 2007 Letter to President Moreno: First it was the WB and Wolfowitz now the IDB and Moreno The IDB Employees Association sent this letter dated June 6 to Luis Alberto Moreno, President of the Inter-American Development Bank. It describes a critical situation within the bank, which, despite the possible personal motivation of some of the employees, threatens to be similar to that of the World Bank. Read more Update \| 12 June 2007 Brazilian Government Moves to Dam Principal Amazon Tributary In recent weeks, the Brazilian government has turned to the difficult task of building giant hydroelectric dams in the Amazon River. The project presents President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva with a major contradiction—between his ambitious economic development plan based on large-scale infrastructure, and the enormous social and environmental costs of the dams. Read more Update \| 12 June 2007 Brazilian Government Moves to Dam Principal Amazon Tributary In recent weeks, the Brazilian government has turned to the difficult task of building giant hydroelectric dams in the Amazon River. The project presents President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva with a major contradiction—between his ambitious economic development plan based on large-scale infrastructure, and the enormous social and environmental costs of the dams. Read more Update \| 11 June 2007 Both Sides Say Project Is Pivotal Issue for Brazil The eternal tension between Brazil’s need for economic growth and the damage that can cause to the environment are nowhere more visible than here in this corner of the western Amazon region. Read more Update \| 5 June 2007 Financing unaccountable infrastructure in South America: IIRSA and its relationship with the CAF and the EIB Read more Update \| 23 May 2007 Response by the World Bank Director for Brazil to Brazilian organizations (in Portuguese) World Bank response to the Brazilian organizations to their letter on May 18, 2007. Read more Update \| 23 May 2007 Brazilian Organizations send letter to World Bank Director for Brazil On May 28, 2007 some Brazilian organizations have sent a letter to the World Bank Director for Brazil, John Briscoe. The matter of this letter is the World Bank Technical Cooperation Agreement with the Mines and Energy Ministry and the Madeira River Hydroelectric Project. Read more Update \| 25 January 2007 New paradigm for IIRSA BICECA Monthly Bulletin 2007 Read more Update \| 22 November 2006 IDB decides to partially cancel some debts; loan is approved for Celulosa in Uruguay BICECA Monthly Bulletin 2006 Read more Update \| 16 May 2007 BIC launches new webpages on the Andean Development Corporation (Corporación Andina de Fomento) and Bank of the South (Banco del Sur) These new pages reflect the expanding focus of BIC's Latin America Program. Both pages are in Spanish. Read more Update \| 3 May 2007 Official says Amazon dams on fast track The government argues the dams in the western Amazon are needed for Brazil to meet its growing energy needs, and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has long complained about delays in granting licenses for the dams.Environmentalists, however, say the dams will destroy a large swath of the rain forest and endanger rare fish. Read more Update \| 1 May 2007 Update on Banco del Sur: Reflection of Declining IFI Relevance in Latin America The announcements of the inauguration of the first Latin American office of the planned Bank of the South and the adhesion of three new member countries have come as a direct challenge to the Northern based IFIs struggling to remain relevant to the region. The advances of Banco del Sur, closely aligned with discussions on regional energy policy and the larger project of building a Union of South American Nations, has also tested the South America rhetoric of integration proclaimed most recently at the Cochabamba Summit last December, 2007. This note provides a brief update and analysis of these recent announcements about Banco del Sur, focusing on the implications for the ongoing crises of relevance in Latin America confronting the IMF, World Bank and IDB, as well as the challenges for deeper South American integration. Read more Update \| 20 March 2007 New Press Release: IDB Governors approve debt relief for Bolivia, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua The IDB has published a press released about the decisions on the debt relief for the five poorest countries of Latin America. The total amount is US$4.390 millions. Read more Update \| 19 March 2007 Guatemalan Government Blocks Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini and Indigenous Leaders from IDB Annual Meeting IDB Debate on Social Inclusion Excludes Critics Distributed by the alliance of NGOs of Latin America, Europe and United States during the Annual Meeting of the IDB in Guatemala City Guatemala City, March 19, 2007 - The IDB has banned a prominent Guatemalan Bishop and a group of indigenous leaders from participating in its annual meeting in Guatemala City today. Read more Update \| 8 March 2007 BIC's presentation of the BICECA project and database to the Moore Foundation The Bank Information Center would like to share a power point presentation on the International Financial Institutions and the Andes-Amazon region. This presentation offers analysis on the World Bank and the IDB, IIRSA and BICECA. Read more Update \| 5 March 2007 Brazil ‘must lift barriers’ to new infrastructre A recent report of the World Bank is encouraging Brazil to remove their regulatory barriers to private sector investment. This has to be done in order to improve the shortage of investment on infrastructure in the country. Read more Update \| 2 March 2007 Brazil offers Bolivia “a gift” – but at what cost? The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Andean Development Corporation (CAF), the state electric utility Furnas and construction conglomerate Odebrecht have drawn up plans for the most ambitious of IIRSA’s 335 projects – under which the Amazon’s principal tributary would be converted into a series of great lakes for hydroelectricity, in the process converting the rivers into a 4,200 km-long barge channel that will hasten the conversion of Amazonia into a vast soy plantation... Read more