http://www.bicusa.org/en/Region.102.aspx The latest news on Bolivia from the Bank Information Center 10 http://www.infodev.org/images/infodev.gif http://www.bicusa.org/en/Region.102.aspx The outgoing World Bank Country Manager for Brazil, Mahktar Diop, challenges the conclusions of an evaluation by Bank Information Center of the $1.3 billion Sustainable Environmental Management Development Policy to promote environmental reforms in Brazil. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12592.aspx Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:39:11 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12592.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12571.aspx Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:12:49 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12571.aspx A new evaluation of a $1.3 billion World Bank development policy loan to promote sustainability reforms at the Brazilian National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) that questions the effectiveness of DPLs due to weaknesses in existing Bank policy guiding their design and execution. This brief calls for the reform of Bank DPL policy as an urgent part of the ongoing revision of World Bank safeguard policies to ensure consistent management of risk across all World Bank operations. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12554.aspx Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:30:54 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12554.aspx This update prepared by the Bank Information Center introduces the FCPF Readiness Package (R-Package) and the Carbon Fund (CF) operational. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12545.aspx Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:21:16 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12545.aspx It took many years to establish the World Bank's operational policies that safeguard society and the environment, and are some of the world's highest development standards. As the Bank reviews these policies, civil society is organizing efforts to present their concerns and expectations, and offer their imputs as to what the outcome of the review should be. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12528.aspx Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:01:29 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12528.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12520.aspx Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:29:21 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12520.aspx The disimbursement of the funds for the third section of the Villa Tunari-San Ignacio de Moxos highway is now being withheld until the preservation of the ecosystem in the Indigenous Territory in the Isiboro Sécure National Park (TIPNIS) is guaranteed, a commitment by the government of Evo Morales to Brazil. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12519.aspx Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:18:44 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12519.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12518.aspx Thu, 11 Aug 2011 08:42:57 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12518.aspx Brazilian companies are more interested in entering the Peruvian market and its accumulated investments will likely exceed US$10 billion by 2016. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12517.aspx Thu, 11 Aug 2011 08:29:03 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12517.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12516.aspx Thu, 11 Aug 2011 08:24:33 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12516.aspx Despite high interest rates and high household electricity tariffs, Brazilian economy has been growing at the highest rates seen in decades. Another problem that, although not in the way of growth, must be overcome is the costly use of roads for transporting farm products – issue being addressed by the expansion of railway networks. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12513.aspx Tue, 09 Aug 2011 11:44:53 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12513.aspx Indigenous groups vow to march over forest highway plan. Morales is now facing protests from within Indian support base. This situation is an example of the struggle to balance development with cultural identity. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12503.aspx Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:00:50 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12503.aspx The project will require an investment of some US$118mn, being financed to the tune of US$103mn by a World Bank loan and US$15mn in counterpart funding by the La Paz government. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12501.aspx Sun, 24 Jul 2011 22:45:15 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12501.aspx The Inambari Hydroelectric Complex (2000 MW), will only be a Brazilian enclave within Peru, at the cost of environmental degradation and violation of the rights of communities. Nevertheless, it must be built by the state of Peru alongside other nations in order to sell the energy produced. This investment could be recovered in 2 years. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12500.aspx Sun, 24 Jul 2011 21:35:59 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12500.aspx The Peruvian legislature has approved an additional payment to complete the Southern Interoceanic Highway, linking the Andean country with Brazil. The highway is expected to be completed in 2012 http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12498.aspx Sun, 24 Jul 2011 20:51:56 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12498.aspx The BNDES’s preposterous involvement in the corporate dispute between French multinationals over the Pão-de-Açúcar supermarket chain shows that the state-owned bank has strayed far from its original mission. What exactly is the BNDES’s role nowadays? http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12466.aspx Tue, 12 Jul 2011 10:07:01 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12466.aspx With emotionally-charged messages, the representatives of indigenous communities marched against the construction of a highway that would split the TIPNIS in two, arguing that its construction allows for the ethnocide of communities who arduosly worked for the park to become an Originative Communal Land (TCO). (Spanish). http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12464.aspx Fri, 08 Jul 2011 11:15:44 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12464.aspx The World Bank and the Government of Bolivia recognize the observations of the TCO Takana I on deficiencies in the Indigenous Peoples Plan of the Ixiamas - San Buenaventura Highway project and accept to start a process to improve the Indiginous Plan even after the project was approved. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12438.aspx Wed, 18 May 2011 14:29:10 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12438.aspx Banco Santander Brasil SA denied it temporarily suspended financing for the Santo Antonio hydroelectric dam in Brazil’s Amazon region. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12433.aspx Mon, 09 May 2011 10:32:09 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12433.aspx The construction of the Peru-Brazil Southern Interoceanic Corridor (IIRSA SUR) has generated economic benefits worth US$3 billion, reported the President of Peru’s Supervisory Board for Investment in Public Transport Infrastructure (Ositran), Juan Carlos Zevallos. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12432.aspx Sat, 07 May 2011 09:56:33 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12432.aspx The 2011 completion of the 3,400-mile Transoceanic Highway nears, connecting the Amazonian state of Acre in Brazil with the southern Pacific coast of Peru. Supported by governmental and multi-national development interests, it promises to internationalize Brazilian agricultural products, while improving mobility across the region. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12417.aspx Wed, 20 Apr 2011 13:48:05 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12417.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12409.aspx Sun, 10 Apr 2011 09:53:51 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12409.aspx The project has a great potential to reorder and even positively or negatively change the dinamics of development and conservation in the region. Bolivia's government has decided that the PAD will not be public before it's approved. It seems that the project underestimates its indirect influence, and there are shortcomings in planification and consultation. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12399.aspx Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:58:07 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12399.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12396.aspx Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12396.aspx Five country delegation of civil society organizations are at the IDB Annual Meeting of Governors in Calgary, Canada to monitor implementation of reforms that were agreed a year ago in exchange for a $70 Billion capital increase. Reform areas of critical focus include social and environmental safeguards, climate strategy, and results management. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12390.aspx Mon, 28 Mar 2011 00:19:37 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12390.aspx Brazilian security forces have been sent to the Jirau dam construction site where work has been stopped since riots erupted last week over working conditions. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12389.aspx Mon, 28 Mar 2011 00:13:49 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12389.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12377.aspx Sat, 12 Mar 2011 22:43:13 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12377.aspx Despite recent internal reforms, new evidence raises questions about bank quality control. In direct contrast to IDB management claims, the OVE evaluation found the actual evaluability of projects has deteriorated markedly when measured using a consistent methodology applied to three cohorts of projects. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12359.aspx Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:25:50 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12359.aspx Civil society sent a letter to President Luis Alberto Moreno expressing their support, yet concern and strong disagreement with parts of the report’s analysis which, if misinterpreted, could negatively affect the integrity of the principles of sustainability in Bank operations. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12357.aspx Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:10:19 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12357.aspx Transparency and accountability gaps are highlighted in World Bank Board Query to Latin American Vice President, Pamela Cox. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12340.aspx Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:57:08 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12340.aspx Civil Society Organizations question the World Bank disbursement of the DPL SEM I to Brasil without clear evidence regarding the implementation of BNDES Safeguards and Social and Environmental policy in emblematic cases http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12338.aspx Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:08:16 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12338.aspx $US 618 million bridge loan from BNDES prior to full environmental license ignores grave risks. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12325.aspx Fri, 24 Dec 2010 08:04:13 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12325.aspx In a bill that was proposed in 2008, the Peruvian Congress Commission on Andean, Indigenous and Afro-Peruvian Peoples, Environment and Ecology, approved a bill to protect the areas and biodiversity affected by the Southern Interoceanic highway. The bill awaits the President's signature. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12319.aspx Mon, 20 Dec 2010 09:18:37 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12319.aspx The Bolivian capital of La Paz and its surroundings, home to nearly 2 million people, is poised to experience a catastrophic drought that will turn productive grasslands into arid deserts as soon as 2040 due to rising temperatures, a new study concludes. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12318.aspx Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:53:32 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12318.aspx With the preview to close 2010 with the release of $ 146 billion, BNDES keeps growing, turbocharged with contributions and loans from the Treasury, but slows down to face their limits. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12317.aspx Sun, 19 Dec 2010 15:27:11 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12317.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12310.aspx Tue, 14 Dec 2010 21:34:38 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12310.aspx Read about the upcoming regional workshops in Puerto Maldonado, Puno and Cusco, organized by the Peruvian Environment Ministry. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12284.aspx Tue, 23 Nov 2010 16:27:47 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12284.aspx The French transnational has a US$400 million contract to link Rondonia to Sao Paulo, and now shifts attention to the Xingu region of Para. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12258.aspx Sun, 14 Nov 2010 16:23:16 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12258.aspx The energy giant plans a global expansion in 2011 that by 2020 will generate 10% of total revenues from outside the region and allow Brazil to import energy for increasing demand. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12257.aspx Sun, 14 Nov 2010 15:27:22 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12257.aspx Suez, the lead corporate member of the Jirau Energia Sustentavel consortium building the dam, launched a web based observatory run by youth in the community of Nova Mutum Paraná, Rondonia to provide information about the issues related to the 3,000 MW hydroelectric project and its influence on communities. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12253.aspx Sat, 13 Nov 2010 22:09:51 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12253.aspx The energy auction proposed by Energia Sustentável do Brasil (ESBR) - winner of the Jirau hydroelectric project construction bid on the Madeira River, to sell part of hydroelectric energy from Jirau through the free market ended without a new contract. Jirau proposed energy prices between R$130 and R$140 per MWh http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12251.aspx Sat, 13 Nov 2010 21:27:37 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12251.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12249.aspx Sat, 13 Nov 2010 18:35:23 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12249.aspx The Transoceanic Highway, evoking engineering marvels such as the Transcontinental Railroad and the Panama Canal, has been talked about for decades, assuming a mythic stature that has led many to question whether the east-west thoroughfare linking Brazil's Atlantic ports with the Pacific docks of Peru would ever come to pass. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12248.aspx Sat, 13 Nov 2010 18:16:25 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12248.aspx Despite Morales’ international efforts to push an environmentalist agenda, his own ecological track record at home raises difficult questions. As Bolivia looks for feasible ways to develop its economy, most of the industrial activity in the country takes a heavy toll on the environment. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12229.aspx Fri, 05 Nov 2010 14:54:38 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12229.aspx Authors Claudia Enrique and Vanessa Cueto of Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (DAR) in Peru conducted an independent assessment of a program to mitigate the social and environmental effects of the highway currently being built in Peru. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12212.aspx Wed, 27 Oct 2010 16:12:49 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12212.aspx The dossier contains a summary of proposals submitted by a group of civil society organizations to the Inter-American Development Bank. 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12221.aspx Mon, 01 Nov 2010 15:33:09 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12221.aspx As head of BNDES, Luciano Coutinho revitalized the bank that now delivers credit to the largest industrial, technology and meat packing economic groups.` http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12217.aspx Thu, 28 Oct 2010 12:27:57 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12217.aspx A recent article about the 3,000 MW San Antonio hydroelectric dam being built in a highly sensitive international Amazon watershed purported that Brazil had surmounted the environmental and social criticism of the revived Amazon dam building plans for 24 such sites in the coming years. Critics respond the WSJ writer, John Lyons, ignored much of the evidence and argumentation provided to him, resulting in a one-sided presentation of San Antonio that results in a greenwashing of the highly problematic project. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12213.aspx Wed, 27 Oct 2010 16:44:56 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12213.aspx In a public statement directed at the Peruvian State, the World Bank, UNDP and UNFCCC, the Inter-ethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Forest (AIDESEP) denounces plans of the government and its political and corporate allies to grant mining, logging and tourism concessions, as well as approve REDD and environmental services initiatives after blocking the Indigenous Consultation Law. They insist: without territory, rights and consultation for indigenous peoples, such concessions must not move forward. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12220.aspx Mon, 01 Nov 2010 11:09:18 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12220.aspx Corporacion Andina de Fomento (CAF) informed about the progress of the Inter-Oceanic Highway construction as well as the achievements of the productive projects implemented to improve the quality of life of people in the area of influence of the corridor. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12204.aspx Fri, 22 Oct 2010 10:03:18 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12204.aspx Construction workers are fighting the clock to finish the last stretch of the Southern Inter-Oceanic Highway, in southeastern Peru, apparently unaware that about 100 kilometres of this road connecting to Brazil will be covered by water once the Inambari hydroelectric dam is built nearby. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12195.aspx Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:18:35 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12195.aspx In general the REDD discussions are based on the assumption of command and control policies that combines investment and capacity to implement economic incentives to avoid deforestation. In this sense there is relatively little emphasis in the discussion of solutions to structural problems that lead people from different sectors to adopt strategies that lead to deforestation and forest degradation, in other terms governance scenarios. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12152.aspx Fri, 24 Sep 2010 18:25:41 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12152.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12146.aspx Sun, 19 Sep 2010 09:22:21 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12146.aspx Since the beginning of the 90's there have been warnings on the potential impacts of the hydroelectric project on the rivers Paraguay and Parana and its surrounding areas. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12135.aspx Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:15:17 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12135.aspx The construction of an imense hydroelectric dam in Cachuela Esperanza, which the government of Evo Morales plans to install in the Northeast is not feasable in technical, economic and environmental terms, as warned by Jorge Molina, expert of the Hydraulic Institute of the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés de La Paz. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12127.aspx Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:37:17 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12127.aspx President Evo Morales announced on tuesday that the study and final design for the construction of a massive hydroelectric plant in Canchuela Esperanza, northeast Bolivia, have been concluded. The plant will generate 990 megawatts, almost the cureent energy demand of the whole country. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12125.aspx Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:29:39 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12125.aspx Transnational companies prefer to invest in development of already existing fields because the markets of Brazil and Argentina are guaranteed. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12108.aspx Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:48:14 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12108.aspx Every year about 30 thousand tourists from Europe, Asia, North America and Israel visit Rurrenabaque, known as the Pearl of the ecotourism in the Amazon, which runs the risk of becoming a dusty and polluted town of transit. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12104.aspx Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:49:27 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12104.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12102.aspx Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:26:02 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12102.aspx Bolivian President Evo Morales' favorite cause-célèbre has always been coca — the small leaf that is a key element of Andean culture and is central to cocaine production. But recently, he's seemed more keen to stump on behalf of Mother Earth http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12081.aspx Mon, 09 Aug 2010 09:27:14 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12081.aspx Exchange of views highlights differences in defining new rules for participation, development effectiveness and additionality. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12076.aspx Thu, 05 Aug 2010 10:29:11 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12076.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12070.aspx Thu, 05 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12070.aspx Arguing a pursuit of energy integration between Bolivia and Brazil, Brazil tries to prioritize hydroelectric projects in Bolivia's agenda, despite dissent from environmentalists. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12072.aspx Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:28:53 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12072.aspx Civil Society Organizations sent a letter to President Moreno to remind him that the mandate of his next Presidential term at the Bank will rest on three fundamental challenges: an Evidence-based Results Management, Institutional Governance, and a Social and Environmental Sustainability vision for the region. This in despite of controversial management style and consequent Bank performance over the last five years under his Presidency. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12059.aspx Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:57:16 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12059.aspx Bolivian Deputy Minister of Environment Juan Pablo Ramos and Director Environment Luis Beltrán submitted irrevocable resignation from their posts on Friday of last week, after government officials tried to force them to sign an environmental permit for the construction of a highway in the Chapare region of Cochabamba. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12058.aspx Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:29:13 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12058.aspx Peru's President Alan Garcia has inaugurated the first stretch of the Interoceanica Sur highway, which required an investment of more than US$68mn, the presidential website reported. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12057.aspx Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:23:39 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12057.aspx Municipal mayors in the Pando departament, located in the Bolivian Amazon, decidided to expel several NGOs, foundations and companies operating in their territories. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12049.aspx Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:45:47 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.12049.aspx MEXICO CITY, Jul 5, 2010 (IPS) - Non-governmental organizations from across the Americas are demanding that the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank institute policies that favor sustainable energy and help mitigate climate change. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11964.aspx Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:43:02 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11964.aspx The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) May 12 approved a new "Access to Information Policy" likely to increase the level of transparency at the institution, according to a new article posted today on FreedomInfo.org's IFTI Watch column. The IDB set an international speed record for writing and approving the new disclosure policy, rushing it through as part of an effort to bolster its case for a capital replenishment. The haste came at the expense of a planned public comment period. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11878.aspx Thu, 13 May 2010 13:51:22 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11878.aspx This edition of the BICECA Bulletin examines the World Bank Energy and Climate Change Strategies in the context of the upcoming Spring Meetings, which will take place April 24-25 in Washington, DC. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11855.aspx Wed, 21 Apr 2010 10:43:52 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11855.aspx The Peoples' World Conference on Climate Change and Rights of Mother Earth was announced by President Evo Morales of Bolivia in the aftermath of the widely denounced outcomes of the Copenhagen UNFCCC conference in December 2009. The aim of the conference is to advance an agenda led by civil society organizations and in dialogue with proactive governments dedicated to preventing climate change. The conference aims to analyze the structural causes of climate change, and develop specific proposals and actions for addressing it. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11845.aspx Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:40:04 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11845.aspx The Cancun Declaration, signed by the Governors of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) at its 51st Annual Meeting, contains 10 points and a global framework for evaluation of the agreed institutional reforms included in the ninth General Capital Increase of the Bank. These points partially address the concerns expressed by civil society in the region. Nevertheless, as these organizations point out, there are still points to be reinforced and challenges to be taken on by Bank management. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11835.aspx Wed, 07 Apr 2010 16:20:50 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11835.aspx The latest edition of the BICECA bulletin features analysis from civil society groups from around the region on the IDB Capital Increase and the pending institutional reforms linked to it. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11827.aspx Thu, 01 Apr 2010 15:13:56 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11827.aspx Severe doubts have been raised by some of the IDB's own members regarding Luis Alberto Moreno's management. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11814.aspx Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:35:46 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11814.aspx Press Release from civil society groups present at the IDB Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors in Cancun, Mexico http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11822.aspx Wed, 24 Mar 2010 11:53:19 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11822.aspx 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". http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11811.aspx Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:10:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11811.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11810.aspx Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:27:53 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11810.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11809.aspx Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:21:33 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11809.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11812.aspx Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:58:39 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11812.aspx IDB Board of Governors Urged to Address Civil Society Concerns During Upcoming March 2nd Meeting in Washington, DC http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11784.aspx Sat, 27 Feb 2010 10:31:19 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11784.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11783.aspx Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:19:05 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11783.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11780.aspx Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:07:53 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11780.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11777.aspx Sat, 20 Feb 2010 12:09:11 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11777.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11776.aspx Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:03:10 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11776.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11775.aspx Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:39:57 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11775.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11769.aspx Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:31:34 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11769.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11766.aspx Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:19:32 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11766.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11765.aspx Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:23:29 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11765.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11761.aspx Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:45:12 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11761.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11757.aspx Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:01:04 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11757.aspx "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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11756.aspx Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:46:53 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11756.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11750.aspx Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:28:58 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11750.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11748.aspx Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:33:38 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11748.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11746.aspx Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:19:11 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11746.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11739.aspx Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:00:30 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11739.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11738.aspx Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:29:39 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11738.aspx All the latest news from the IDB Global Capital Increase (GCI-9) and the Annual Meetings taking place from March 19-23, 2010 http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11736.aspx Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:02:40 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11736.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11735.aspx Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:54:49 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11735.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11729.aspx Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11729.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11734.aspx Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:31:09 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11734.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11720.aspx Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11720.aspx 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 http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11719.aspx Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11719.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11718.aspx Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11718.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11717.aspx Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11717.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11716.aspx Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11716.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11714.aspx Sun, 10 Jan 2010 09:33:54 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11714.aspx 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 http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11713.aspx Sun, 10 Jan 2010 09:23:25 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11713.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11712.aspx Sun, 10 Jan 2010 08:45:57 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11712.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11710.aspx Thu, 05 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11710.aspx 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 http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11707.aspx Thu, 07 Jan 2010 11:13:19 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11707.aspx The construction company blames illegal mining, while the authorities blame the own construction company http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11704.aspx Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:20:14 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11704.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11702.aspx Sun, 03 Jan 2010 08:42:05 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11702.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11696.aspx Sat, 19 Dec 2009 08:16:45 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11696.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11695.aspx Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:05:40 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11695.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11690.aspx Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:42:06 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11690.aspx A BBC crew traveled twelve days from Manaus to Porto Velho documenting the debate over the rehabilitation of the BR 319 Amazon Highway http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11679.aspx Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:49:13 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11679.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11678.aspx Sat, 05 Dec 2009 08:45:25 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11678.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11676.aspx Fri, 04 Dec 2009 08:03:28 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11676.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11674.aspx Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:29:23 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11674.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11672.aspx Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:23:08 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11672.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11667.aspx Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:17:20 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11667.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11665.aspx Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:48:05 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11665.aspx IDB President Moreno evades definitive response to observed socio-environmental threats caused by IIRSA project, Road Interconnection, Pucallpa-Cruzeiro do Sul (Peru-Brazil). http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11664.aspx Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:00:40 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11664.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11662.aspx Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:24:28 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11662.aspx 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 http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11661.aspx Sat, 28 Nov 2009 08:54:33 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11661.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11660.aspx Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:49:50 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11660.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11659.aspx Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:35:17 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11659.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11658.aspx Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:52:37 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11658.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11657.aspx Fri, 27 Nov 2009 08:28:39 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11657.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11656.aspx Fri, 27 Nov 2009 08:17:31 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11656.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11655.aspx Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:50:56 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11655.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11637.aspx Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:41:10 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11637.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11631.aspx Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:19:16 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11631.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11628.aspx Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:10:28 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11628.aspx AIDA, International Rivers, and IMDEC present evidence of human rights violations from dams. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11626.aspx Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:14:36 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11626.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11624.aspx Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:04:34 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11624.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11622.aspx Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:50:03 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11622.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11620.aspx Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:36:50 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11620.aspx The Bolivian president demanded today that the "gendarmes of the global economy" pay for damages that the capitalist system has caused to the environment. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11618.aspx Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:42:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11618.aspx Within 90 days, all US federal agencies must submit a plan for implementation of regular, meaningful, previous consultation processes with indigenous peoples. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11617.aspx Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:05:42 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11617.aspx On Wednesday, Argentina became a full member of the Andean Finance Corporation, of which it had been a series C shareholder since it joined in 2001, as confirmed in a statement from the Argentine Minister of Economy. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11613.aspx Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:52:50 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11613.aspx 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). http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11606.aspx Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:29:07 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11606.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11601.aspx Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:18:50 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11601.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11598.aspx Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:33:07 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11598.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11597.aspx Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:54:58 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11597.aspx The bid to include forests in initiatives to mitigate climate change is turning out to be a sensitive issue for the planet. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11590.aspx Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:16:46 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11590.aspx "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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11589.aspx Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:39:10 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11589.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11578.aspx Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:03:51 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11578.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11577.aspx Sun, 25 Oct 2009 09:46:02 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11577.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11576.aspx Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:43:58 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11576.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11571.aspx Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:40:43 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11571.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11570.aspx Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:34:44 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11570.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11568.aspx Sat, 24 Oct 2009 09:37:31 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11568.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11567.aspx Sat, 24 Oct 2009 08:23:59 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11567.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11566.aspx Sat, 24 Oct 2009 08:13:28 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11566.aspx Education in the Context of Multiple Crises http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11564.aspx Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:45:36 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11564.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11563.aspx Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:28:20 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11563.aspx Lula and Evo coordinate the return of 1,000 Brazilians located in Pando. Some call for the defense of their lands. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11562.aspx Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:08:44 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11562.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11561.aspx Sat, 24 Oct 2009 06:58:40 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11561.aspx Astaldi fined $6 million, Paraíso-El Tinto section also behind schedule http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11560.aspx Sat, 24 Oct 2009 06:41:10 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11560.aspx A report recently released by Greenpeace illustrates clearly why REDD offset projects will neither address climate change nor stop deforestation. The report questions the claims made by the project developers about leakage, additionality, permanence and the ability of the project developers to measure accurately the amount of carbon stored in the forest. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11559.aspx Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:05:34 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11559.aspx It was confirmed yesterday that Mexico will receive 1.504 billion dollars in financing for “encouraging green growth”; the loan will focus on economic strengthening and environmental programs. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11553.aspx Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:32:04 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11553.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11551.aspx Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:24:30 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11551.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11550.aspx Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:48:48 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11550.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11548.aspx Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:24:32 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11548.aspx In Latin America, Brazil is the leader in the development of renewable energies, while nations like Mexico, Peru, Chile and Argentina are taking slow steps to change their energy mix. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11544.aspx Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:38:29 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11544.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11540.aspx Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:09:05 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11540.aspx Pando on the one year anniversay of the Porvenir Massacre http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11538.aspx Sat, 10 Oct 2009 08:39:06 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11538.aspx The IDB must implement crucial reforms before a capital inrease is approved. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11519.aspx Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:37:21 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11519.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11514.aspx Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:30:58 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11514.aspx In this letter, members of civil society outline the minimum conditions which they feel the Independent Consultation and Investigation Mechanism (ICIM) must meet. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11508.aspx Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:11:25 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11508.aspx Understanding desertification as a macroeconomic problem, with financial, productive, environmental and civil society aspects, is a major concern for Christian Mersmann, the managing director of the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11498.aspx Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:55:51 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11498.aspx Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela will raise their contribution levels to the Bank of the South to 4 billion dollars each. The bank's incorporation charter was signed yesterday by seven South American governors. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11495.aspx Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:07:44 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11495.aspx According to Spanish government officials, this was one of the primary conclusions of the meeting held at UN headquarters in New York, where they met to coordinate their positions before the G-20 summit which begins this afternoon in Pittsburgh. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11492.aspx Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:37:53 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11492.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11478.aspx Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:48:24 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11478.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11473.aspx Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:46:52 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11473.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11468.aspx Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:52:22 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11468.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11460.aspx Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:12:16 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11460.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11458.aspx Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:55:58 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11458.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11457.aspx Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:14:44 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11457.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11454.aspx Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:27:12 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11454.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11453.aspx Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:05:34 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11453.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11444.aspx Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:24:09 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11444.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11439.aspx Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:04:21 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11439.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11429.aspx Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:09:11 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11429.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11428.aspx Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:01:47 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11428.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11426.aspx Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:19:13 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11426.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11423.aspx Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:21:44 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11423.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11419.aspx Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:07:51 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11419.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11412.aspx Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:10:54 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11412.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11411.aspx Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:39:23 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11411.aspx 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? http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11405.aspx Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:22:32 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11405.aspx An examination of how the hydroelectric plants of Jirau and Santo Antônio will impact the environment and the lives of Amazonian communities. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11404.aspx Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:11:23 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11404.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11403.aspx Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:31:42 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11403.aspx In Latin America and elsewhere, the IMF may be re–emerging—but in a changed landscape. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11401.aspx Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:28:40 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11401.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11398.aspx Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:06:45 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11398.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11394.aspx Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:02:30 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11394.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11391.aspx Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:55:41 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11391.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11382.aspx Sun, 09 Aug 2009 10:27:21 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11382.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11369.aspx Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:18:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11369.aspx 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." http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11366.aspx Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:26:35 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11366.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11365.aspx Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:09:42 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11365.aspx Environmental organizations have mobilized against licensing of Santo Antônio and Jirau hydroelectric dams http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11364.aspx Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:43:07 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11364.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11352.aspx Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:23:46 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11352.aspx "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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11351.aspx Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:22:54 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11351.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11350.aspx Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:18:56 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11350.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11349.aspx Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:58:55 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11349.aspx The general manager of Jindal in Bolivia, Jaime Santa Cruz, claimed that the company has not yet received land and settled in Puerto Suarez so it can begin the exploitation of iron in the Mutún. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11348.aspx Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:11:37 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11348.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11347.aspx Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:24:44 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11347.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11345.aspx Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:26:14 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11345.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11342.aspx Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:45:56 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11342.aspx The Society formed by GTLI y Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales awaiting an environmental license and Petroandina has entered the phase of seismic studies. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11338.aspx Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:50:47 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11338.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11337.aspx Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:43:43 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11337.aspx The new rail development plan consists of rail connections between the east and west, and a rail corridor from the border with Brazil. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11336.aspx Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:32:55 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11336.aspx Specialist warns of more deforestation from increased migration http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11334.aspx Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:30:45 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11334.aspx BICECA Bulletin 2009 http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11327.aspx Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:35:32 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11327.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11316.aspx Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:47:05 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11316.aspx Cost overruns could push the total for the highway to over $2 billion http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11312.aspx Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:49:46 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11312.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11309.aspx Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:48:44 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11309.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11306.aspx Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:05:41 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11306.aspx Brazilian firm has six months to sell its 9.99% share of the project. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11305.aspx Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:54:45 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11305.aspx Affected communities of the proposed Inambari hydroelectric project from Puno argue that the project will bring more costs than benefits; the Andean Southern Natural Gas Pipeline is neither a guaranteed for the Southern Peruvian department. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11304.aspx Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:37:04 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11304.aspx Bolivia, Brazil and Chile have announced that the inter-oceanic corridor, from the Atlantic to the Pacific will be finished by 2011. The announcement was made following an assessment of the different legs of the corridor during a meeting in La Paz, Bolivia between the Public Works ministers of the three countries. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11301.aspx Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:57:26 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11301.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11299.aspx Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:58:05 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11299.aspx The companies given the concessions for the Inambari hydroelectric dam have a history of violations currently under investigation. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11297.aspx Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:37:57 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11297.aspx Reflections about the conference on IIRSA http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11293.aspx Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:58:56 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11293.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11292.aspx Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:43:29 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11292.aspx 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 http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11291.aspx Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:38:51 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11291.aspx Indian Ore Concessionaire Jindal Steel has financed the $16 million rehabilitation of 100 km roadway between the Mutun iron ore mine and Puerto Busch http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11290.aspx Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:08:56 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11290.aspx Numerous irregularities cited in environmental licensing process for the San Antonio & Jirau dams http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11286.aspx Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:34:51 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11286.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11274.aspx Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11274.aspx One of the key issues in Copenhagen climate change negotiations in December will be the creation of an international superstructure to provide incentives, and ultimately payments, to combat deforestation in tropical countries. As delegates from around the world gathered in Bonn last week to discuss the so-called "REDD issue" (e.g., reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation), violence erupted in the rainforests of Peru between indigenous groups and the government about plans to step up oil and gas exploration, mining, and logging in the Amazon. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11275.aspx Sat, 27 Jun 2009 09:21:16 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11275.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11262.aspx Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11262.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11240.aspx Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11240.aspx Crown jewel of the IIRSA project portfolio under scrutiny in Bolivia and Brazil http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11216.aspx Thu, 28 May 2009 10:41:23 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11216.aspx Crown Jewel of the IIRSA Project Portfolio Under Scrutiny in Bolivia and Brazil http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11215.aspx Wed, 27 May 2009 18:14:44 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11215.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11208.aspx Mon, 25 May 2009 09:23:20 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11208.aspx 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 http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11205.aspx Sun, 24 May 2009 08:30:30 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11205.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11203.aspx Sat, 23 May 2009 07:33:58 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11203.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11201.aspx Fri, 22 May 2009 13:45:37 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11201.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11194.aspx Fri, 22 May 2009 09:30:56 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11194.aspx 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% http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11191.aspx Thu, 21 May 2009 09:05:17 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11191.aspx 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 http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11190.aspx Thu, 21 May 2009 07:26:30 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11190.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11185.aspx Wed, 20 May 2009 11:05:51 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11185.aspx Lula and Garcia advance plans to expand hydroelectric integration. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11184.aspx Wed, 20 May 2009 10:14:28 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11184.aspx The World Bank warned earlier this year that many of the Andes' tropical glaciers will disappear within 20 years. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11182.aspx Tue, 19 May 2009 11:48:53 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11182.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11178.aspx Sat, 16 May 2009 09:25:23 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11178.aspx Experts at the World Bank see an opportunity in the face of crisis to invest in infrastructure projects in Latin America. According to the Bank, the deficit in infrastructure is quite noticeable in Bolivia, even below the average for the Latin America region. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11177.aspx Thu, 14 May 2009 11:42:17 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11177.aspx 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? http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11164.aspx Sun, 10 May 2009 10:59:36 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11164.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11144.aspx Fri, 08 May 2009 13:46:44 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11144.aspx Peru is rushing to hold superficial public meetings to inform the public about plans to build the fifth largest hydroelectric dam in Latin America. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11141.aspx Thu, 07 May 2009 15:42:08 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11141.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11140.aspx Wed, 06 May 2009 12:59:13 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11140.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11136.aspx Sun, 03 May 2009 10:57:54 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11136.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11135.aspx Sun, 03 May 2009 10:09:59 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11135.aspx 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 http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11133.aspx Sat, 02 May 2009 09:06:38 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11133.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11119.aspx Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:35:54 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11119.aspx 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) http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11118.aspx Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:05:50 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11118.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11111.aspx Sat, 18 Apr 2009 11:12:52 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11111.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11109.aspx Sat, 18 Apr 2009 11:04:49 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11109.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11107.aspx Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:35:59 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11107.aspx Civil society organizations have written a letter expressing their opposition to a measure that would allow the paving of roads through the Amazon. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11106.aspx Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:02:40 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11106.aspx The World Bank plans to increase lending to Latin America to suplement decreasing levels of foreign direct investment in the region. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11105.aspx Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:14:51 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11105.aspx ProInversion, Peru's state agency for the promotion of private investment, will likely launch a tender to concession the IIRSA highway. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11104.aspx Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:59:41 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11104.aspx Scientists say 4°C rise would kill 85% of the Amazon rainforest. Even modest temperature rise would see 20-40% loss within 100 years http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11103.aspx Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:12:14 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11103.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11102.aspx Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:07:20 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11102.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11101.aspx Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:00:15 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11101.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11098.aspx Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:20:15 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11098.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11097.aspx Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:29:14 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11097.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11090.aspx Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:13:51 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11090.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11088.aspx Thu, 02 Apr 2009 06:51:07 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11088.aspx All the latest news from the IDB Annual Meetings taking place from March 27-31, 2009 http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11083.aspx Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:27:57 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11083.aspx The Inter-American Development Bank should not receive public funding unless it becomes fully accountable to member governments and the public. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11082.aspx Sun, 22 Mar 2009 09:59:11 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11082.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11081.aspx Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:19:20 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11081.aspx The Brazilian National Development Bank, BNDES, receives the third installment of a loan to provide credit for businesses to modernize and expand operations. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11080.aspx Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:38:35 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11080.aspx A new study shows that even modest temperature increases will shrink the Amazon substantially. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11079.aspx Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:51:49 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11079.aspx Bolivians worry about potential flooding and health problems that will result from two dams which are part of the Rio Madeira project. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11078.aspx Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:06:32 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11078.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11077.aspx Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:52:48 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11077.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11076.aspx Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:34:09 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11076.aspx For only the last two years has the Bolivian government paid attention to the impacts of dams in indigenous territory. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11074.aspx Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:17:33 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11074.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11073.aspx Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:41:40 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11073.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11072.aspx Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:15:42 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11072.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11068.aspx Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11068.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11067.aspx Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:38:27 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11067.aspx Only a year ago many governments in Latin America expressed their desire to separate themselves from the World Bank and IMF loans. But, because of pressing financial needs, many Latin American governments have been forced to consider accepting funds from multilateral banks. In many ways this change has hindered the creation of the Bank of the South. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11064.aspx Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11064.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11062.aspx Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11062.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11059.aspx Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11059.aspx BICECA Boletín Mensual 2009 http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11056.aspx Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:17:46 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11056.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11054.aspx Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11054.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11048.aspx Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:23:39 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11048.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11043.aspx Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:32:40 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11043.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11034.aspx Tue, 10 Feb 2009 11:08:15 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11034.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11030.aspx Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11030.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11027.aspx Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11027.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11019.aspx Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11019.aspx BICECA Monthly Bulletin 2009 http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11020.aspx Wed, 21 Jan 2009 12:35:35 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11020.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11013.aspx Thu, 01 Jan 2009 07:32:51 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11013.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11012.aspx Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:28:01 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11012.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11011.aspx Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:19:31 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11011.aspx A new book of articles edited by Ricardo Verdum of the Brazilian Instituto de Estudio Socioeconomicos (Inesc) explores the trends in financing for megaprojects in South America. The book highlights the shifting balance between IFIs such as the World Bank, the IDB and CAF toward new institutions such as BNDES, as well as the competition between IIRSA and UNASUR. The book emphasizes the urgency for greater transparency and accountability in information and decision making about large, high risk infrastructure in the region. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11006.aspx Mon, 29 Dec 2008 08:50:57 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11006.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11003.aspx Wed, 24 Dec 2008 14:49:27 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11003.aspx The Inter American Development Bank set aside more than $900,000 to conduct a feasibility study into the road linking Guyana with Brazil. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11002.aspx Wed, 24 Dec 2008 10:08:25 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11002.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11000.aspx Tue, 23 Dec 2008 07:37:03 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.11000.aspx The Andean Development Corporation (CAF) has approved a US$300mn loan to Peru for additional works on the Interoceánica Sur highway, the financial entity reported in a release. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10999.aspx Tue, 23 Dec 2008 06:58:08 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10999.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10996.aspx Mon, 22 Dec 2008 09:01:43 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10996.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10995.aspx Mon, 04 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10995.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10994.aspx Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:04:28 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10994.aspx 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) http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10981.aspx Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10981.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10958.aspx Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10958.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10936.aspx Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10936.aspx BICECA Monthly Bulletin 2008 http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10935.aspx Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:30:05 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10935.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10920.aspx Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10920.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10917.aspx Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10917.aspx Regional government authorities are taking action to boost the South American infrastructure integration initiative (IIRSA) http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10880.aspx Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10880.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10863.aspx Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10863.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10853.aspx Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10853.aspx 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 http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10826.aspx Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10826.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10763.aspx Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10763.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10757.aspx Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10757.aspx Terna SpA CEO Flavio Cattaneo said the group will take part in at least three bids for grid operations in Brazil in 2008. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10694.aspx Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10694.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10693.aspx Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10693.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10692.aspx Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10692.aspx 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.” http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10646.aspx Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10646.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10636.aspx Tue, 18 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10636.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10635.aspx Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10635.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10629.aspx Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10629.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10616.aspx Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10616.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10615.aspx Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10615.aspx With the auction for the Rio Madeira Project approaching, civil society is accelerating campaigns against the dams. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10602.aspx Thu, 06 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10602.aspx Destruction and exploitation of rain forests spark an idea: Paying to preserve them. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10587.aspx Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10587.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10578.aspx Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10578.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10565.aspx Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10565.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10547.aspx Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10547.aspx The National Report plans a mission to Rondonia to investigate the human rights violations from the Madeira Complex. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10546.aspx Mon, 19 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10546.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10534.aspx Sun, 07 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10534.aspx Transnational companies tighten their grip on region’s water resources. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10522.aspx Sat, 03 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10522.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10516.aspx Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10516.aspx Announcement shows the growing internal pressure at the institution to push lending for major energy initiatives. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10513.aspx Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10513.aspx Study by Amigos da Terra warns investors: Methodology is based on credit rating agencies approach. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10504.aspx Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10504.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10497.aspx Tue, 23 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10497.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10496.aspx Wed, 17 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10496.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10482.aspx Tue, 16 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10482.aspx 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.” http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10468.aspx Mon, 08 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10468.aspx Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez announced Tuesday night that the Bank of the South will be born next Monday in Caracas. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10463.aspx Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10463.aspx 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). http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10413.aspx Fri, 09 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10413.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10385.aspx Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10385.aspx Thanks partly to ethanol from sugar cane, Brazil aims to be an energy superpower. But can it keep its own lights on? http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10368.aspx Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10368.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10362.aspx Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10362.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10354.aspx Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10354.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10353.aspx Mon, 30 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10353.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10352.aspx Thu, 09 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10352.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10351.aspx Sun, 05 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10351.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10350.aspx Thu, 09 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10350.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10349.aspx Wed, 08 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10349.aspx http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10348.aspx Sun, 29 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10348.aspx Rural conflicts over water will likely increase in the next few years due to hydro infrastructure projects within the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC). http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10329.aspx Mon, 30 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10329.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10328.aspx Sat, 07 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10328.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10326.aspx Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10326.aspx 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 http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10325.aspx Thu, 26 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10325.aspx 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 http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10309.aspx Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10309.aspx Suez SA, Europe's fifth largest electricity producer, plans to bid on rights to build hydroelectric dams in Brazil's Amazon region. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10285.aspx Tue, 17 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10285.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10249.aspx Tue, 12 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10249.aspx 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. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10245.aspx Mon, 11 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10245.aspx The Committee of the Board of Governors of the Inter-American Development Bank this week discussed terms for granting debt relief to Bolivia, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10112.aspx Thu, 25 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10112.aspx Brazil´s Amazonian state of Rondônia is best known for the disastrous Polonoroeste colonization Project, financed by the World Bank, which accelerated the transformation of the region in the 1980’s from tropical rainforests into an environmental and social nightmare. http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10025.aspx Thu, 01 Dec 2005 00:00:00 GMT http://www.bicusa.org/en/Article.10025.aspx