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Villagers in Sri Lanka protest over the destruction of their homes by the Asian Development Bank's Southern Transport Development Project. They claim the Bank has ignored their rights and failed to comply with its own policies.
Photo: Green Movement, Sri Lanka.
Development banks provide financial support and advice for economic and social development projects in developing countries.
Operating at a global and international level, these banks can undermine people's human rights through projects that have detrimental outcomes for poor and marginalised communities.
Oxfam Australia supports people from these communities who are negatively affected by bank projects. In particular, we seek to support farming and fishing communities that depend on natural resources for their livelihoods and promote their right to have a say in development projects that affect them.
Our main strategy is to influence the Asian Development Bank, one of the most powerful institutions affecting the livelihoods and well-being of poor and marginalised communities in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Asian Development Bank ...
The Asian Development Bank is a major driver of economic development throughout the Asia-Pacific, especially of large scale infrastructure projects.
Established in 1966, the Bank is based in Manila and made up of 63 member countries, including 37 developing countries from the region.
The Bank provides loans and equity investments to its developing member countries. It also supplies technical assistance and advice for the planning and delivery of development projects and promotes and facilitates public and private investment for development.
Evidence suggests that many Bank projects have damaged the environment and undermined communities' rights to determine their own needs and participate in development.
... is spending your money
Australia is the Asian Development Bank's fifth largest donor, handing over approximately $1.4 billion of taxpayers' money since the Bank opened its doors.
With so much money at stake, it's important that Australia closely monitors the Bank's activities. But Australian governments have never adequately monitored the social and environmental impacts of Bank projects funded by taxpayers' money. Indeed, few Australians are aware of the Bank's activities and impact in the region.
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Development banks