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Fishermen likely to be affected due to water diversion for the Melamchi project, Nepal. Photo: JACSES The Asian Development Bank's safeguard policies
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is reviewing its policies on the environment, indigenous peoples and involuntary resettlement. These 'safeguard policies' are designed to protect vulnerable groups, indigenous communities and the environment during the implementation of ADB projects.
The safeguards
- The involuntary resettlement policy says that forcible resettlement should be avoided where possible. Resettlement plans must be developed in consultation with affected communities. Affected people should be fully informed about resettlement and should be provided with appropriate land, housing, infrastructure and other compensation. They must be at least as well off economically and socially after the project as they were before
- The indigenous peoples policy says that the ADB should engage directly with indigenous people. Projects should be planned and implemented with the informed consent of affected communities
- The environmental policy says that the environmental impacts of projects should be evaluated and minimised. The public should be involved in the evaluation of environmental impacts. Environmental impact assessments should be conducted and disclosed to the general public
Why the safeguards are important
The safeguard policies help to ensure that the ADB is accountable for the environmental and social impacts of its projects. When the ADB safeguard policies are not followed, affected communities can take a complaint for review to the ADB’s accountability mechanism. This mechanism, which investigates the ADB only, can be used as a last resort for addressing environmental and social problems caused by ADB projects.
The safeguards under review
The ADB's safeguards are currently being updated. This process provides the bank with an opportunity to draw on the experiences of affected communities and learn some valuable lessons from the ways people experience the implementation of its policies. Given that poverty reduction is the ADB's overarching goal, these lessons are essential to learn.
Keep track of the process: check the Asian Development Bank's safeguard policy update for the latest developments in the review process.
What Oxfam is doing
Oxfam is undertaking research and policy analysis on the ADB safeguards to ensure that people's experiences with the safeguards are strongly represented as the bank and member governments consider their future. Along with other members of the NGO Forum on ADB, we are monitoring the safeguards policy update process – especially to ensure that the bank does not weaken its policies and accountabilities to indigenous peoples, resettled communities and the environment.
Latest news
- Oxfam hosts high-profile seminar on safeguards at ADB 2008 annual meeting
- ADB Safeguard Consultation Draft and process raise doubts (Februrary 2008)
- ADB postpones policy update consultations (February 2007)
- The consultation workshops for ADB's safeguard policy update, originally scheduled for March 2007, have been postponed to the late second quarter of 2007.
- Letter to ADB (February 2007)
- Oxfam is one of 40 civil society organisations to endorse a letter sent to the Asian Development Bank detailing the weaknesses around transparency and participation in the safeguards policy update.
- Safeguarding or disregarding? Community experiences with the Asian Development Bank's Safeguard Policies (February 2007)
- This Oxfam Australia report finds that despite the Asian Development Bank's safeguard policies, ADB-funded projects continue to have negative impacts on communities.
The issues
Snapshots of ADB disasters
A slideshow produced by the NGO Forum on ADB shows the detrimental effects of Asian Development Bank-funded projects.
Resettlement
Involuntary resettlement – that's being forced to leave your home and community. And it happens all too often to poor and vulnerable people to facilitate large-scale infrastructure projects such as highways or dams.
The environment
Two ADB-funded projects in Thailand are causing significant environmental harm, despite the bank's 'environmental safeguards'.
Indigenous peoples
Particular sensitivity is needed to identify possible negative project impacts on indigenous peoples who often live culturally distinct lives and may be dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods.