Understanding Community Harm Part 2: Environment

June 2021

In this month's edition of the Accountability Console Newsletter, we continue our series exploring the types of harm faced by communities from internationally financed projects, with Policy Fellow Belén Carriedo's analysis of the pervasiveness of alleged environmental issues across development sectors.

Thank you to everyone who submitted a question last month to Console Queries, our interactive Q&A newsletter feature. Need some help with your research? Have questions about the Console? Suggestions for Console content we should highlight next? Head to Console Queries to share your thoughts and get your questions answered. We look forward to hearing from you!

What's New

Updates to Console data, features, and functionality

Improved Benchmark Reporting: It's now easier to find and compare IAM policies across mechanisms, with more precise sourcing.
Policy Documents in DocSearch: DocSearch functionality now includes all IAM policy documents on the Console, including operating guidelines and policy reviews.
Newsletter Sidebar Section: Newsletter archives can now be accessed directly from the sidebar.

Research: Understanding Community Harm Part 2: Environmental Impacts

By Belen Carriedo — June 7, 2021

An analysis of complaints filed to all IAMs shows how even well-designed projects intending to alleviate poverty can lead to adverse impacts on the environment, biodiversity, access to water, and increased pollution. A critical way to understand and address unintended environmental harms is to hear from communities living near and working at project sites.

Console Queries

Highlights of user questions and suggestions

Do you have any user guides or tools to help new users navigate the Accountability Console?

We have published two video demonstrations to help users navigate and explore the Console, and also have an FAQ and Glossary page for further assistance. These are all located under the Support tab in the sidebar. You can also contact us directly through the contact form if you would like to set up a live webinar or demonstration with our team.

How can I find out information related to investments that are tied to complaints?

At the top of an individual complaint page, the "Project" box displays high-level information about the project and its investments. Clicking on the project name will take you to the project's page, which displays all known information on the investments for that project, including banks involved, identification numbers, amount and currency, support type, approval date, status, and clients involved. The project page also displays information on the environmental category, total project cost, implementers involved, and project descriptions which may contain additional information related to the investment.

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