Equator Principles

Mark Zirnsak

Opinion piece published in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age

Given the role banks played in the global financial crisis, it is reasonable to expect they would understand the need to demonstrate their ethics with transparency.

International Rivers and BankTrack

An assessment of the Theun-Hinboun Expansion Project’s compliance with Equator Principles and Lao law

Still Waters, Deep Troubles; this video tells how the Theun-Hinboun Expansion Project in Laos threatens the livelihoods of more then 50,000 local people.

International Rivers and BankTrack

ANZ, BNP Paribas and KBC Investment in Theun-Hinboun Dam Violates Equator Principles and Lao Law

International Rivers, Amigos da Terra Amazônia Brasileira, Amazon Watch, Setem

Spain's Banco Santander Criticized for Hypocrisy 
Funding Destructive Dam in the Amazon While Adopting Green Principles

Image BNDES (Archive)

The headline in today's Folha de São Paulo daily stated ironically "Jirau, suspended by court order, gets biggest loan ever from BNDES"

Dead fish in the Madeira River (AGÊNCIA AMAZÔNIA)

In 2007, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva famously announced that "environmentalists are trying to dump some catfish on my lap" by opposing dams on the Amazon's Madeira River. The quip came after scientists released studies documenting the serious impacts that the dams would have on catfish and other migratory species on the Madeira River. Well, over the past few weeks, dead catfish are just one of the many problems that have been plaguing the Santo Antonio and Jirau Dams.

Environmental organizations have condemned the Brazilian government´s approval of a license for construction of Santo Antonio Dam, on the Madeira River in the Brazilian Amazon.

Carl Middleton, International Rivers

The Mekong region is enjoying a period of stability and rapid economic growth not experienced for centuries. As a result, the region demands increasing quantities of electricity, and exploiting its hydropower potential is high on the agenda. In contrast to the recent past, it is project developers and financiers from Asia rather than the West that are spearheading this hydropower drive. Yet, in a region where millions of people depend on the natural resources that rivers provide, many proposed dams pose risks for the environment, communities, project developers, and host governments.

This chapter outlines the current trends and main actors in hydropower development throughout the Mekong Region. It identifies the need for better planning practices and internationally recognized standards of best practice in the power sector. This will minimize project investment risks, and make certain that development in the Mekong Region is sustainable and equitable.

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Banks Must Prove They Give a Dam

Theun-Hinboun: Expanding Failure

Western Banks Sell Lao Villagers Down the River

Still Waters, Deep Troubles

Western Banks Violate Rights, Law in Lao Dam Deal

Spain's Banco Santander Criticized for Hypocrisy

Brazil's National Destruction Bank Does it Up Big

Dead Catfish May Be the Least of Lula's Worries

Environmentalists Blast Construction License for Amazon Dam

Perspective from the Mekong Region: New Financiers and Familiar Problems