Joint submission to the UN Special Rapporteur calling attention to the continued concerns of Indigenous Magar and other local communities affected by Tanahu Hydropower Project in western Nepal

Community Empowerment and Social Justice Network (CEMSOJ), Indigenous Women Legal Awareness Group (INWOLAG), International Accountability Project (IAP) and NGO Forum on ADB made a joint submission to the newly appointed UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development on Tuesday to draw his attention to the continued concerns of Indigenous Magars and other local communities affected by the Tanahu Hydropower Project in western Nepal and calling for his action to safeguard the rights of the affected communities.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Government of Nepal are co-financing the 140 MW reservoir type Project. Since the beginning of the Project, one main concern was the absence of accessible and timely information disclosure. In 2020, affected Indigenous Magar and other local communities submitted various complaints to the independent accountability mechanims of the ADB and the EIB calling for respect of their free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) in the Project decisions affecting them and for land-for-land and house-for-house compensation for the land and houses that will be impacted by the Project, among other demands such as restoration of communal resources such as grazing lands, sacred sites and forests as well as sharing of benefits of the Project. Further, they have also raised concerns about environmental risks posed by the impending inundation of the Project as well as ongoing illegal sand and stone mining on the riverbanks in the inundation area affecting their lands and settlements. Their complaints have results in dispute resolution processes facilitated by the ADB’s Office of the Special Project Facilitator (OSPF) and the EIB-Complaint Mechanim (EIB-CM), which are at various stages.

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AIPNEE and CEMSOJ’s joint submission on Development Finance Institutions and Human Rights to the UN

Below is the joint submission made by Asia Indigenous Peoples Network on Extractive Industries and Energy (AIPNEE) and Community Empowerment and Social Justice Network (CEMSOJ) to the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights for their forthcoming report on “Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) and Human Rights”. The submission particularly focuses on the rights of indigenous peoples based on the experiences of AIPNEE and CEMSOJ of working with indigenous and other local communities that have faced or are facing human rights impacts due to energy and trade facilitation projects financed by various DFIs.

Click here for the PDF of the submission.

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निर्माणाधीन तनहुँ जलविद्युत् परियोजना प्रभावित आदिवासी समुदायबाट एसियाली विकास बैंक र युरोपियन इन्भेष्टमेन्ट बैंकमा उजुरी

प्रेस विज्ञप्ति 

निर्माणाधीन तनहुँ जलविद्युत् परियोजना प्रभावित आदिवासी समुदायबाट एसियाली विकास बैंक र युरोपियन इन्भेष्टमेन्ट बैंकमा उजुरी

परियोजनाले समुदायको स्वतन्त्र पूर्व सूसुचित सहमती कायम गर्न र जग्गा र जीविकामा हुने हानिको लागि पर्याप्त मुवाब्जा तथा क्षतिपूर्ति दिन असफल भएको गुनासो 

तत्काल प्रकाशनको लागि

८ फाल्गुन २०७६ 

तनहुँ, नेपाल – नेपालमा निर्माणाधीन तनहुँ जलविद्युत् परियोजनाबाट प्रभावित आदिवासी समुदायहरूले परियोजनासँगको समस्या समाधान गर्न स्वतन्त्र मध्यस्थताको लागि अनुरोध गर्दै परियोजनाका दुई लगानीकर्ता एसियाली विकास बैंक र यूरोपियन लगानी बैंकका उजुरी संयत्रहरुमा उजुरी गरेका छन्। “प्रत्यक्ष डुबान पिडित सामूहिक पुर्नअधिकार संरक्षण समिति”मा आबद्ध कम्तिमा ३२ प्रभावित परिवार वा जग्गाधनीहरूले जग्गाको सट्टा जग्गा र घरको सट्टा घर नै मुवाब्जा हुनुपर्ने, परियोजनाको विस्तृत सर्वेको क्रममा छुट्टिएका जग्गाको पुन: सर्वेक्षण गरिनुपर्ने र परियोजनाको प्रक्रियामा स्वतन्त्र पूर्व सूसुचित सहमती कार्यान्वयन गर्नुपर्ने सहितका १० बुँदे माग राखी गत मंगलबार (२८ माघ) मा उजुरी बुझाएका हुन्।  more “निर्माणाधीन तनहुँ जलविद्युत् परियोजना प्रभावित आदिवासी समुदायबाट एसियाली विकास बैंक र युरोपियन इन्भेष्टमेन्ट बैंकमा उजुरी”

Indigenous communities affected by the Tanahu Hydropower Project in Nepal file complaints with the Asian Development Bank and European Investment Bank

PRESS RELEASE 

Indigenous communities affected by the Tanahu Hydropower Project in Nepal file complaints with the Asian Development Bank and European Investment Bank 

Communities allege failure to uphold free, prior and informed consent and inadequate compensation for loss of lands and livelihoods

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 20, 2020

TANAHU, NEPAL Indigenous communities affected by the Tanahu Hydropower Project in Nepal have filed complaints with independent watchdogs of the Asian Development Bank and the European Investment Bank — two co-financiers of the project — requesting an independent mediation process. At least 32 affected families or landowners organized under the “Directly Inundation Affected Peoples Collective Rights Protection Committee” calling for ‘land for land’ and ‘house for house’ compensation; re-survey of land left out during the ‘Detailed Measurement Survey’ of the project, and free, prior and informed consent in the project process, among their ten demands, submitted the complaints on Tuesday, 11 February. more “Indigenous communities affected by the Tanahu Hydropower Project in Nepal file complaints with the Asian Development Bank and European Investment Bank”