May 13, 2003
Mr. C.V.J. Varma
President
International Commission on Dams
C/o CIGB - ICOLD Montréal 2003
75, boul. René-Lévesque West
21st floor, Montréal (Québec)
H2Z 1A4 Canada
Fax: (514) 893-7098
Dear Mr. Varma
Civil society organizations around the world call on the International Commission on Dams (ICOLD) to adopt the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams (WCD) into their new Code of Ethics. This call coincides with the 21st Congress of ICOLD being held in Montréal, June 16-20, 2003.
As you know, the World Commission on Dams was formed in 1998 after a realization that the construction of large dams was consistently highly contested, and often resulted in irreparable harm to ecosystems and communities. The Commission was made up of representatives from affected communities, NGOs, academia, governments and industry; industry representatives included the ICOLD honorary chairman, Jan Veltrop.
The result is an innovative framework within which to examine dams both existing and planned. The Commission's final report, `Dams and Development: A New Framework for Decision Making' lays out a process to ensure that the construction of large dams and other energy and water projects avoids negative social, environmental and economic impacts.
After decades of conflict surrounding dams, ICOLD is now developing a Code of Ethics. We urge ICOLD to use this new Code as a foundation for responsible corporate behaviour, and as a vehicle for putting into practice the WCD's call on industry, with the support of governments and financial institutions, to "Develop projects in an open and transparent manner [that is] inclusive of all legitimate actors involved" (WCD Report, p. 211). Implementing this new approach to project development will at minimum require implementation of the Policy Principles elaborated in Chapter 8 of the WCD's report. Specifically, the following Policy Principles should be incorporated into the Code of Ethics:
" Achieve demonstrable public acceptance through informed, open and transparent
negotiations that lead to binding and formal agreements. (PPs 1.1-1.3)
" In the case of indigenous groups, guide processes by free, prior and informed consent. Informed consent requires making environmental and social information available in local languages. (PP 1.4)
" Conduct transparent and participatory comprehensive assessments of needs and options, prior to the selection of any specific development plan, that result in a full range of possible policy, technical and institutional choices that meet the needs of communities. (PPs 2..1-2.2)
" Recognize that equal weight should be put on social, environmental, technical, and economic factors in the assessment process. (PP 2.3)
" Build post-project monitoring, evaluation and periodic reviews of the benefits and impacts of dams into licensing agreements, and set aside appropriate resources to meet these challenges. (PP 3.1)
" Modernize and upgrade existing facilities, and introduce measures to address outstanding social issues and strengthen outstanding environmental mitigation and reparation claims linked to existing dams, and act upon them. (PP 3.2-3.4)
" Recognize the entitlements of rights holder and risk bearers to "negotiate mutually agreed, formal and legally enforceable mitigation, resettlement and development entitlements" and to be the first to share in the benefits of the project. (PPs 5.1-5.4)
ICOLD is far behind other industry sectors in its failure to adopt a Code of Ethics. As Geoff Sims, then Vice President of ICOLD, noted in his response to the Commission's report in November 2000: "The Report is the nearest we have to global guidelines for the development of projects involving larger dams. To avoid the waste involved with the bitter arguments of the past we have a duty to adapt our working methods to conform to the guidelines WCD have revealed".
We urge you to use the occasion of ICOLD's 21st Congress to adopt the WCD policy principles and to lay out a plan of action to ensure industry compliance with them.
Sincerely,
Fraser Reilly-King, NGO Working Group on EDC, Canada
Peter Bosshard, International Rivers Network, USA
Anna Petra Roge de Marzolini
Asociacion Ambientalista EcoLaPaz, FOEI Argentina
Kate Walsh
AID/WATCH - Monitoring Aid and Trade
Australia
Ninon Machado
Instituto Ipanema
Brazil
Elisangela Soldatelli Paim
Friends of the Earth Brazil
Brazil
Akong Charles Ndika
Global Village Cameroon
Cameroon
Beatrice Ongolo
Club des Amis du Cameroun
Amitié-Paix-Développement
Cameroon
Patrick Obel Okeli
PALAGRISE
Republique du Congo
Robert Hornung
Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development, Canada
Eric Duchemin
Energy and Climate Change Commission, Union Québécoise pour la conservation de la Nature,
Canada
John O'Driscoll
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (Montreal Chapter)
Canada
David B. Brooks
Friends of the Earth, Canada
Joan Kuyek
MiningWatch
Canada
Dr. Richard Tavarov
The Tatonka Foundation
Canada
Jean Arnold
Falls Brook Centre
Canada
Eric Gagnon
Rupert Reverence
Canada
Jean-Jacques Reigneau
Révérence Rupert
Canada
Pimicikamak Cree Nation
Cross Lake Manitoba, Canada
Thubten Samdup
The Canada Tibet Committee
Canada
Vanessa McMain
The Humane Society of Canada
Canada
Mark Angelo
Outdoor Recreation Council of British
Columbia
Canada
Karen Cambell
West Coast Environmental Law
Canada
Daniel Green
La Societe Pour Vaincre la Pollution
Canada
Elizabeth May
Sierra Club
Canada
Theresa Wolfwood
Barnard-Boecker Centre Foundation
Canada
Richard Bridge
West Arm Watershed Alliance
Canada
Max Finkelstein
Author
Ottawa, Canada
(non-affiliated)
Regan Morgan
Film maker
Morin Heights, Canada.
(non-affiliated)
Roberto Epple
ERN European Rivers Network
France
Jacques Zeimert
Loire Vivante Network
France
Nicolas Guihard
Agir ici
France
Damien Millet
Comité pour l'Annulation de la Dette du Tiers-Monde (CADTM)
France
Sébastien Godinot
IFI reform campaign
Friends of the Earth France
Heffa Schuecking
Urgewald
Germany
Bernhard Henselmann
EarthLink - The People & Nature Network
Germany
Heike Drillisch
World Economy, Ecology & Development
(WEED)
Germany
Jorge Varela Marquez
Comité para la Defensa y Desarrollo de la Flora y Fauna del Golfo de Fonseca
(CODDEFFAGOLF)
Honduras
Shripad Dharmadhikary
Manthan Adhyayan Kendra
India
(Member of UNEP-DDP Steering Committee)
Himanshu Thakkar
South Asia Network on Dams,
Rivers & People
India
Roy Laifungbam
Citizens Concern for Dams and Development
India
Antonio Tricarico
Campagna per la riforma della Banca mondiale
Italy
Ikuko Matsumoto
Friends of the Earth
Japan
Satoru Matsumoto
Mekong Watch
Japan
Rosemary Rop
Maji - na - Ufanisi (Water and Development)
Kenya
Ben E.T. Van-Tonder
Highlands Church Solidarity and Action Centre
Lesotho
Jose Luis Aguilar Garcia
Comisión Justicia y Paz
México
Anabela Lemso and
Katya Hassan
LIVANINGO
Mozambique
Ganga Prasad Subedi
Humanist Association of Nepal
Nepal
Gopal Siwakoti 'Chintan'
Water and Energy Users' Federation-Nepal (WAFED),
South Asian Solidarity for Rivers and Peoples (SARP),
Nepal
Wiert Wiertsema
Both ENDS
The Netherlands
Hope E. Ogbeide
Society for Water & Public Health Protection (SWAPHEP)
Nigeria
Dr. Anthony E. Ogbeibu
Hydrobiology/Pollution Research Laboratory
Departmentof Zoology
University of Benin
SWAPHEP
Nigeria
Rev.David Ugolor
African Network for Environmental and Economic Justice(ANEEJ)
Nigeria
African Network for Environmental and Economic Justice (ANEEJ)
Country:Nigeria
Tonje Folkestad,
Association for International Water and Forest Studies (FIVAS)
Norway
Joan Carling
Cordillera Peoples Alliance
Philippines
Victoria Corpuz
Tebtebba Foundation
Philippines
Lidy Nacpil
Freedom from Debt Coalition
Jubilee South
Philippines
Luís Galrão
EURONATURA
Portugal
Vladimir Slivyak
Ecodefense
Russia
Alexandra Koroleva
Baltic Resource and Information Center Kaliningrad, Russia
Alexey Milovanov
World Information Service on Energy - Kaliningrad, Russia
Alisa Nikulina
Anti-nuclear campaign of the Socio-Ecological Union Intl.
Russia
Sindisiwe Ngcobo
Network for Advocacy of Water Issues in South Africa (NAWISA)
South Africa
Earthlife Africa Ethekwini,
South Africa
Jonathan Cartwright
DEF
South Africa
John Taylor
Sustainable Water Forum
South Africa
Liane Greeff
Environmental Monitoring Group
South Africa
Philip Owen
Geasphere
South Africa
Patrick Dowling
Environmentalist
Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa
South Africa
Göran Ek
Swedish Society for Nature Conservation
Sweden
Peter Niggli, Swiss Coalition of Development Organizations,
Switzerland
Jean-Claude Huot
Berne Declaration
Switzerland
Bruno Gurtner
Swiss Coalition of Development Organizations
Switzerland
Benedict Chacha Peter
Foundation HELP
Tanzania
Bubelwa E Kaiza
Concern for Development Initiatives in Africa (ForDIA)
Tanzania
S. Parasuraman
ActionAid
Thailand
Shalmali Guttal
Focus on the Global South
Thailand
Muramuzi Frank
National association of Professional Environmetalists (NAPE)
Uganda
Davis Kateregga
YMCA/The Uganda NGO RIO + 10 Coalition
Uganda
Frances Carr
Down to Earth: the International
Campaign for Ecological Justice in Indonesia
UK
Geoff Nettleton
Indigenous Peoples Links
UK
Dr. Ute Collier
Dams Initiative Leader
WWF Living Waters Programme
UK
Tom Griffiths
Forest Peoples Programme
UK
Margaret O'Rourke
Sister Margaret O'Rourke
St Athanasius Food Pantry
USA
Larry Williams
Sierra Club United States
USA
Margaret B. Bowman
American Rivers
USA
Doug Norlen
Pacific Environment
USA
Patrick McCully
International Rivers Network,
USA
Sister Mary Turgi, CSC
The Holy Cross International Justice Office
USA
Mishka Zaman
Bank Information Center
USA
Manna Jo Greene,
Hudson River Sloop Clearwater,
USA
Marcos A. Orellana
Center for International Environmental Law
USA
Ken Bradley
JustEnergy,
Minnesotans for an Energy-Efficient Economy
USA
Alan Muller,
Green Delaware
USA.
Bruce Rich
Environmental Defense,
USA
Jon Sohn
friends of the earth
USA
Amit Srivastava,
Global Resistance,
USA
Sister Ann Oestreich
Congregation Justice Committee
Sisters of the Holy Cross
USA
Ari Hershowitz,
BioGems Project Latin America
Natural Resources Defense Council
USA
Daniel Bradlow
Professor of Law,
Washington D.C,
USA.
(non-affiliated)
Isaac Mumpande
Basilwiz Trust
Zimbabwe