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Berne Declaration, International Rivers Network and 109 NGOs from 39 countries

16 November 200

On 16 November, 2000, the final report of the World Commission on Dams (WCD) was released to the international public in London. The WCD´s findings and recommendations are particularly relevant for multilateral and bilateral financial institutions. Public financial institutions have long been major promoters of large dams, and have played an active role in the WCD process.

The World Bank sponsored the April 1997 Gland workshop, where the decision to create an independent World Commission on Dams was taken. The Bank was consulted on the Commission´s proceedings and reports throughout the WCD process. Representatives of the World Bank, the three major regional development banks and the export credit or aid agencies of Germany, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.S. are also members of the WCD Forum. Much of the WCD´s funding came from multilateral and bilateral agencies.

The WCD’s main conclusions

The WCD report concludes that

large dams have failed to produce as much electricity, provide as much water, or control as much flood damage as their sponsors claim;
large dams suffer massive cost-overruns and time delays;
many large dams have proven to be uneconomic, even before accounting for their social and environmental costs;
better technologies are available to provide the benefits claimed for large dams;
large dams have had huge social and environmental impacts, and efforts to mitigate these impacts have been largely unsuccessful;

reservoirs can be significant emitters of greenhouse gases;

the benefits of large dams have largely gone to the already well-off while poorer sectors of society have borne the costs.

These findings have led the WCD to make a number of important recommendations which apply to the full spectrum of dams - from existing dams, to those under construction or in their planning stages. The WCD recommends that

comprehensive and participatory assessments of the needs to be met and different options for meeting these needs should be developed before detailed studies are done on any specific project;
priority should be given to demand side management measures and optimizing the performance of existing infrastructure before building any new projects;
no dam should be built without the „consent“ (in the case of indigenous and tribal peoples) or „acceptance“ of affected people;
periodic participatory reviews should be done for existing dams to assess issues including dam safety, and the possibility of dam decommissioning;
mechanisms should be developed to provide social reparations for those who are suffering the impacts of dams, and to restore damaged ecosystems.

The WCD’s conclusion on the role of public financial institutions

The WCD report notes that “overseas development financing agencies, particularly the multilateral and bilateral agencies, have played an important role in funding and securing large dam projects”. The World Bank started funding large dams in the 1950s. At the peak of lending in 1980-1984, multilateral and bilateral financial institutions committed more than $ 4.5 billion annually to the funding of large dams. Collectively, these institutions have committed more than $ 125 billion to the funding of such dams. As the WCD report notes: “Although the proportion of investment in dams directly financed by bilaterals and multilaterals was perhaps less than 15%, these institutions played a key strategic role globally in spreading the technology, lending legitimacy to emerging dam projects, training future engineers and government agencies, and leading financing arrangements.”

In the case of developing countries, the selection of alternatives for meeting water, flood control and electric power needs was, and is, frequently constrained because, as the WCD report explains, financial institutions have a preference for „large dams rather than non-structural alternatives“. At the same time, the report notes the failure of financing agencies „to fulfil commitments made, observe statutory regulations and abide by internal guidelines“.

The situation is particularly grave for the export credit agencies. As the report points out, “ECAs generally lack policies on environmental and social issues and do not necessarily adhere to internationally accepted standards and guidelines. Experiences from the Three Gorges dam in China, Ilisu dam in Turkey, Maheshwar dam in India and San Roque dam in the Philippines, underline the need for ECAs to examine closely the social and environmental impacts of the projects they support.”

A call for action

We note and appreciate that the WCD report vindicates many concerns raised by NGO campaigns. Given the role of financial institutions in funding large dams and in the WCD process, and based on the WCD report’s recommendations, we call on all public financial institutions, including the World Bank, the regional development banks, the export credit agencies and bilateral aid agencies, to take the following actions:

All public financial institutions should immediately and comprehensively adopt the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams, and should integrate them into their relevant policies, in particular those on water and energy development, environmental impact assessment, resettlement, and public participation. In particular, as recommended by the WCD, no project should proceed without the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples, and without the demonstrable public acceptance of all those who would be affected by the project.
All public financial institutions should immediately establish independent, transparent and participatory reviews of all their planned and ongoing dam projects. While such reviews are taking place, project preparation and construction should be halted. Such reviews should establish whether the respective dams comply, as a minimum, with the recommendations of the WCD. If they do not, projects should be modified accordingly or stopped altogether.
All institutions which share in the responsibility for the unresolved negative impacts of dams should immediately initiate a process to establish and fund mechanisms to provide reparations to affected communities that have suffered social, cultural and economic harm as a result of dam projects.
All public financial institutions should place a moratorium on funding the planning or construction of new dams until they can demonstrate that they have complied with the above measures.

London, 16 November 2000

Peter Bosshard, Berne Declaration, SwitzerlandPatrick McCully, International Rivers Network, U.S.A.

The call for action has been endorsed by the following 109 NGOs from 39 countries:

Argentina

Jorge Cappato,Fundación PROTEGER

Elba Stancich, Taller EcologistaAustraliaMelanie Gillbank, AID/WATCHTim Fisher,Stuart Blanch,Australian Conservation Foundation

AustriaMartina Neuwirth,Koordinierungsstelle der Bischofskonferenz

Bangladesh

Hossain Shahriar, Environment and Social Development Organization-ESDO Saleem Samad, Like-Minded Environmental Activists Group

Belgium

Rudy de Meyer, 11.11.11 (the umbrella of the Flemish North South movement in Belgium)

Belize

Sharon Matola, The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center Belize

Brazil

Sadi Baron, Dam-Affected Peoples' Movement of Brazil

Canada

The James Bay Cree Nation

Pimicikamak Cree Nation

China

Sophia Woodman, Human Rights in China, Hong Kong

Colombia

Marcelino Nuñez Altamiranda, Asociación de Productores para el Desarrollo Comunitario de la Ciénaga Grande del Bajo Sinú - ASPROCIG

Abel Domico Domico, Emiliano Domico Mayore, Cabildos Mayores Embera Katio de los Ríos Sinú y verde

Hildebrando Vélez, Censat Agua Viva (Friends of the Earth Colombia)

Costa Rica

Hugo Mora, Asociación Montaña Verde

Asociación de Desarrollo Integral del Territorio Indígena de Rey Curré

Asociación de Desarrollo Integral del Territorio Indígena de Cabagra

Asociación de Desarrollo Integral del Territorio Indígena de Boruca

Gilbert González Maroto, Centro para el Desarrollo Indígena (CEDIN)

Comité de Defensa de los Rios Afectados por proyectos Hidroeléctricos

María del Pilar Ureña Alvarez, Comisión Mixta del Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad

Grupo de Mujeres Indígenas con Espíritu de Lucha

Padre Oscar Navarro, Vicaría de Pastoral Social; Pérez Zeledón, Iglesia Católica

Czech Republic

Petr Hlobil, CEE Bankwatch Network

El Salvador

Mauricio Sermeno, Union Ecologica Salvadorena

France

Ben Lefetey, Amis de la Terre

Roberto Epple, ERN European Rivers Network

Philippe Lhort, SOS Loire Vivante

Sharon Courtoux, SURVIE

Germany

Weiluo Wang, Chinesisches Kulturzentrum Dortmund e.V.

Bernhard Henselmann, EarthLink - The People & Nature Network

German Dolphin Conservation Society

Dario Jana, Red Internacional de Apoyo al Pueblo Pehuenche -RIAP-

Theodor Rathgeber, Society for Threatened Peoples Germany

Heffa Schücking, Urgewald

Birgit Zimmerle, WEED (World Economy, Ecology & Development)

Wolfgang Sachs, Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Energy, Environment

Hungary

Andras Janossy, „For the Danube" Foundation

India

D. Narasimha Reddy, Campaign for Housing and Tenurial Rights (CHATRI)

D. Narasimha Reddy, Centre for Resource Education and Citizens Against Pollution

D. Narasimha Reddy, Citizens Against Pollution

Leo Saldanha, Environment Support Group

Ambrose Pinto s.j., Indian Social Institute

Smitu Kothari, Lokayan

Minar Pimple, YUVA, Mumbai

Indonesia

Agam Fatchurrochman, Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW)

Arianto Sangaji, Yayasan Tanah Merdeka

Italy

Antonio Tricarico, Francesco Martone, Jaroslava Colajacomo, Reform the World Bank Campaign

Japan

Takeru Shiroiwa,Tatsuya Kubo, A SEED JAPAN

Fujiwara Toshihide, Campaign for Future of Filipino Children (CFFC)

Ikuko Matsumoto, Friends of the Earth Japan

Toshiko Niikura, Heather Souter, Rivers!Japan

Sonoko Kawakami, Japan NGO Network on Indonesia (JANNI)

Reiko Amano, Nagaragawa Citizen's Coalition

Reiko Amano, NGO Association for Public Works Review

Satoru Matsumoto, Mekong Watch

Tomoko Sakuma, People's Forum 2001

Masahito Ujiie, Sagamigawa Camp-Inn-Symposium

Kenya

Grace Akumu, Climate Network Africa

Lesotho

Thabang Kholumo, Highlands Church Action Group (HCAG)

Malaysia

Sam Hui, SOS Selangor (Save Our Sungai Selangor)

Sam Hui, SUARAM (Suara Rakyat Malaysia)México

Scott Robinson (Depto. de Antropologia Universidad Metropolitana Mexico DF)

Fernando Melo Farrera, Servicios para el Desarrollo Sociedad Civil

Netherlands

Wiert Wiertsema, Both ENDS

Johan Frijns, Friends of the Earth International

Nigeria

Onyeagucha Uche, Environmental Rights Action

Norway

Tonje Folkestad, Elisabeth F. Olsen, FIVAS Association for International Water and Forest Studies

Pakistan

Aly Ercelawn, Muhammad Nauman, creed alllianceMushtaq Gadi, Pakistan Network of Rivers Dams and People

Naeem Iqbal, Sungi Development Foundation Islamabad

Philippines

Joan Carling, Cordillera Peoples Alliance

Poland

Jacek Bozek, Sally Naylor, Stowarzyszenie Ekologiczno-Kulturalne "Klub Gaja“

Republica Dominicana

Don Marcos Pena, Grupo de Accion por la Defensa del Rio Yaque del Norte Jarabacoa, L.V.

Slovakia

Roman Havlicek, Juraj Zamkovsky,Friends of the Earth Slovakia

South Africa

Liane Greeff, Environmental Monitoring Group

Philip Owen, Southern African Water Crisisnormal

Patrick Bond (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg)

Sweden

Klas Ronnback, Miljöförbundet Jordens Vänner (Friends of the Earth Sweden)

Switzerland

Peter Bosshard, Berne Declaration

Jürg Krummenacher, Caritas SwitzerlandPfr. Andreas Nufer, Ecumenical Parish Halden, St.Gallen

Alex Sutter, Human Rights SwitzerlandAmanda Weibel, Gertrud Ochsner, Independent Network Monitoring the Swiss Financial System

Göpf Berweger, Hanspeter Bigler, Society for threatened peoples - SwitzerlandBrigitte Anderegg,

SOLIFONDS

Hanspeter Finger, Petra Engelhard, SWISSAID

Peter Niggli, Swiss Coalition of Development Organisations

Thailand

Ka Hsaw Wa, EarthRights InternationalShalmali Guttal, Focus on the Global South

United Kingdom

Thomas Griffiths, Forest Peoples Programme

Kate Geary, Ilisu Dam CampaignSteve Fisher, ITDG

Roger Moody, Partizans

Geoff Nettleton, Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links

Nicholas Hildyard, The Corner House

Uruguay

Gerardo Honty, CEUTA

Roberto Bissio, Instituto del Tercer Mundo

Ricardo Carrere, World Rainforest Movement

USA

Korinna Horta, Environmental Defense

Andrea Durbin, Friends of the Earth U.S

Kate Showers, Institute for Environmental Awareness, Inc

John Gershman, Institute for Health and Social Justice

Patrick McCully, International Rivers Network

Jonathan A. Fox (Merrill College, University of California, Santa Cruz)

Julie Tanner, National Wildlife Federation

Sandy Buffett, The Nautilus Institute for Security & Sustainable DevelopmentM