Oxfam report dams ADB over hydropower in Asia
SINGAPORE ~ The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is responsible for damaging the lives of some of the poorest people in Asia, according to a report from Oxfam Australia.
The report, A Citizen’s Guide to the Greater Mekong Subregion, disputes ADB’s claims that its Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Program has led economic growth and poverty reduction in the region.
On the contrary, many of the poorest people are worse off than ever before, says the report.
Oxfam Australia advocacy coordinator Jonathan Cornford said the ADB’s obsession with large-scale infrastructure developments including transnational highways, hydropower dams and regional energy grids had created casualties.
“Many of the rural poor in the countries where the Mekong flows – and especially ethnic minorities – are experiencing a declining quality of life, largely because of the destruction of the forests and rivers upon which they depend for food, drinking and housing,” Cornford said.
The ADB-funded Highway 1, part of the GMS Southern Economic Corridor, linking Cambodia to Vietnam, had damaged the land, housing or livelihoods of thousands of people and forced many villagers to borrow money in order to restore their incomes, as compensation payments were often delayed for years.
This has led to a high level of debt among many of the dislocated villagers, some of whom are unable to keep up with repayments.
Most communities affected by projects under the GMS Program don’t know what the ADB is. Nor do they know how to obtain information on new projects, or how to voice their complaints and seek redress when a Bank-funded project such as a hydropower dam negatively impacts their lives.
A Citizen’s Guide to the Greater Mekong Subregion aims to help civil society groups and individuals in Mekong countries understand what the GMS Program is, how it works and how it can be held accountable by citizens.
The report includes a toolkit of resources, and an analysis of the GMS Program.
Mr Cornford said the report demystified the GMS Program so that people could have a go at keeping the ADB accountable.
“The more people know what action to take when ADB-funded projects harm their lives, the more the bank may take concerns seriously and consult with communities on projects that will transform their lives,” he said.
Notes: The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) incorporates six countries – Cambodia, China (specifically Yunnan and Guangxi provinces), Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. The Asian Development Bank established the GMS program in 1992 to transform these six countries of the Mekong region into one borderless economy.
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