The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), through its Environmental and Social Solutions Unit, has been organizing the Regional Dialogues on Environmental and Social Policy (RPD) for over ten years. The aim of this initiative is to promote the strengthening of the region's national environmental and social licensing and inspection systems through several priorities by … [Read more...] about Strengthening National Environmental and Social Licensing and Inspection Systems in Latin America and the Caribbean
Juan Martinez
Juan Martínez is a Lead Social Specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank, where he is leading issues related to social risks for indigenous peoples, land acquisition, physical and economic displacement, and stakeholder engagement of the Environmental and Social Policy Framework (ESPF) in the Bank's Environmental and Social Solutions Unit. Before joining the IDB, he was, for over 20 years, a senior social specialist at the World Bank, where he worked for multiple regions around the world in areas of Social Development, Inclusion of Indigenous Peoples, Natural Resources Management, and land acquisition issues.
Promoting sustainable development in Indigenous communities
Indigenous peoples have achieved recognition of their rights in multiple international instruments (e.g., ILO Convention 169, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) and national legislation. This recognition includes the self-determination of these peoples and their forms of governance, understanding them as socially and culturally differentiated … [Read more...] about Promoting sustainable development in Indigenous communities
How can we manage the social risks associated with the use of security personnel in projects?
The use of security personnel to protect the communities and assets related to a project is a common practice in Latin America and the Caribbean, a region where 43% of the population says they are constantly afraid of being victims of a crime. The decision to hire security personnel usually arises after assessing the risks that threaten human security and assets related to … [Read more...] about How can we manage the social risks associated with the use of security personnel in projects?
Three key premises that guarantee a project’s social sustainability
Latin America and the Caribbean is a region with a huge social, cultural, political, and economic diversity that has made major strides in poverty reduction. Relevant quantitative data shows that at least 70 million people pulled out of extreme poverty and moved up the social ladder, swelling the ranks of the middle class to more than one-third of the region’s … [Read more...] about Three key premises that guarantee a project’s social sustainability
On International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, let’s talk about…Biological Diversity?
The world’s natural riches evoke images of expansive forests and protected areas inhabited by animals and exotic plants. But they also conjure pictures of vast landscapes whose tall trees were felled to make way for grasslands for breeders’ cattle and for big-company crops. Still, one element commonly overlooked is that these spaces are also home to a great diversity, both … [Read more...] about On International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, let’s talk about…Biological Diversity?