The safeguard policies of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) seek to guide the Bank’s staff and clients in their analysis of the potentially adverse environmental and social impacts of IDB-financed projects. One key tool in this process is the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). EIAs are carried out whenever a project has the potential to produce negative … [Read more...] about Five Challenges Posed by the Social Component of Environmental Impact Assessments
Rodolfo Tello
Rodolfo Tello is an anthropologist who has worked extensively in many countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, managing the social risks and impacts of investment projects with multilateral financing, and promoting inclusion and sustainability, particularly in areas related to indigenous peoples, involuntary resettlement and livelihoods restoration, socioeconomic development, and consultation and stakeholder engagement processes, among others. Rodolfo holds a master's degree from the University of Maryland and a PhD from American University.
“I’m not Indigenous!” Identity and Exclusion in Indigenous Development
Rural villages such as the ones located in the Andean mountains of southern Peru present an interesting dilemma. For an external observer, there is usually little doubt that people from these villages should be considered as indigenous: they are the descendants of pre-colonial societies, speak an ancestral native language (Quechua), and have worldviews, social norms, economic … [Read more...] about “I’m not Indigenous!” Identity and Exclusion in Indigenous Development
Part II: Safeguard Considerations in the Use of Cash Compensation in Resettlement Processes
In Part I of this blog (The Allure of Cash Compensation in Resettlement Processes), last week I told the story of Fernando, a man forced to leave his home as a result of a new hydropower project, who received a large sum of cash as compensation but ultimately ended up in financial ruin. Accordingly, I would like to return to the question: if resettlement cannot be avoided, is … [Read more...] about Part II: Safeguard Considerations in the Use of Cash Compensation in Resettlement Processes
Part I: The Allure of Cash Compensation in Resettlement Processes
Fernando was excited about a large amount of money he had just received. The money came from a public energy agency as compensation for the loss of his house and the source of his livelihood. He used to live and work by a nearby river, panning for gold on the riverbanks, until he was informed that he needed to vacate the area. A new hydropower plant was going to be built … [Read more...] about Part I: The Allure of Cash Compensation in Resettlement Processes