World Bank Accused of Jeopardizing the African Rainforest and Its People

In light of the recent hearing at The Hague of complaints brought against the World Bank, it is of considerable importance that the World Bank has been accused by a delegation from the Democratic Republic of Congo of jeopardizing the African rainforest and its forest-dependent people when the delegation met in Washington with senior World Bank leaders.

The primary concern of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) delegation, which was comprised of representatives from several Pygmy cultures, was that the rights and living traditions of forest-dependent people including Pygmies be respected and protected. The DRC Pygmy culture delegates attended the annual meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary fund (IMF).

Under discussion were some of the projects that the World Bank has funded, perhaps without due consideration of the indigenous local peoples, that jeopardize the health and productivity of, even the very existence of, the rainforest that DRC indigenous people live in, with and through. Many spiritual and cultural needs of these indigenous people are met through the forest. Besides which, the forest is their means of attaining shelters, medicines, fuel and food: it sustains them.

The World Bank has funded projects in the DRC such as logging and expansion, or rehabilitation, of the infrastructure. These types of projects threaten the rainforest that provide DRC indigenous people like Pygmies with their lives and livelihood. Additionally, these rainforests are a vital part of Earth's ecological capital because they absorb globally produced carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The Pygmy delegation called for the World Bank to make reforms in their forest-sector policies. They also called for the World Bank to improve its policies and methods of collaboration with forest dependent indigenous people, so as not to violate but rather to protect their rights and way of life.

Ms. Obiageli Ezekwesili, who is the Wold Bank Vice President for Africa, confirmed the World Bank's commitment to a strengthened partnership with Indigenous Peoples and to an on-going problem-solving conversation with national authorities and sub-national authorities. Ms. Ezekwesili stated the Bank's belief in having indigenous people involved in key decision making opportunities. She also stated that the World Bank is committed to determining and supporting the best interests of the marginalized people who are poor and disadvantaged.

The first step that the World Bank will take in response to the Pygmy delegation challenges is to set up a meeting to be held in DRC for the purpose of furthering the conversation about the protection and advancement of the causes of indigenous people with the aim of agreeing to a next step in World Bank forest sector reform. Ms. Ezekwesili requested from the delegation a list of Pygmy groups to invite to the proposed DRC meeting.

"Pygmy Delegation from Democratic Republic of Congo Visits World Bank," The World Bank.