REPORT ON WORLD DAMS RECOMMENDS GLOBAL ACTION

Press Release
ENV/DEV/553*

REPORT ON WORLD DAMS RECOMMENDS GLOBAL ACTION

Head of UN Environment Programme to Lead Headquarters Seminar; Aim Is to End Controversies, Promote Practical Steps for Solving Problems

LONDON, 16 November -- The World Commission on Dams today launched "Dams and Development: A New Framework for Decision-Making", its final report that seeks to turn costly controversies into clear and productive consensus. The Commission already has brought together for the first time all parties in the increasingly confrontational debate about the role that 45,000 large dams have played in development.

A diverse forum of engineers, environmentalists, government officials, indigenous people, financiers, affected people and academics has engaged for two years in an unprecedented global public policy process. Overcoming their differences, they unanimously signed a report likely to have a profound impact not only on the future role of the $42 billion dam industry, but on how to develop water and energy resources.

Speaking at today’s launching of the final report before 300 representatives from governments, the private sector and civil society worldwide, former South African President, Nelson Mandela, praised the constructive nature of the independent Commission. The report will also be presented tomorrow (Friday 17 November) at United Nations Headquarters in New York, at a seminar to be hosted by Klaus Toepfer, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The report was made possible with the financial assistance of the United Nations Foundation through the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships.

Key points from the report:

-- Dams have made an important and significant contribution to human development, but in too many cases, the social and environmental costs have been unacceptable and often unnecessary;

-- A new framework for decision-making that moves beyond simple cost- benefit tradeoffs is recommended, to introduce an inclusive "rights and risks approach" which recognizes all legitimate stakeholders in negotiating development choices;

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-- A set of core values, strategic priorities, and practical criteria and guidelines governing water and energy resources development in the future is offered;

-- A challenge is made to national governments, civil society groups, bilateral aid agencies and multilateral development banks and the private sector to change the way they view energy and water resources development.

The report provides the most comprehensive, global and independent review of dams to date. It examines the technical, financial and economic performance of dams as well as their environmental and social performance. Together with its assessment of potential alternatives to dams and the study of decision-making processes, the report offers unique insights into one of the most controversial development debates of our time.

The Chairman of the World Dams Commission, Kader Asmal, Minister of Education in South Africa, said: "It means nothing to build billion-dollar dams if your monuments alienate the weak." "It means nothing to stop all dams if your protests only entrench poverty. But show me a clear and sustainable way to provide food, energy, stability and running water for those who most need it -– that means something. And that we have done."

The report concludes with a range of proposals as to how different groups and institutions can utilize the report for follow-up actions:

-- National Governments: review existing procedures and regulations concerning large dam projects and time-bound licences for all dams.

-- Civil Society Groups: actively assist in identifying relevant stakeholders for dam projects using the rights and risk approach, as well as the ability to monitor compliance with agreements and assist aggrieved parties to seek recourse.

-- The Private Sector: recommend that voluntary codes of conduct, management systems and certification procedures be implemented as well as the adoption of integrity pacts and compliance plans for all contracts and procurements.

-- Affected Peoples' Organizations: strengthen the technical and legal capacity for needs and options assessment processes through support networks and the ability to identify unresolved social and environmental impacts and convince the relevant authorities to take effective steps to address them.

-- Bilateral Aid Agencies, Export Credit Agencies and Multilateral Development Banks: establish procedures which ensure that approved financing for dam projects emerge from an agreed process of ranking alternatives and respecting World Commission on Dams guidelines.

For more information, please contact: James Workman, World Commission on Dams Secretariat, P.O. Box 16002, Vlaeberg, Cape Town 8018 South Africa (+27 21 426-4000 Fax: + 27 21 426 0036 Mobile (27) 83 680 6155 e-mail contact: jworkman@dams.org/ Home Page:

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