Large dams (original) (raw)

Learning from the Past, Looking at the Future large dams in terms of technical, economic, social 1.3 WORLD BANK PARTNERSHIP WITH and environmental implications for future financing IUCN-THE WORLD CONSERVATION by the World Bank Group, as well as other sources. UNION Using available data for projects completed One of the initiatives of the director-general of Usiweeng1960 and 1995, the dams were classifi.d IUCN, David McDowell, upon his appointment in between 1960 and 1995, the dams were classified 94wst eksrtei rnrh ihk according to their economic justification and whether 1994, was to seek strategic partnerships with key they satisfied the impact mitigation and management international agencies so that they might work the saife th imac miiainadmngmn together to resolve controversial issues and meet policies existing at the time of their approval, or could joi ntertests. Anaroeemen negotiatd with have been planned so as to satisfy policies that the joit mterests. An agreement negot1ated woth the Bank had introduced over the intervening years World Bank and signed in 1994 was one of the early (Liebenthal et al., 1996). OED concluded that while partnerships to be established. It was under this 90 percent of the dams reviewed met the standards agreement that the Bank approached IUCN in 1996 applicable at the time of approvals, only about one-with the idea that they might jointly host a workshop qapplicber atee timpemo aovas to ly abuth ne-to discuss the findings of the OED desk review World Bank's current, more demanding policies. The (Phase I) and their implications for the design, methodology and process of a proposed in-depth study (Phase II) on large dams to be undertaken in 1997-98. In agreeing to proceed, both organizations The impact of large dam projects recognized that this workshop would address one of the most controversial issues in the field of environ-Under old policies ment and development policy today and that a successful outcome was by no means assured. Unacceptable Special funding to support the workshop was provided by the World Bank through the Swiss Agency decided that one of the priorities in allocating the Unacceptable SDC/OED trust fund should be to seek a resolution to the conflicts surrounding large dams. 9% ^1.4 PREPARATIONS FOR THE WORKSHOP Robert Picciotto, director general of Operations Evaluation at the World Bank, and George Greene, Acceptable assistant director general of IUCN, were given overall Potentially Z 6t / responsibility for the workshop. Reporting to them, acceptable \ Achim Steiner, who was IUCN's liaison officer to the World Bank, and Andres Liebenthal, who had led OE PRECIS, SEPTEMBER 1996, WORLD BANK Acceptable OED's desk review, were asked to organize the workshop, focusing on five key preparatory tasks: agreereview also concluded that mitigation of the adverse ment on the specific objectives, development of backsocial and environmental consequences of large dams ground information, selection of participants, facilitawould have been both feasible and economically justi-tion of the sessions and design of the agenda. fied in 74 percent of the cases. The main conclusion Objectives of workshop was OED's conditional support for the construction of large dams, provided that they strictly comply with Four specific objectives were developed through Bank guidelines and fully incorporate the lessons of discussions among some of the key stakeholders experience. The analysis, conclusions and recommen-associated with IUCN and the World Bank: dations were summarized and made public in an Review the OED desk study of large dams in OED Precis (1996).