When twelve South American nations embark on a region-wide infrastructure development program — which contemplates 355 projects at a cost of $37 billion dollars — it makes sense that the citizens of the participating nations would be included in the decision-making process.
Or not, apparently. According to representatives of civil society groups, governments are displaying a complete lack of sensitivity and transparency in the development of the Initiative for the Integration of Regional Infrastructure in South America (IIRSA). The very people who will be affected by these numerous large-scale projects are not consulted about or even informed of developments that will affect them, and when they do manage to express their concerns, their wishes are not taken into consideration. The social and environmental impacts of these projects will be substantial and it is critical that steps be taken to minimize the damage that such large-scale physical infrastructure projects inevitably cause. In response to the challenges posed by IIRSA, civil society groups have come together to create the Articulación IIRSA to organize and inform the public in areas where little information is available. Three Global Greengrants grant recipients are among those working to disseminate information on IIRSA, monitor the process so that communities have a greater say in the projects being discussed and demand greater disclosure from the various governments about what negotiations are taking place and with whom (banks, multi-lateral organizations, private companies, etc.)
Created in August 2000 during a meeting of South American presidents in Brazil, IIRSA has the ambitious goal of (building and connecting) regional infrastructure, including transport links, telecommunications and energy resources, in order to promote regional growth and create a continent better able to compete in the global marketplace. Ideally, through this integration of roads, railroads, waterways, power grids and telecommunication services, the poverty that stubbornly persists throughout most of the region can be significantly reduced. However, the proposed series of large-scale projects could also create more social and environmental challenges in South America.
Greengrants grantees are working to ensure that citizen groups have greater information about projects proposed under the IIRSA framework. In Peru, the Asociación Civil Labor (Labor) plans to establish a country-wide network to exchange information about IIRSA so that communities can promote and defend their interests with their governments and with the private sector entities financing and building the projects, before those projects begin. The project will be called “Unveiling IIRSA to Allow for the Participation of Civil Society”. What concerns Labor is that:
” . . . high risk (and debt-heavy) mega-projects .. would result in extensive alterations to landscapes and livelihoods in the region. In this development framework, mountains, forests and wetlands are seen as barriers to economic development, and rivers become the means for extracting natural resources . . . ”
ACL was established in 1981 in the city of Llo, Peru with the purpose of promoting sustainable development and sound environmental management practices throughout the country. Working with government authorities, community leaders, farmers and non-profit groups, among others, ALC encourages those involved in urban planning to incorporate sound environmental protection policies in their development plans. A concrete example includes enabling neighborhood committees in Arequipa, Peru to improve the automobile emission control procedures throughout the city.
This group recognized the lack of information and civil society response to IIRSA plans in Peru. To fill the gap, ACL proposes to establish a network for information exchange about IIRSA that will give local organizations the tools they need to influence their governments and the International Financial Institutions against sponsoring harmful projects. This group hopes to build an effective network by identifying potential participants, holding network workshops, sharing information, and conducting an IIRSA education campaign.
The goal is to educate people so that they will demand more information on IIRSA, fight for a voice in the decision-making process and be vigilant with regard to IIRSAís impacts on the environment and the peoples of the region.
Ecuador’s Instituto de Estudios Ecologistas del Tercer Mundo (IEETM) will utilize Greengrants’ funding to organize workshops on IIRSA as well as the free trade agreement with the United States. In addition, IEETM will create a website which will focus on IIRSA and the potential negative environmental impacts it could have on the region. IEETM will work to ensure that solid environmental science and sustainable environmental practices will be incorporated into the development of IIRSA.
IEETM is an environmental research organization that works to defend nature and biodiversity, promote collective/community rights, encourage sustainable development and stimulate a dialogue on environmental issues. The group organizes various training programs and seminars in Latin America that are designed to create opportunities for environmentalists, academics and other like-minded groups to interact and learn from one another. IEETM also publishes numerous studies, books and articles on a wide variety of topics, consistent with its goal of promoting greater environmental awareness throughout the region. Since its establishment in 1996, IEETM has held more than 50 national and international events related to those topics.
Núcleo Amigos da Terra/Brasil (NAT), the Brazilian chapter of the international environmental group Friends of the Earth, is also concerned about the lack of transparency in the IIRSA decision-making process. NAT’s mission is to promote a socially just and ecologically sustainable society by taking actions to improve the quality of the air, water, soil and the rights of the Brazilian public in general. NAT does this by working with community groups and government agencies focused on the environment. Current priorities include protecting the remaining Brazilian Coastal Rainforest (Mata Atlantica), promoting clean and renewable energy and pushing for better control of toxic wastes.
With the support of Global Greengrants, NAT has carried out a number of activities to broaden regional awareness on the potentially negative impacts of IIRSA. For example, during the 2005 World Social Forum, NAT worked with other concerned groups to organize a conference titled, “South American Integration (IIRSA): A Different Integration is Possible and Necessary.” The World Social Forum (WSF) is an annual meeting held by members of the Alternative Globalization Movement in order to coordinate world campaigns, share and refine organizing strategies, and to inform each other about movements from around the world and their issues. 93 people attended the conference in order learn more about IIRSA and its potential impacts. NAT also was instrumental in organizing a second conference in September, 2005, “The 2nd Conference on the Impacts of Dams in the Uruguay River Basin”. As an IIRSA project, the goal of the conference was to discuss the environmental and social impacts of the proposed dams in the Uruguay River basin within the context of a sustainable, energy policy for the region. Information from the conference can be found at
http://www.inga.org.br/forum/index.html.
In addition to these conferences, NAT has employed the funds from Greengrants in many other ways. They met with representatives of NGOs that are monitoring a Central American version of IIRSA, called Plan Puebla-Panama, to learn about the strategies that these groups are employing to raise awareness in their countries. They have created a website as well in order to disseminate information on IIRSA and to allow for an electronic interchange of ideas on the subject. Nearly 60 organizations, plus numerous university students, have signed up to participate. NAT is also updating its own website to include information on IIRSA and relevant links to other sites. Finally, NAT has joined with other organizations in pressuring the International Development Bank (IDB), one of IIRSAís primary financial sponsors, to provide civil society with greater information on the status of the various IIRSA-related projects. Since the initial response from the IDB was less than satisfactory, these organizations will continue to pressure the Bank until the information demands are met.
Greengrants’ International Financial Institutions Advisory Board
International Financial Institutions (IFIs) have a long history of funding development projects that are poorly conceived and out of touch with the needs and viewpoints of the local peoples. To address this issue, Global Greengrants created an International Financial Institutions Advisory Board in 2001. The IFI Board supports organizations and communities that are working to reform the projects, policies and programs of the International Financial Institutions (IFI) and to address related international trade issues. The term IFI includes the Multilateral Development Banks, the International Monetary Fund, and Export Credit Agencies. These same IFIs will be providing much of financial muscle behind the development of the IIRSA projects. Going forward, Greengrants’ IFI Advisory Board will play a role in managing IIRSA-related grants as Global Greengrants commits itself to the goal of ensuring a role for civil society in the integration of infrastructure that is taking place in South America.
Looking Ahead
If done responsibly, IIRSA can play an important role in improving the lives of the poor in South America. Greater regional integration can mean greater opportunities for those that have limited options today. Done wrong, IIRSA does have the potential to create serious environmental harm which will directly affect the lives of the citizens of South America, worsening an already difficult situation for many of the regionsí inhabitants. Extensive grassroots activity needs to take place throughout South America to make sure that the rights of the citizens and environment are taken into consideration before the many infrastructure projects associated with IIRSA get underway. It is before the bulldozers move in and construction begins that environmental and social justice groups can have the most impact. By creating public awareness, people are more apt to speak up to protect their interests.
With the support of Global Greengrants, Peruís Asociacion Civil Labor, Ecuadorís Instituto de Estudios Ecologistas del Tercer Mundo and Brazil’s Amigos da Terra are three of these grassroots groups on the ground in South America making a difference. They are creating a desperately needed sense of public awareness, an important step towards a development model that includes all stakeholders in the decision-making process.
(One good source for more information on IIRSA and the Articulacion Frente a IIRSA is the Bank Information Center’s website, and their BICECA Project — “Building Informed Civic Engagement for Conservation in the Andes-Amazon”.)