‘Financing repression’ – online launch of new report

Join the online launch of the new report “Financing Repression” to hear powerful testimonies from human rights defenders and engage in a discussion about critical issues surrounding development banks’ investments in repressive contexts.

The report, co-authored by the Coalition for Human Rights in Development, the International Accountability Project, and the Early Warning System, and endorsed by 37 organizations, reveals the extent to which development banks are investing heavily in countries with closed civic space. It explains why restrictions on civic freedoms are a critical concern and offers a series of recommendations for development banks to follow before approving projects in such contexts.

Panelists:

• Mary Lawlor | UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders
• Umida Niyazova | Uzbek Forum for Human Rights
• Jewher Ilham | Worker Rights Consortium
• Zhala Bayramova | Human Rights Lawyer
• Ryan Schlief | International Accountability Project
• Dalile Antúnez | Coalition for Human Rights in Development

About the Report: Around the world, development finance institutions (DFIs) are making significant investments in highly repressive environments where people cannot freely express their concerns, and civil society groups face severe limitations. “Financing Repression: Why Development Banks Must Rethink Finance in Countries Blocking Civic Freedoms” combines quantitative analysis of DFIs’ investments and case studies to:

• Reveal the scale of development bank investments in countries with closed civic spaces.
• Explain why restrictions on civic space are a critical concern for DFIs.
• Provide a series of recommendations that DFIs should consider before approving projects in such contexts.

The report examines DFIs’ investments in 18 countries with restricted civic space and presents five in-depth case studies (Azerbaijan, Egypt, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam). It explores how these investments intersect with issues of civic freedoms, human rights, environmental concerns, and development, while also highlighting the role of public development banks.

Civil society groups have varying opinions on whether and how DFIs should invest in such contexts, but they all emphasize the need for caution. They call for thorough risk assessments, recognition of civic space restrictions as operational risks, and consultations with human rights organizations to ensure meaningful participation is preserved in project design and implementation.