Maybe it is no coincidence that the director of DESA, David Castillo, studied in the West Point Military Academy of the US and served as the assistant of the director of the Honduran Army Intelligence. Several villagers fear the effect this may have on the vulnerable climate.

determined in their struggle against the hidroelectric project. On Thursday, November 29, seven suspects of the murder of Berta Cáceres (in March 2016) were found guilty. This creates the impression that the company has command over the military and police force. Hear from SOA Watch activantes in Honduras as they talk to people on the ground, and help bring to light the reality of the political and social turmoil in the post-coup nation that has come to be known as the "most violent in the world".

Unfortunately, we had no chance to realize this plan together. Gustavo Castro Soto, a Mexican human rights activist, was also wounded in the attack, and he is now a protected witness. In 2013, Rio Blanco community leader Tomas Garcia was shot dead during an anti-Agua Zarca protest. The following bank investment policies apply to this project: The lead company behind the Agua Zarca dam.

On The Honduran newspaper La Prensa reported on the MACCIH's announcement: These are several points MACCIH made in their press conference: Construction of the Agua Zarca hydroelectric project on the Gualcarque river has been finally suspended, reports Prensa Latina. Together with environmental justice groups from the Global South, Both ENDS works towards a sustainable, fair and inclusive world. Pearce, F. (2017). Ever since opposition against the Agua Zarca started, the indigenous describe the situation as if COPINH members had attacked two peaceful dam Appeals were also lodged against the project’s funders such as the IFC (Goldman Environmental Foundation, 2017). Indigenous Lenca communities together with COPINH, and international human rights organizations mounted a national and international campaign against the dam. A second phase of the project began in late 2015 when the construction of the dam resumed on the other side of the river with the renewed support of foreign investors. The Agua Zarca case is emblematic of the violence towards environmental activists, and the general context of impunity for aggressive companies and elites in Honduras. The Barro Blanco dam project in Panama, which has Dutch financial support, is causing indigenous lands to disappear under water. When DESA was created it had an initial capital of only 25,000 Lempiras and subsequently increased its capital to 381 million Lempiras. The case was also brought to the Inter-American Human Rights Commission (IAHRC), who subsequently stressed the government’s responsibility to ensure the safety of COPINH leaders under precautionary measures due to the risk faced by their activism work (UNHRC, 2016). COPINH, with the support of community members at every step of the way, filed a series of complaints, lodged appeals, and organised protests in order to demand a proper consultation of affected communities (Goldman Environmental Foundation, 2017).

In the night of 2nd March 2016, Berta Cáceres was murdered in her house. On 2nd May 2016, DESA's manager for social and environmental affairs was arrested as part of the investigation into the murder. The incidents around Agua Zarca and similar projects, like the Barro Blanco in Panama, have shown clearly that the environmental and human rights policies of development banks like FMO have fallen short in preventing human rights violations. UPDATE: In July 2017 FMO and Finnfund confirmed their exit from the project. She will talk with the directors of the involved departments of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, participated in a colloquium about indigenous right of Leiden University and meet with several Dutch NGO's. Holding investors accountable The project is largely financed by foreign investors and is coordinated by the Honduran company Desarrollos Energeticos S.A. (DESA) who won the concession (Carasik, 2013). Itt allows the privatization of natural resources including rivers. As the result of persistent pressure from Both ENDS and others, FMO and FinnFund finally – more than a year later – withdrew completely from the Agua Zarca project. On In 2015, Berta Cáceres accepted the Goldman Environmental Prize for her role in fighting the Agua Zarca dam and her work to defend the Gualcarque River.

The response of FMO can be found here. The conflict escalated when Tomás García, an outspoken community leader from Río Blanco, was shot and killed during a peaceful protest at the dam office (UNHRC, 2016). Local Lenca residents oppose the dam for fear of desiccation, interference with the local supply of fish and medicine, as well as the possible degradation of the surrounding environment. Yale Environment 360. This week, Laura Zuniga Cáceres, daughter of Berta Cáceres*, visits the Netherlands. Inhabitants of other communities are reported to be paid by DESA to guard the construction site with machetes. The occasion was COPINH. After the murder of Berta Caceres and other violent incidents in the beginning of 2016, the project's funding was suspended. The financiers included Dutch development bank FMO and its Finnish counterpart FinnFund. DESA is determined to complete the dam, the government has not withdrawn the concession and the Central American development bank CABEI is still involved in the project. Opponents of the dam project not only faced renewed violence from armed private security, police and military personnel, but violence between community members was also observed as some were hired by the company (UNHRC, 2016). The National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) filed a series of complaints and lodged appeals with different government offices denouncing the lack of proper consultation of affected communities prior to the approval of the dam. On Friday, March 2, the director of DESA, David Castillo, was arrested in Honduras on suspicion of involvement in the murder of Berta Cáceres, exactly 2 years ago. Total project costs are around USD 64 million. His son Allan García was heavily injured and several others injured. Financial backers of the Agua Zarca project were pressured to withdraw from the project. Assault on daughter of environmentalist Berta Cáceres, who leads indigenous rights group, heightens fears of violence against campaigners in Honduras, International investors withdraw completely from Agua Zarca project, Investigations come after the murder of renowned human rights defender, Berta Cáceres, Civil society groups demand permanent withdrawal from project, Reject financing of the Agua Zarca dam project, Court case against indigenous leaders will not stop resistance against project, Transnational Investment Leads to Violence against and Criminalization of Indigenous Communities. others were heavily injured, two of the attackers died. Likewise, complaints were lodged with the Public Ministry against the company DESA for the usurpation of land, as well as against the mayor of Intibucá for allowing the project in Río Blanco. Open for business Both ENDS monitors the banks to make sure they do. Two sides of the same coin: How the pulp and paper industry is profiting from deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, Barclay’s climate commitments could amount to not-zero, Pandemic risk and the Equator Principles: New EPA guidance provides helpful recommendations but could go further, US banks are getting the message: Arctic drilling is bad business, Strengthened OECD guidance on responsible banking, JPMorgan Chase Coal and Arctic Policy a step forward but fails to match its climate responsibility as the world’s #1 Fossil Bank, Civil society groups welcome Royal Bank of Scotland preparing to exit fossil fuels, Banking on Climate Change - Fossil Fuel Finance Report 2020, The BankTrack Human Rights Benchmark 2019. FMO and Finnfund declared to withdraw from the project, and their exit was finalised in July 2017. Conflict about the project has led to violence in the region, including the murder of three leaders who opposed the project. Shortly before, she had contacted Both ENDS to talk about closer collaboration, including submitting a complaint to FMO. The river would be detoured for 3 kms, exactly where La Tejera is situated. heavily injured as consequence of their peacful opposition. Since her death, several other COPINH activists have been attacked or murdered (Pearce, 2017). FMO has announced its intention to end its involvement in the Agua Zarca project (source FMO). Agua Zarca: indigenous fight against dam costs lives Indigenous Hondurans are resisting the construction of the Agua Zarca hydrodam. The Honduran company Desarrollos Energéticos S.A. (DESA) was created in 2008 solely for the project Agua Zarca, although community members in Río Blanco remember the first studies for the dam project dating back to 2006, when the indigenous local population and COPINH immediately expressed objections. Following outrage over García’s death, Sinohydro terminated its contract with DESA, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank, withdrew its funding (Goldman Environmental Foundation, 2017).


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