Civil society response on suspension loans of FMO and Finnfund to Agua Zarca project
To: FMO, Finnfund, Central American Bank for Economic Integration CABEI
The undersigned organisations welcome the announcement of FMO on March 16 [1] that it will suspend all its activities in Honduras, including further disbursements on the loan for the Agua Zarca project, following the brutal murder of Nelson Garcia, member of COPINH.
We consider such a suspension a necessary first step for a full investigation on all FMO funded projects in Honduras. However, the situation in Honduras is not a stand-alone case. To prevent further tragedy from occuring, in Central America and elsewhere, FMO and the Dutch government must ensure that all FMO investments fully respect the rights of those affected, in particular the rights of indigenous peoples.
We also welcome the public confirmation by Finnfund, the Finnish lender to the Agua Zarca project, that it will follow in the steps of FMO and also suspend all disbursements towards the Agua Zarca project. [2]
Our organisations further welcome the announced visit of FMO CEO Nanno Kleiterp and Finnfund CEO Jaakko Kangasniemi to Honduras to further investigate the situation around the Agua Zarca project. As both institutions are mandated by the Dutch and Finnish government respectively we insist that government representatives of both countries accompany the delegation, preferably ambassador level, and that the findings are publicly reported.
We further call upon the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), the third financier of the project, to now publicly clarify its role in the Agua Zarca project, and to also immediately suspend all payments to the project.
We wish to reiterate our demand to FMO, Finnfund and CABEI that, following the murder of Berta Cáceres, after years of ongoing violence and intimidation in relation to the Agua Zarca project, they fully and permanently withdraw from the project.
- Nisgua, Jerald Davidson (delegate), United States
- Ativista, Josefina Cicconetti , Brazil
- Food Sovereignty Alliance, Sagari Ramdas , India
- Centro de Derechos Humanos Toaltepeyolo , Mexico
- SOMO, SOMO , Netherlands
- jo cousins , United Kingdom
- Carola Carbajal , Mexico
- CEPPAS - GAJAT, Fernando Kosovsky , Argentina
- Move Your Money UK, Dan Goss (Divestment Campaigner), United Kingdom
- Salva la Selva, Guadalupe Rodriguez (Latinamerica Campaginer), Spain
- zimmermann yvonne , - international -
- ALICIA RODRIGUEZ , United States
- Elisabeth Bücking (Dipl.Biol.), Germany
- National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE), Kamese Geoffrey (Administrator), Uganda
- DINTE Cordillera Indigenous Peoples Legal Center, RHODA DALANG (executive director), Philippines
- CEPPAS - OPSur, Ariana Ortega (Project Manager), Argentina
- ProNatura, Friedrich Wulf (Head, International Biodiversity Policy), Switzerland
- Global Forest Coalition, Simone Lovera (director), - international -
- Leandro Mancini (Artist), United Kingdom
- Centar za zivotnu sredinu/FoE Bosnia and Herzegovina, Natasa Crnkovic (President), Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Manuel Varela Rivera , Mexico
- MOCILA A.C., Rafael Zuno Sandoval (DOCENTE), Mexico
- Movimiento Atzin no a la mineria, ines yañez de jesus (no), Mexico
- Chela Vazquez , Ecuador
- Ecoropa, Christine von Weizsäcker (President), - international -
- New Wind, Ville-Veikko Hirvelä (chair), Finland
- DECA Equipo Pueblo, A.C., Areli Sandoval Terán (Program Coordinator), Mexico
- Foro Mexico Suiza, Stephan Suhner (Coordinator), Switzerland
- Censat Agua Viva - Amigos de la Tierra Colombia , Colombia
- Central America Women's Network - CAWN, Margarita Rebolledo (Coordinator), United Kingdom
- International Service for Human Rights, Ben Leather (Advocacy, Training and Communications Manager), Switzerland
- Karla , Mexico
- Friends of the Earth France, Laureline Bourit , France
- A Molina , Mexico
- Berne Declaration, Andreas Missbach (Joint Managing Director), Switzerland
- Fundar, Edmundo del Pozo (Investigador), Mexico
- ILEIA Centre for learning on sustainable agriculture, Janneke Bruil (Advocacy coordinator), Netherlands
- SACR Tosepan Titataniske, Leonardo Durán Olguín (Ing Agónomo), Mexico
- luciana mancini , - international -
- Frack Free Somerset, Louise Somerville Williams (Campaigner), United Kingdom
- FIAN Netherlands, FIAN Netherlands , Netherlands
- Iglesia Anabautista-Menonita Puerta del Rebaño, Felipe Elgueta (translator), Chile
- Clean Clothes Campaign , Netherlands
- SumOfUs.org, SumOfUs.org (Senior Campaigner), - international -
- Above Ground, Karyn Keenan (Director), Canada
- Finance & Trade Watch, Thomas Wenidoppler (Director), Austria
- IISCAL, Pauliina Garzon (Director), - international -
- Move Your Money UK, Fionn Travers-Smith (Campaign Manager), United Kingdom
- JA!Justica Ambiental, Anabela lemos (Director), Mozambique
- WIDE+, WIDE caucus , - international -
- Cadena de Derechos Humanos Honduras, Daniela , Honduras
- global witness, billy kyte (senior campaigner), United Kingdom
- Facing Finance, Thomas Küchenmeister (Managing Director), Germany
- Cordillera Peoples Alliance, Abigail B. Anongos (Secretary General), Philippines
- LatinoSoy 96.1FM, Ivania Olivares (Media Relations), Canada
- GegenStroemung / CounterCurrent, Thilo Papacek (project coordinator), Germany
- Cordillera Peoples Alliance, Bestang Dekdeken , Philippines
- Comisión para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos, A.C., Roger Maldonado (Member), Mexico
- Mujer y Medio Ambiente, Hilda Salazar (Participante), Mexico
- IPEN/Eco-Accord, Olga Speranskaya (CoChair), Russian Federation
- National Toxics Network, Dr Lloyd-Smith (Senior Advisor), Australia
- RAPAM Pesticide Action Network Mexico, Fernando Bejarano González (Director), Mexico
- Amigos del Rio San Rodrigo, A.C., Waldo Terry (Presidente), Mexico
- Julio César Ramírez , Mexico
- The Oakland Institute, Anuradha Mittal (Executive Director), United States
- Liliana , Mexico
- ControlaTuGobierno.Com,A.C., Maylí Sepúlveda (Coordinadora General), Mexico
- Claudia Campero , Mexico
- Honduras Forum Switzerland, Daniel Langmeier , Switzerland
- transnational institute, Transnational Institute , Netherlands
- Paulo Freire Gesellschaft e. V., Rita Trautmann (Member of Board), Germany
- IMDEC, Silvia Villaseñor , Mexico
- IMDEC , Mexico
- Consejo Tiyat Tlali, Consejo Tiyat Tlali , Mexico
- Fundar, Andres Diaz (Researcher), Mexico
- Freshwater Action Network FANMex, Nathalie Seguin (General coordinator), Mexico
- Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres -FCAM, Carla Lopez (Executive Director), Nicaragua
- CartoCritica, Manuel Llano (Researcher), Mexico
- Fundar, Centro de Análisis e Investigación, A. C., Francisco (Researcher), Mexico
- Koen Meeuwsen , Netherlands
- Carlos Morales , Netherlands
- Other Worlds, Simone Adler, Natalie Miller and Beverly Bell , United States
- Friends of the Earth Finland, Leena Kontinen (Chairperson), Finland
- PIAP, AC, Procesos Integrales para la Autogestion de los Pueblos (Presidente), Mexico
- MiningWatch Canada, Jen Moore (Latin America Program Coordinator), Canada
- Mangrove Action Ptoject, Alfredo Quarto (Executive Director), United States
- Centro de Documentación en Derechos Humanos “Segundo Montes Mozo S.J.” (CSMM), Lidia García Díaz (Coordinadora de Estudios e Incidencia Política), Ecuador
- Plataforma Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, Democracia y Desarrollo (PIDHDD Regional), Pablo A. de la Vega M. (Coordinador Regional), Ecuador
- BothENDS, Both ENDS , Netherlands
- FNRP, Alba Ochoa (Colectivo Tecnico LIBRE), Honduras
- CISPES, Janae Choquette , United States
- HondurasDelegation Germany-Austria and Ökumenisches Büro für Frieden und Gerechtigkeit e.V., Ökumenisches Büro für Frieden und Gerechtigkeit e.V. , Germany
- XminY hét actiefonds, Doron Joles , Netherlands
- International Rivers, Monti Aguirre (Latin America Program Coordinator), United States
- Oxfam, Ed Pomfret (Head of GROW Campaign), Kenya
- Sustainable Energy & Economy Network, Daphne Wysham (Director), United States
- Indigenous Peoples and Earth Connection Action Group of FoE Finland, Meri Mononen-Matias (Specialist for Latin American Issues), Finland
- Hondurasdelegation , Germany
- Center for Biocultural Diversity, University of Kent, Dario Novellino (Research Fellow), United Kingdom
- Coalition against Land Grabbing, John Mart Salunday (Project Coordinator), Philippines
- Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense, AIDA, Astrid Puentes Riaño (co-executive Director), - international -
- FIDH, Marion Cadier (Programme Officer, Globalisation and Human Rights desk), - international -
- Friends of the earth international, Sam.cossargilbert@foe.org.au (Economic justice-resisting neoliberalism coordinator), - international -
- urgewald, Knud Vöcking (Director IFI Program), Germany
- independent, Nick Middeldorp (activist and researcher on socio-environmental conflicts), Costa Rica
- Rainforest Action Network, Ginger Cassady (Program Director), United States
- International Rivers, Peter Bosshardt (Interim Executive Director), United States
- BankTrack, Johan Frijns (Director), Netherlands