Groups Protest World Bank at UN Climate Convention

Groups Protest World Bank
Say Forest Carbon Partnership Facility Threatens Forests and Indigenous Peoples
Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia-A very diverse group of non-governmental
organizations, indigenous peoples organizations and social movements
staged a protest today outside of a press conference where World Bank
President and former US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick
announced the launch of the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership
Facility.
"This Facility is merely the World Bank up to their old tricks,"
stated Anne Petermann, Co-Director of Global Justice Ecology Project.
"They've packaged up their carbon trading agenda under the guise of
forest protection, when in fact this Facility will result in more
forest destruction, more displacement of indigenous peoples and more
carbon emissions. It's a lose-lose-lose proposition for everyone but
big business," she added.
Close to 100 people stood outside of the press conference facility
chanting slogans and staging a die-in, with different people
representing island nations, indigenous and women's groups,
ecosystems and species that are threatened with annihilation from
climate change. They charge that the focus of the World Bank on
profit-oriented "false solutions," like carbon trading and carbon
offset projects including industrial tree plantations, is actually
contributing to an acceleration of climate change.
"While pretending to be concerned about climate change and poverty,
The World Bank has continued to fund fossil fuel exploitation to the
tune of $8 billion since 2000," explained Janet Redman, a researcher
with the Sustainable Energy and Economy Network. "At the same time,
they've done virtually nothing to bring clean energy to the 1.6
billion people without electricity," she added.
"The World Bank is channeling over $2 billion from the most polluting
industries in the industrialized north to the most polluting
companies in the global south, while profiting handsomely from
so-called 'overhead,'" added Anna Pinto of the Center for
Organizations, Research & Education. "The Forest Carbon Partnership
Facility is merely more of the same. It is also violating the rights
of indigenous peoples to prior and informed consent as laid out in
the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples," she
concluded.
The very vocal and empassioned protest continued for 35 minutes with
chants including "World Bank: Hands Off!" "Robert Zoellick You Can't
Hide: Carbon Trading is a Crime," "More Forest: Less Bank!" and "Land
Rights Now!"
Titi Soentoro, of the Indonesian Civil Society Forum and the Gender
Caucus read a statement endorsed by dozens of groups demanding the
rejection of the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility
http://www.foei.org/en/campaigns/climate/bali/forests-declaration
Contacts: Janet Redman, SEEN, +62-817-477-9143
Simone Lovera, Global Forest Coalition, +62-813-379-84-639