Barro Blanco Hydroelectric Project

[Keith Woolford]

Indigenous people in the area of the Tabasara River near San Felix have not given in on their demands that the Barro Blanco Hydroelectric Project be cancelled.

Tests on the project are scheduled to be conducted this week but the folks who are camped in the way there have no intention of leaving.

Expect intermittent road closures on the PanAmerican highway and the route to Bocas del Toro due to protests.

http://www.prensa.com/sociedad/hidroelectrica_barro_blanco-Comarca_Ngabe_Bugle-Ministerio_de_Ambiente-asep_-autoridad_nacional_de_los_servicios_publicos_0_4489801179.html

[Keith Woolford]

This note in English reports yesterday's forced evacuation of the test area.

http://www.prensa.com/in_english/Indigenas-periodo-pruebas-Barro-Blanco_21_4490010963.html

The article in Spanish goes into much more detail.

http://www.prensa.com/sociedad/Indigenas-periodo-pruebas-Barro-Blanco_0_4489801156.html

Edited May 24, 2016 by Keith Woolford

[Bud]

According to this article, filling of the Barro Blanco reservoir will happen between late May and August 2016 for testing purposes.

Is that really a "good sign", as stated in the title of the article? There are two sides to this coin.

http://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/A_Good_Sign_for_Barro_Blanco_Hydroelectric_Station

[Bud]

From Newsroom Panama:

Quote

Road blocks to protest filling of reservoir

THE TEST  filling  of the reservoir at the Barro Blanco hydro project,  began at 8:30 a.m. on  Tuesday May 24, while Indigenous protestors blocked the road between David Chiriqui and Changuinola, Bocas Del Toro.

Staff of the National Authority of Public Services and the civil defense agency Sinaproc were on hand to supervise the filling and verify that the process does not affect the surrounding communities.

Authority Administrator Roberto Meana said that the tests are needed to verify there are no leaks at the site and the work will proceed slowly with the maximum level reached on June 21.

Meana reiterated that hydroelectric plant will not enter into operation until completion of the dialogue with indigenous leaders.

The project has been opposed because of its impact on nearby communities.

The  protesters are demanding that the testing be halted and called on President Juan Carlos Varela to fulfill with his commitment that he would engage in dialogue with indigenous people who oppose the hydroelectric plant.

For the complete article, see http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/road-blocks-to-protest-filling-of-reservoir

[Keith Woolford]

More protests held over Barro Blanco project

Indigenous groups opposed to the hydroelectric project at Barro Blanco, which uses the water of the Tabasará River, continued holding protests in Bocas del Toro.

Protesters are opposed to the displacement of indigenous peoples living along the river, who will need to be relocated once the reservoir for the project is filled.  The filling began this week and will continue through August.

Saturday, protests blocked roads in Norteño and Gualaquita.

In previous days, police officers have managed to clear protesters without violence.

Protesters have said they will continue with demonstrations until the project is suspended.

- See more at: http://www.prensa.com/in_english/cierres-Bocas-rechazo-Barro-Blanco_21_4493760584.html#sthash.5qYsAzRl.dpuf

Edited May 29, 2016 by Keith Woolford

[Keith Woolford]

VP travels to Tolé

Vice President Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado traveled to Tolé today to meet with indigenous groups opposed to the Barro Blanco project.

She is expected to discuss outstanding issues surrounding the project, which is in the final stages of testing. The government has pledged not to authorize the plant to begin operating until a final agreement is reached with groups opposed to it.

After the meeting, the vice president will visit Kiad to meet with residents of the community.

She is also expected to discuss the plant with residents of that community.

A number of communities will be impacted by the project.

http://www.prensa.com/in_english/Barro-Blanco-Vicepresidenta-Tole-indigenas_21_4502009758.html

[Keith Woolford]

At this moment the PanAmerican highway is closed in San Felix

 

[Bud]

Quote

News > Latin America

Panama Govt Suspends Barro Blanco Dam Under Indigenous Pressure

 

• 

• Ngabe Bugle people of Panama, fighting the Barro Blanco dam, march alongside Indigenous representatives of other nations. | Photo: EFE / Archive

  The agreement gives some hope to the 170,000 members of the Ngabe Bugle community who risk losing their land and culture.

  Panama's government agreed to suspend the highly contested Barro Blanco hydroelectric dam Thursday after meeting with Indigenous leaders who have mobilized against the project over concerns that their rights have been violated and their land, culture and livelihoods are threatened.

  As a result, the government will meet representatives of the European banks funding the project on July 6 in a bid to explore various options with Panamean mining company GENISA, in accordance with a previous deal reached with Indigenous authorities signed on August 10, 2015.

  The Ngabe Bugle communities affected by the project have argued that their rights to free, prior and informed consent under International Labor Organization Convention 169 have been violated and that they never gave permission for the dam.

  The government will then meet again with Indigenous authorities to seek a solution to their concerns.

  The banks include Germany's DEG, Deutsche Entwicklungsgesellschaft, which has invested about US$22 million in the project.

  “DEG is a bank whose projects should aim at favoring the development of the countries where they are carried out. But throughout this process, started in 2011, there have been conflicts without effective answers,” Guadalupe Rodriguez from the German nonprofit group Rettet den Regenwald, or Save the Jungle, told Deutsche Welle.

  Nevertheless, she recognized that DEG and Netherlands Development Finance Company, another European funder, finally set up a mechanism meant to receive the complaints of affected communities. However, she argues that they have still failed to appropriately address other matters.

  The Barro Blanco dam was suspended in 2015 in light of Ngabe Bugle protests in anticipation of a full agreement, but the company still moved ahead with work on the project.

  On May 24, the company opened the floodgates on the dam to start filling the reservoir. At the same time, authorities forcibly removed nearly three dozen people and demolished their nearby encampment, according to M-10, a movement representing affected communities.

  However, thanks to the Indigenous mobilization, the dam did not exceed 90 meters above sea level, traditional authorities of Ngabe Bugle community stated.

  According to the Center for International Environmental Law, filling the reservoir will flood nearly 15 acres (6 hectares) of Indigenous lands surrounding the site of the dam on the Tabasara River.

  Government officials claim that the communities were informed of the impending eviction and plan to move forward with testing the reservoirs, Prensa Latina reported. A government spokesperson offered communities an apology for any “confusion” that may have occurred.

  Critics of the dam fear that the project will displace tens of thousands of people, harm the local agricultural sector, and flood Ngabe Bugle land and traditional sacred sites. The Tabasara River is fundamental to the livelihoods of the local Ngabe Bugle people, who rely on it for water, fishing, and agricultural production along its fertile banks.

Published 0June 2016

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Panama-Govt-Suspends-Barro-Blanco-Dam-Under-Indigenous-Pressure-20160630-0042.html

[Keith Woolford]

Today is the day that an agreement on the project between the Indigenous peoples and the Government is supposed to be signed. It will be interesting to see how that goes.

Edited August 22, 2016 by Keith Woolford

[Keith Woolford]

Well the agreement is signed, but it did get a little ugly.

Quote

Agreement signed on Barro Blanco project

A government commission and authorities of the Comarca Ngäbe Bugle today signed an agreement on the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project in Chiriquí.

The event was attended by President Juan Carlos Varela.

The agreement covers four areas: social, environmental, cultural and economic development, and includes proposals to address and remedy the issues caused by the project.

The project is almost finished. It had been delayed due to the concerns of indigenous residents that it would negatively impact communities along the river feeding the project.

A few hours prior to the event, officials held a dialogue with residents who opposed the agreement. That meeting turned violent, and there were reports of four police officers being injured.

http://www.prensa.com/in_english/Gobierno-Ngabe-Bugle-Barro-Blanco_21_4558254138.html

Edited August 22, 2016 by Keith Woolford

[Keith Woolford]

President Varela seeks Refuge from a Rain of Stones after Signing of Agreement at Barro Blanco

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President Juan Carlos Varela and leaders of the Ngäbe Buglé region sign the Barro Blanco agreement, a group of indigenous dissidents began to throw stones against the authorities of the government.

The President of the Republic and the Vice-President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Isabel Saint Malo, had to be seek refuge in the Llano Tugrí Collegiate. The Cacica Silvia Carreras also sought protection in the same school.

According to a statement from the Secretariat of Communication from the State, the President and the Vice President regretted and rejected the isolated acts of violence that have been raised in the context of the act of the signing of the agreement by a radical minority group, but held that dialogue has triumphed to resolve the differences.

Indigenous people were beaten after the attacks with stones, according to social networks, and four agents of the National Police (PN) were injured.

http://www.tvn-2.com/nacionales/Varela-refugio-acuerdo-Barro-Blanco_0_4558044206.html

 

Edited August 22, 2016 by Keith Woolford

[Bud]

Quote

Hydroelectric fight still boiling

Posted on August 23, 2016 in Panama

Post Views: 131

HOURS AFTER President Juan Carlos Varela heralded the achievement   of a deal between the government and indigenous groups over  the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project, the builders denounced the agreement.

Feneradora del Istmo, S.A. (Genisa), concessionaire of thehydroelectric plant on the river Tabasará announced its objection to  the pact signed on Monday August 22.

The deal  excludes the company’s operation of the project.

“We express formally our disagreement with the impositions included in the agreement and the damages suffered to date and coming in the future as a result of the dialogue table. We reserve the right to bring actions and use legal mechanisms at our disposal to protect our right to fair and equitable treatment of our investment and compliance with the principles of legality and respect for our rights as dealers, private property and legal security, “said the company in a statement released Tuesday.

COMPLAINTS
“These provisions also violate and undermine the rights that protect our investors, citizens of the United States and Central America under laws and international treaties,” the company says.

Genisa claims that the delay in the construction and commissioning of the project, already advanced  95% – has caused them overruns, loss of profits, risks and damage to equipment and infrastructure.

The government replied that the main components related to Genisa were known and discussed by their representatives during the negotiation process, “and in fact in several cases provided by them.”

One of the points of the agreement provides that at least 50% of the jobs generated by the plant will be taken by land workers and indigenous people.

The National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP) also questioned the agreement reached for “not having  the participation of all stakeholders.

“The decision on Barro Blanco was made according to the principles of a group that does not respect any authority, including theirs. This will cost a lot to the country. The agreement is the result of a dialogue that did not include the participation of all stakeholders,”said the Council.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/hydroelectric-fight-still-boiling

[Keith Woolford]

"A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece" Ludwig Erhard

As hard as the government has tried, I'm not sure that we will ever see a resolution to this situation that will please everybody.

A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/compromise.html

 

[Bud]

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Indigenous Activists Detain Panama's President for 2 Hours

 

• 

  Vice President Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado, President Juan Carlos Varela and Ngabe Bugle representative Silvia Carrera | Photo: EFE

The Indigenous protesters are upset about a government plan to develop a hydroelectric project they fear will destroy their lands.

A dozen Indigenous people detained the president of Panama at a school on Tuesday to protest a deal he signed that could lead to the building of a highly controversial Barro Blanco Dam project in Chiriqui Province. Construction on the hydroelectric dam, which is nearly finished, was frozen last year in response to protests.

President Juan Carlos Varela was detained after he was about to give a public speech praising a recent deal with some Indigenous leaders to resume construction. Opponents of that agreement threw stones at police cars, injuring four officers, reported local media.

The president's security team immediately took Varela and Indigenous representative Silvia Carrera inside a nearby school, where they were forced to stay for two hours while the Indigenous dissidents threatened to not let them out until the agreement was "burned down."

The dissidents are part of Indigenous group Movimiento 10 de Abril, or M-10, a movement representing communities affected by the dam. The M-10 denies Carrera the authority to represent them, saying she is “sold to the government."

They blocked the school's main entrance for two hours, until Varela threatened to arrest the dissidents if they did not let him go.

“This is just an isolated incident promoted by a dozen disrespectful Indigenous people that do not officially represent the Ngabe Bugle community,” the president said after he was released. He affirmed that the hydroelectric project will soon be resumed, in accordance with the deal signed with the official Ngabe Bugle authorities as soon as Congress ratifies the text within the next 30 to 60 days.

Under the deal, the government will seek another independent firm to carry out the project and remove the license initially assigned to Panamanean mining firm Generadora del Istmo S.A., or Genisa.

Until the government finds a new contractor, Genisa's shares will be placed in Panama's National Bank. European banks are also funding the project, including Germany's DEG, Deutsche Entwicklungsgesellschaft and Netherlands Development Finance Company.

 

The government has also agreed to cancel all the licenses for hydroelectric projects planned on the Tabasara River. Future projects will also be subjected to popular consultation and require approval from official Indigenous and campesinos authorities.

But according to M-10 leader Ricardo Miranda, the floodgates on the dam were already opened in some places on Saturday afternoon in order to start filling the reservoir, flooding the lands of dozens of nearby families.

Barro Blanco dam, whose construction is 95 percent finished, will flood nearly 15 acres, or 6 hectares, of Indigenous lands surrounding the site of the dam on the Tabasara River.

The Ngabe Bugle communities affected by the project—representing about 170,000 people—have argued that their rights to free, prior and informed consent under International Labor Organization Convention 169 have been violated and that they never gave permission for the dam.

Critics of the dam fear that the project will displace tens of thousands of people, harm the local agricultural sector, and flood Ngabe Bugle land and traditional sacred sites. The Tabasara River is fundamental to the livelihoods of the local Ngabe Bugle people, who rely on it for water, fishing, and agricultural production along its fertile banks.

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Indigenous-Activists-Detain-Panamas-President-for-2-Hours-20160823-0021.html

[Keith Woolford]

Amazing how stories get stretched out of shape. At no time was the President 'detained', as is suggested here.

A number of local reporters who were actually on site stated that some protesters threw stones and the signing was moved to the local school. Four policemen suffered minor injuries and offenders claim they were beaten afterwards.

"President Juan Carlos Varela was detained after he was about to give a public speech praising a recent deal with some Indigenous leaders to resume construction. Opponents of that agreement threw stones at police cars, injuring four officers, reported local media."

Edited August 24, 2016 by Keith Woolford

[Bud]

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UN lauds  Barro Blanco agreement

Posted on August 25, 2016 in Panama

Post Views: 110

THE AGREEMENT reached between the Panama  government and indigenous leaders on the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project has received accolades  from  the United Nations.

“The agreement is historical not only for Panama, but also for the international community,” said UN officials based in Panama.

“It is an example of how states should make indigenous peoples partners in decision-making processes on projects that affect their lives, their cultures, their territories and their rights.”

The agreement calls for the company Generadora del Istmo, S.A. (Genisa) to be removed from the hydroelectric project and for it to be operated by an independent third party.

It also cancels proposed projects along the Tabasará River, and makes them subject to a referendum.

The agreement also creates a fund for projects within the community that will derive its income from the sale of power from the project.

In addition  50 percent of the jobs created by the project will be granted to indigenous residents.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/un-lauds-barro-blanco-agreement

[Bud]

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OPINION: Win-win hydro solution

Posted on August 25, 2016 in Panama

Post Views: 195

THE AGREEMENT between the Government and the Ngäbe Bugle indigenous leadership, around the hydroelectric project Barro Blanco, unlocks a Gordian knot that roiled the search for solutions to the urgent demand for energy that the current development of the country requires. 

The socio-environmental conflict generated by this project seemed to be resolved and proide  over time a just solution for all parties. The agreement, without being perfect, means of all sectors of the country can benefit.

It also represents development guarantees to the most neglected regions of the country, such as indigenous areas, which will benefit, and be included in the project.

With a growing demand for energy, resulting from population growth and new public and private infrastructure in the country, Panama needs clarity for the efficient and sustainable use of its resources, which result in tangible benefits for the entire population.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/opinion-win-win-hydro-solution

[Bud]

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Protestors and police hurt in clashes

Posted on August 26, 2016 in Panama

Post Views: 159

SEVEN  POLICE officers and at least a dozen indigenous protestors  were injured in a confrontation in Gualaquita, Bocas del Toro, on Thursday night August 26.

A La Prensa cartoonist’s take on the reception of the agreement

The clash occured during  demonstrations following   the signing of an agreement between the government  and leaders of the indigenous  peoples over the Barro Blanco Hydroelectric project.

It came after government leaders were basking in the wake of UN officials praise for an “historic” agreement.

The indigenous  protestors were injured by rubber billets accoding to social media reports.

Their  leader Carrizo Ofelia  said they suffered chest and eye injuries.

He called for the presence of the Ombudsman for the wounded to be taken to hospitals, as they have not received medical care because they are afraid of being arrested by the police in hospitals.

Meanwhile, three of  officers were taken by plane to Panama for medical attention said National Police chief, Omar Pinzon.

“We did  not use weapons or buckshot. The police were injured by stones. Although we have not seen wounded indigenous  people but jounalists have reported that there are.

“However they have not gone to hospitals to be treated” Pinzon said atMarcos A. Gelabert Airport, where he went to receive the injured officers.

Five indigenous protestors have been arrested.

Bocas del Toro National Police director Sisinio Nunez said that the police intervention was due to intermittent blockage of roads that would hamper trade and patient care in hospitals.

He said police had seized machetes, molotov cocktails and blunt weapons.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/protestors-police-hurt-clashes

Edited August 27, 2016 by Bud

[Bud]

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Opposition to Barro Blanco continues

Posted on August 27, 2016 in Panama

Post Views: 78

CONTINUING road closures and confrontations with police units between in Gualaquita in Bocas Del Toro have led President Juan Carlos Varela to call for dialogue with indigenous people opposed to the agreement allowing the completion of the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project.
Varela, who was stoned on the day the agreement was signed said that dialogue is the way to address problems.
He added that there is generally peace in the country that is due to his government’s willingness to address problems through dialogue.
The government reached a deal with indigenous leaders this week that will allow the completion of the project in exchange for concessions, such as providing a percentage of the income from the sale of power from the project to indigenous communities.
But some residents remain adamantly opposed to the project and have vowed to continue fighting it.
A statement signed by committee president Rogelio Montezuma, said the national government is responsible for all police repression that violates individual or collective rights of protesters against the agreement.
Seven police officers and over a dozen protesters have been injured

The statement: that the demonstrators will continue to defend their natural resources

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/opposition-barro-blanco-continues

[Bud]

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Indigenous confrontation looming

Posted on September 9, 2016 in Panama

Post Views: 177

THE POSSIBILITY of renewed  confrontation between the government and indigenous communities opposed to the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project seems to be drawing nearer.

Just two weeks after the government announced the signing of a “peace” accord with indigenous residents, Panama president Juan Carlos Varela, warned on Thursday, September 8  that they  will not be allowed to close highways or assault police.

He again called for dialogue with groups that oppose the construction of Barro Blanco.

Varela said that  police  have been beaten and the government has been very cautious in the use of force.

His  statements were made during a tour of Chiriqui.

“I’m not going to allow more policemen wounded with stones and sharp objects,” he said.

Dialogue
Varela  said the government has been very clear that the path is dialogue and will ensure that the roads are open and there is free movement.

Those who disrespect the police will be arrested, he said.

Ricardo Miranda,   leader of the Movement April 10, said they do not want dialogue, but cancelation of  Barro Blanco and all other hydroelectric projects affecting Ngäbe Bugle people and land workers

Miranda said they will continue in the streets because they are defending the Tabasará river.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/indigenous-confrontation-looming

[Keith Woolford]

A special congress of the Ngabe-Bugle was called to ratify the agreement signed with the government, but their first order of business was to fire the Chief.

Who knows what will transpire now.

http://www.prensa.com/sociedad/Ngabe-Bugle-debaten-Barro-Blanco_0_4576792319.html

 

Edited September 17, 2016 by Keith Woolford

[Moderator_02]

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Indigenous congress rejects Barro Blanco deal

Posted on September 18, 2016 in Panama

Post Views: 120

THE AGREEMENT on the future of the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project between the government and the indigenous community is heading back to the negotiating table.

The Barro Blanco dam, near completion

Hailed by President Juan Carlos Varela, and local UN representatives as “historic,” it was rejected by a majority of the  145 delegates attending the Ngäbe Bugle General Congress on Saturday September 17.

The decision , not to ratify the agreement signed in  August  was made in a secret ballot  with  76 votes against the agreement, 67 in favor and 2 invalid ballots.

Panama Vice president and Chancellor Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado, said  that the Government maintains willingness to seek a negotiated solution to ensure legal certainty.

Congress, President  Demecio Cases   said  that the Government must now sit down and talk again with them to develop a new document that meets the expectations of its people.

Irene Gallego, Deputy Minister of Indigenous  Affairs who was at the meeting, said Barro Blanco is practically out of the region. “This is the first agreement where the indigenous people were given a stake in the project.”

During the meeting, the absence of general cacique Silvia Carrera, who was one of the district authorities who signed the agreement questioned. The vote ended after 8:30 p.m., in the community of Cerro Algodon , a town where the mountains are “ lost in the clouds”

Divided communities
The communities were divided on the agreement which granted, among other things, 15% of the gross income of the almost completed project.

Those  opposed indicated that it had been signed only by the general cacique Silvia Carrera, and some regional and local caciques.

They argued that the fate of the agreement should be defined at the General Congress in which, besides the chiefs, there are 250 delegates who would come to be the equivalent of the deputies in the National Assembly.

Those supporting  the agreement indicated that it was an opportunity for the region to have something, and  guarantee better conditions for the indigenous people.

In addition, it prevented any other dam on the Tabasará River

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/indigenous-congress-rejects-barro-blanco-deal

[Moderator_02]

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Indigenous leaders seek meeting on Barro Blanco project

Spanish version

Aminta Bustamante, Angel López Guía 23 sep 2016 - 18:46h

Senior representatives of the Ngäbe Buglé General Congress have petitioned President Juan Carlos Varela for a meeting about the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project.

The information was confirmed by Varela at a press conference.

The president of the Congress, Demesio Cases, went to the Office of the Presidency today and was received by a senior official.

"The government maintains its position of dialogue and defense of the legal security of the country," said the president.

Varela said that although indigenous leaders have rejected a settlement on the issue, the two sides will continue discussions.

On Sept. 17 the Ngäbe Buglé General Congress decided not to endorse the agreement signed by authorities of the region and the government on Aug. 22.

http://www.prensa.com/in_english/Presidente-Congreso-General-Republica-Blanco_21_4582251739.html

[Moderator_02]

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Ngäbe Buglé congress leaders want Varela meeting

Posted on September 25, 2016 in Panama

Demesio Cases

Post Views: 74

THE PRESIDENT of the  Ngäbe Buglé General Congress went to the office of the Presidency on Friday  September 23,  calling for a meeting with President Juan Carlos Varela about the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project.

Demesio Cases was received by a senior official.

At a later press conference  Varela said: “The government maintains its position of dialogue and defense of the legal security of the country.” Reports La Prensa.

The President  said that although indigenous leaders have rejected a settlement on the issue, the two sides will continue discussions.

On Sept. 17 the Ngäbe Buglé General Congress decided not to endorse the agreement signed by authorities of the region and the government on August 22.

The agreement had been hailed as historic by the government, but has split the indigenous community

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/ngabe-bugle-congress-leaders-want-varela-meeting

[Moderator_02]

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Carbon Market Watch, Barro Blanco carbon credits withdrawn

November 10, 2016

This battle has been waged on many levels. Photo #TabasaráLibre.

 

Panama withdraws UN registration for Barro Blanco dam

by Carbon Market Watch

Last week, Panama withdrew its registration of the controversial Barro Blanco hydro dam project, setting a precedent under the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). While this decision is a step in the right direction for climate action, lessons need to be learned to ensure that the rights of local communities in Panama and around the world are fully protected.

Following years of controversy, and challenges made by the indigenous Ngäbe and the international community, the CDM Executive Board formally considered and agreed to deregister the Barro Blanco hydroelectric dam at its 92nd meeting. This marks the first time a host country has withdrawn registration of a CDM project and effectively stops Barro Blanco from issuing offset credits. Panama claims that the project design document is no longer corresponding to its current environmental impact assessment.

“We welcome this unprecedented and bold move by the Panamanian government. By deregistering the Barro Blanco project, Panama has sent a strong signal to the UNFCCC that climate solutions must respect human rights. It is clear that the CDM standards—which have failed to protect the Ngäbe communities—must be strengthened” says Alyssa Johl, founder of the Climate Rights Collective.

Since breaking ground almost 10 years ago, the local affected indigenous Ngäbe communities have opposed the project as the dam reservoir is expected to flood homes and religious and cultural sites. The project developer GENISA failed to effectively consult or obtain the Ngäbe’s free, prior and informed consent before it began implementation.

“Unfortunately, this withdrawal will not have a direct effect on the local affected stakeholders who are currently being inundated by the flooding of Barro Blanco’s reservoir. We hope this move will also create a momentum for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. We call on the government to empty the reservoir below the comarca (indigenous territory) line and to engage in conversations to find an equitable solution involving all affected stakeholders” says Osvaldo Jordan, director of Alianza para la Conservación y el Desarrollo.

The CDM has a dual purpose: to reduce emissions and to promote sustainable development in developing countries, presumably by encouraging investments that achieve cost-efficient emission reductions additional to what would otherwise have occurred. Several CDM projects, however, have lacked environmental integrity, failed to contribute to sustainable development, and others have had serious social, environmental and human rights consequences.

“We call on Parties to learn from the Barro Blanco project to improve stakeholder consultation and to develop robust social and environmental safeguards for future market mechanisms, already common among multilateral financial institutions” says Juliane Voigt, Carbon Market Watch Policy officer for sustainable development.

The Paris Agreement created two new carbon market provisions which must deliver sustainable development benefits. Technical discussions on further details of these provisions are currently under negotiation at COP 22.

http://www.thepanamanews.com/2016/11/carbon-market-watch-barro-blanco-carbon-credits-withdrawn/