Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 December 2012
123. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if Ireland will support a strong revised safeguards policy at the World Bank that will meet international standards and practices in human rights, particularly for high risk projects with displacement consequences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53857/12]
View answerI welcome the launch, last month, of the World Bank’s review of its environmental and social safeguard policies. The launch of the “Approach Paper for the Review and Update of the Safeguards Policy” signalled the start of a two-year process to review and update this key element of the Bank’s operational policies.
I am particularly pleased to see the Bank’s strong commitment to an open and transparent process involving all stakeholders, including civil society organisations. I also welcome the Bank’s commitment to consider in this review process a number of areas that are not addressed under the current set of safeguard policies. These new areas include human rights, labour and occupational health and safety, gender, disability, the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples, land tenure and natural resources, and climate change.
Ireland along with other like-minded shareholders will actively engage with the Bank in this review process to ensure that the Bank’s next generation of environmental and social safeguards will serve to protect people, including the most vulnerable, the environment to ensure sustainable development outcomes based on the development needs of countries and their communities and, in particular, human rights to the highest possible standards.
