Letter: Lack of Accountability for World Bank Involvement in Haitian Mining Sector

We, the undersigned organizations, are deeply concerned that the World Bank is helping to develop Haiti’s mining sector, an inherently high-risk industry, without applying any social or environmental standards to ensure transparency and meaningful public participation. We are further concerned by the apparent loophole in the Bank’s policy framework that allows the Bank to avoid accountability for certain of its activities, regardless of the social and environmental risks they pose. Given your past experience working with communities in Haiti, we trust that you understand how vulnerable the country is to high-risk development plans: Haiti is already environmentally devastated and lacks the institutional capacity necessary to responsibly develop the mining sector absent meaningful and broad consultation and rigorous environmental and social oversight.