Hydropower Standards in a Changing Economic Landscape

Sep 21, 2011

Cordially invite you to a panel discussion on:

Hydropower Standards in a Changing Economic Landscape

Speakers:
Li Bo, Director, Friends of Nature (China)
Julia Bucknell, Manager, Water Anchor, Transport, Water and ICT Department, World Bank (US)
Zachary Hurwitz, Policy Coordinator, International Rivers (US)
Reider Kvam, Manager, Policy and Quality Assurance, IFC (US)
Gustavo Pimentel, Amigos da Terra-Amazônia (Brazil)

Moderator:
David Wheeler, Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development (US)

Time:
Wednesday, September 21st, 2011
9:00am-10:30am

Location:
World Bank MC C1-200
1818 H Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20433

To RSVP, please email zachary@internationalrivers.org.

We currently see a resurgence of large hydropower projects to promote electricity generation and economic growth. At the same time, freshwater ecosystems suffer most heavily from species extinction, and large centralized projects will make it more difficult for countries to adapt their water sectors to the vagaries of climate change. Freshwater ecosystems and floodplains are areas of high biodiversity, and may be the home of vulnerable social groups such as indigenous peoples. How do the IFC PS and World Bank safeguards revisions, the creation of new guidelines at regional banks, and the creation of new assessment tools influence the rigor and quality of hydropower standards? Which initiatives will strengthen social and environmental outcomes, and which will present greater risks for poor results? This panel will map the current trends in hydropower policy initiatives, examine the results of specific case studies, and discuss civil society proposals of how to move forward.