When the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development invested around $70 million in a project to modernize cotton production in Uzbekistan, it hailed the “economic opportunities for the local population” and new “training programmes for women.”
Three years on, in August 2023, the project triggered an official complaint to the bank alleging illegal land confiscations, exploitative contracts, mass firings, and union-busting. The Uzbek Forum for Human Rights protested at the “immense harm” inflicted on farmers and their families.
Meanwhile, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a second complaint alleges “serious damage” to natural resources, including forest cutting and pollution of drinking water sources, from a silver mine project in which the EBRD bought a 2.6% stake — promising “the highest environmental and social standards.”
About the author
Rob Merrick
Rob Merrick is the U.K. Correspondent for Devex, covering FCDO and British aid. He reported on all the key events in British politics of the past 25 years from Westminster, including the financial crash, the Brexit fallout, the "Partygate" scandal, and the departures of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Rob has worked for The Independent and the Press Association and is a regular commentator on TV and radio. He can be reached at rob.merrick@devex.com.
