World Commission on Dams

World Commission on Dams
Name	World Commission on Dams
Formation	1998
Dissolved	2001
Type	International commission
Headquarters	Pretoria
Leader title	Chair
Leader name	Martin Khor

World Commission on Dams. The World Commission on Dams was an international panel convened to evaluate large dam projects, involving diverse participants from United Nations Environment Programme, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, European Investment Bank, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Greenpeace International, and representatives linked to Indian National Congress, African National Congress, Botswana Democratic Party, Brazilian Social Movements, and indigenous organizations associated with Amazon Rainforest and Andhra Pradesh. The Commission synthesized evidence from high-profile cases such as Three Gorges Dam, Aswan High Dam, Narmada Dam, Guri Dam, and Tarbela Dam to propose policy frameworks aimed at reconciling competing claims involving World Wildlife Fund, International Rivers Network, Oxfam, and state agencies across China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, and Egypt.

Background and Establishment

The Commission was established amidst debates involving World Bank lending practices, controversies from Sardar Sarovar Project campaigns linked to activists like Medha Patkar, litigation associated with Supreme Court of India, and critiques from International Commission on Large Dams and United Nations Development Programme. Its formation followed discussions at forums including Rio Earth Summit, World Summit on Sustainable Development, Bonn Guidelines negotiations, and pressure from environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth and labor and peasant movements like La Via Campesina. Commissioners included figures connected to South African Development Community, European Commission, Canadian International Development Agency, Japan International Cooperation Agency, US Agency for International Development, and academics affiliated with Harvard University, University of Cape Town, University of Delhi, University of British Columbia, and LSE.

Mandate and Objectives

Mandated to review the development effectiveness, environmental impacts, and social consequences of dam projects, the Commission drew on case studies from Mekong River Commission, Zambezi River Authority, Nile Basin Initiative, Indus Water Treaty, and cross-border disputes involving Pakistan and India. Objectives included assessing impacts on biodiversity as highlighted by Convention on Biological Diversity, resettlement challenges tied to instruments like World Bank Operational Policy 4.12, governance issues raised in Transparency International reports, and climate interactions discussed at Conference of the Parties meetings. The Commission aimed to produce recommendations that could influence funders such as Export–Import Bank of the United States, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and national ministries in China, Brazil, Indonesia, and Turkey.

Key Findings and the Dams and Development Report (2000)

The Commission's 2000 Dams and Development report compiled empirical findings from projects including Three Gorges Dam, Guri Dam, Belo Monte, Itaipu Dam, Chixoy Dam, and Kariba Dam. It concluded that many projects failed to meet expectations cited by proponents like T. Boone Pickens-style investors and state planners from Ministry of Water Resources (China), and that adverse outcomes mirrored cases studied by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and scholars from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The report highlighted systemic failures in impact assessment processes similar to critiques in Environmental Impact Assessment jurisprudence from European Court of Human Rights cases and noted the role of conditionalities used by International Monetary Fund and World Bank in shaping outcomes.

Recommendations and Policy Influence

The Commission issued strategic recommendations on needs assessment, stakeholder participation, equitable water allocation, and environmental flows, advocating processes akin to those promoted by Convention on Wetlands and management frameworks modeled on Integrated Water Resources Management. It called for legally binding agreements reflecting principles from UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and financing safeguards comparable to those adopted by International Finance Corporation. Its policy influence reached bilateral donors such as Japan International Cooperation Agency and multilateral platforms including G20 infrastructure dialogues and influenced litigation and policy debates in jurisdictions like South Africa Constitutional Court, Supreme Court of India, and regulatory reforms in Brazilian National Water Agency.

Reception, Criticism, and Controversies

Reactions ranged from endorsement by Greenpeace International, WWF, and parts of United Nations Environment Programme to criticism by proponents in China Three Gorges Corporation, National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (India), and energy ministries in Brazil and Turkey. Critics argued the Commission underestimated energy security concerns raised by institutions like International Energy Agency and misapprehended technical mitigations advanced by Salini Impregilo and Voith Hydro. Controversies involved disputes over commissioner neutrality reminiscent of debates around Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change selections and clashes with funders including World Bank management and some national export credit agencies.

Implementation and Impact on Dam Projects

Although non-binding, the report influenced project-level practice through revised safeguards at World Bank, adoption of participatory planning in Mekong River Commission processes, and incorporation of resettlement policies in projects like Nam Theun 2 and Chixoy Dam restitution programs. It contributed to policy shifts in countries including South Africa, India, Brazil, and institutions such as African Development Bank and Asian Development Bank, and informed litigation outcomes in cases before courts like Constitutional Court of South Africa and administrative reviews under National Green Tribunal (India).

Legacy and Continuing Relevance

The Commission's legacy persists in contemporary debates spanning climate change adaptation dialogues at UNFCCC conferences, transboundary water governance in the Nile Basin Initiative and Mekong River Commission, and in standards adopted by multilateral finance institutions such as European Investment Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Its frameworks continue to inform NGO campaigns by International Rivers and academic research at institutions including Oxford University, Stanford University, and National University of Singapore, shaping how states and financiers assess large infrastructure projects amid pressures from renewable energy transition, urbanization in megacities like Mumbai and São Paulo, and indigenous rights movements in regions like Amazon Rainforest and Andhra Pradesh.

Category:International commissions