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The World Commission on Dams
The World
Commission on Dams (WCD) established the most comprehensive guidelines for dam
building. The WCD's final report describes an innovative framework for planning
water and energy projects that is intended to protect dam-affected people and
the environment, and ensure that the benefits from dams are more equitably
distributed.
The WCD framework covers key areas
for improved planning of dams, including the need to fully assess all available
options for meeting water and energy needs; addressing outstanding social
issues from existing dams before building new ones, gaining public acceptance
for key decisions, and the importance of protecting healthy rivers. The WCD
recommendations form the basis for many decision-making processes for dams
around the world and constitute international soft law. They are also being
adapted to national contexts in various public dialogue processes around the
world.
The
commission was a global multi-stakeholder body initiated in 1997 by the World
Bank and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) in response to growing opposition
to large dam projects. The Commission had a mandate to review the development
effectiveness of large dams and develop internationally acceptable guidelines
for the planning, construction and operation of dams. The WCD found that while
"dams have made an important and significant contribution to human
development, and benefits derived from them have been considerable... in too
many cases an unacceptable and often unnecessary price has been paid to secure
those benefits, especially in social and environmental terms, by people
displaced, by communities downstream, by taxpayers and by the natural
environment."
The WCD's
final report, Dams and Development: A
Framework for Decision Making can be downloaded in its entirety (including
a large library of supporting documents). Read our brief summary of the WCD report, or download our Citizen's
Guide to the WCD, which summarizes key findings and describes how community
groups can use the report to improve water and energy planning.
LATEST ADDITIONS: Gaining Public Acceptance: Tipaimukh Dam in India, Concerns of Bangladesh International Rivers' Comments on European WCD Rules for Carbon Trading Critique of the Xiaoxi World Commission on Dams Compliance Report The World Commission on Dams Framework - a Brief Introduction Climate Action Network Submission on Developed Country Emission Reductions More information: CONTACT US: Ann Kathrin Schneider |
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