Interview with Ms. Emily Caruso, Forest Peoples Program

CONGO: What is the aim of your work?
Ms. Emily Caruso: The current political and economic strategy of the World Bank goes hand-in-hand with economic globalization. Seven case studies have been done by indigenous peoples of their experiences with the World Bank and extractive industries and there was a two day workshop at which these various contributions were presented and discussed at Oxford in April. There was a report titled the Extractive Industries Review which was put together by the World Bank in 2000. NGOs have asked that the World Bank not be involved with the extractive industries, but the World Bank refused the proposal.

CONGO: What is the aim of your participation?
Ms. Caruso: To learn about globalization and how it affects indigenous people. I plan to use this forum in order to speak out about the Bank and its policy regarding mining, oil and gas industries.

CONGO: What are your demands?
Ms. Caruso: Given the weaknesses of the World Bank's safeguards, its institutionalized opposition to invoking binding human rights standards and the way it routinely flouts its own procedures, the Oxford workshop study concludes that the World Bank should not be involved in the Extractive Industries sector. The study recommends that the World Bank should radically revise its social policies and its safeguard policy on indigenous people. The UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations is also called upon to elaborate guidelines for multinational companies on indigenous peoples and their rights, and to push for new, legally binding accountability mechanisms for the private sector.

By: Michael Simpson

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