Financing for Development

FOR A LONG TIME, the human rights movement rarely addressed the relationship between human rights and development. In recent years, however, the movement’s interest in the development agenda has grown on account of the increasing legal application of the conceptual and social debates it has triggered, placing resource distribution and economic issues – such as inequality – back at the center of human rights agendas. Moreover, the rise of ‘emerging countries’ has revitalized development policies and, with them, the tensions on both the national and international level involving the relationship between the development projects and the human rights of the affected people and communities.

Brazil in particular, in recent years, has reported strong rates of growth and has significantly reduced poverty, but this improvement has not resulted in better access to basic rights, such as quality health care and education. Furthermore, the dominant development model (sometimes called growth-based development), built on mineral extraction, hydroelectric power and large-scale agriculture, has been disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable communities. 

Meanwhile, Brazilian companies have expanded their international operations, particularly in certain countries of the Global South (such as Angola, Mozambique, Ecuador and Bolivia). This situation has resulted in numerous complaints of human rights violations, primarily forced evictions, a lack of respect for the rights of indigenous peoples and excessive use of force, among others

The work of Conectas in the area of Business and Human Rights includes advocacy with a focus on increasing the accountability of institutions that finance development and promoting reforms to the institutional and regulatory framework. And since 2013, Conectas has been developing research and advocacy activities in order to mitigate the shortfall in transparency at the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES). 

In early 2014, the organization published a report on the human rights standards that could be used by the bank for its loans. Read the report here. Additionally, Conectas has been actively involved in the Dialogue Forum set up by the BNDES to discuss thematic issues with civil society, such as transparency and safeguards. In the first half of 2014, we organized a training course to show civil society organizations how to monitor and document human rights violations committed by companies.

IN 2014, Conectas will continue to press for greater transparency from institutions that finance development, such as the BNDES, in order to strengthen their operational, environmental and social safeguards.