THE WORLD BANK 30324 LaVentana VOLUME 2 NEWSLETTER A R E P O R T F R O M T H E L AT I N A M E R I C A N A N D C A R I B B E A N S O C I A L D E V E L O P M E N T U N I T www.worldbank.org/afrolatin EPSY CAMPBELL BARR: M A RT I E N VA N N I E U W K O O P A Voice in the Silent Struggle of Central America and the Caribbean n order to be heard, I had to break I barriers in the collective subcon- scious mind,” explains Epsy Campbell Barr, Costa Rica’s first Afro-descendant woman senator. Barr, 37, has become the voice of the silent struggle initiated by her ancestors The Belize Meeting half a century ago in this Central American country. he sense of identity is an stressed, would ensure that Afro-descen- “It was not easy,” the young parlia- T emerging fact of life for dants actively participate in local devel- mentarian confesses of her electoral Afro-descendants, declared opment projects.The working groups victory. “But it was an exciting participants in the Belize also suggested using local technical experience.” Meeting, a workshop held resources, creating community participa- Barr’s election is regarded in Costa at Hopkins, Belize in tion committees, and training Afro-Latin Rica as an important benchmark, not December. This sense of identity, they communities and individuals to enable only in Costa Rican history but in her emphasized, is an increasingly relevant them to engage in a constructive and own personal struggle to redress the factor and one that will have to be taken effective dialogue with the Bank and grievances of Afro-descendant women in into account when implementing the other institutions. Latin America and the Caribbean. Bank’s Indigenous Peoples Policy, known Participants indicated that, overall, Her own family gave Barr important as OP 4.10 (Operational Policy No. 4.10). the draft Indigenous Peoples Policy did role models. Barr’s ancestors emigrated The workshop, held on December 7, not contemplate any sex discrimination, to Limón province—to work on the con- 2001, was organized by the World Bank thereby ensuring that women and their struction of the Caribbean Railway. In and sponsored by the Central American organizations will continue their full par- the 1960s and 1970s, Afro-descendants Black Organization (CABO) at Hopkins. ticipation, together with mixed commu- were stripped of their lands when Costa Among the participants were representa- nities and non-governmental organiza- Rica created a new national park. Barr’s tives of community and nongovernmen- tions (NGOs).Half the participants in grandmother, and later her father, be- tal organizations of Afro-descendants in Belize were women—a typical occurrence came an activist in the fight to protect Central America. in Afro-Latin community organizations. the land rights of Afro-descendants in Like indigenous peoples, said the During his presentation Juan Limón province. Belize participants, Afro-descendants too Martínez, who has extensive experience Barr adds that she took up her are attached to their ancestral lands. with indigenous communities and Afro- father’s fight when she was an adoles- Land, indeed, is their main source of descendants in Central America, showed cent. It is not surprising that this well-being. Echoing the United Nations’ examples and situations that helped the woman, who tackled important social policies in this area, working groups rec- groups understand the World Bank’s issues early on, also tackled other ommended that the Bank recognize Afro- descendant organizations. This, they (Continued on page 2) (Continued on page 2) THE WORLD BANK 2 LaVentana Belize Meeting, continued from page 1 degree of participation in the protection delegates—Agustín Flores, Coordinator MEXICO WORKSHOP of the most vulnerable groups’ rights. Participants said afterwards that they of the Network of Central American Black Organizations (CABO); Epsy Participants regarded the Martinez presentation as an especially important part of the Campbell, Coordinator of the Central American Network of Black Women; Call for Follow- workshop. and Melvin Soto, representing Panama’s The results of this conference are contained in a document detailing the organizations of Afro-descendants—to submit a preliminary draft of the work- up Meetings Afro-descendant communities’ recom- shop’s recommendations.The meeting’s f the new Indigenous People’s Policy I mendations, presented at the Latin participants said they look forward to is to succeed, participants at the American Regional Consultation.That the Bank’s reaction to their recommen- Tlaxcala workshop in December told event was held in Panama City in dations, and to learning to what extent Bank representatives, dialogue about December 2001 with Indigenous Fund their cooperation will contribute to the it must go on. Twenty-eight represen- sponsorship. development of the Bank’s Indigenous tatives of indigenous people’s organi- Workshop participants chose three Peoples Policy in its final version. ◗ zations, six from non-governmental and academic organizations, sixteen from government agencies, and eight World BOOKS Silent Struggle, continued from page 1 Bank officers met in Tlaxcala, Mexico, on December 3 and 4, 2001 to give African human matters very early, becoming a mother at a young age. She explains, Bank representatives feedback about the draft Roots/ “My struggle has come at a personal cost. My two daughters, Tanisa and of the Bank’s Indigenous Peoples Policy. American Narda, have been heroic. They have not seen their mother a lot, but they sup- The participants in the workshop told Bank port her ideals. representatives that they Cultures recognize the effort the J O N AT H A N F R E N C H Racism and Sexism Bank is making to incor- he contributions of Africans The war to redress the grievances of porate cultural criteria T and their descendants to Pan- American life are so central and foun- Afro-Latins, far from being over, has just started. For Barr, racism is still into economic projects. However, they also dational that there is no way of dis- identified as a social problem. She pointed out that the cussing the American accurately and makes this very clear in her analysis of Bank’s policy does not reflect the every- honestly without considering them,” the economic impact of racism and sex- day reality of life in indigenous commu- writes Dr. Sheila Walker in her most ism on Afro-descendant women in Latin nities. The previous policy, they said, recent book, African Roots/American America and the Caribbean. contains clear protections of indigenous Cultures: Africa in the Creation of “Nowadays, racism is identified peoples’ rights, and the workshop partic- the Americas. Dr. Walker, a professor more as a social and cultural, rather ipants firmly rejected any initiative that of anthropology at the University than an economic, problem,” Barr could weaken or restrict those rights. of Texas, describes her book as an says. “However, despite the develop- The participants also agreed that the anthology that underscores the contri- ment of countries, the abolition of consultation on the draft (known as OP bution of Afro-descendants to all racism starting more than three hun- 4.10) should integrate the results of the walks of American history, present dred years ago, the recognition of evaluation of the previous policy. The and future. She emphasizes that the human rights of individuals ‘with- new version of the policy should be in African immigrants have been part out any distinctions’ more than fifty accordance with international agreements of the creation of all of the myriad years ago, and the ongoing democratic regarding indigenous people’s rights, par- cultural systems, forms, and styles in processes, the economic structure of ticularly those reached under the aegis of which all the inhabitants of this conti- countries is based on a racist model, the United Nations (UN) and the nent have organized themselves and with obvious signs of economic exclu- International Labor Organization (ILO). expressed their identities. sion for more than 150 million Afro- The discussions resulted in a letter of For orders and information descendants in the Americas.” recommendations that exhorted the com- about this book, please contact the “Likewise,” she continues, “sexism petent authorities to initiate negotiations publisher: includes racial differentiation as a strati- with the UN in order to develop an Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, fication category. Thus, it creates a Indigenous Fund (a Global Indigenous Inc. pyramid marked not only by sexual dif- Facility, similar to the GEF), supporting 4720 Boston Way ferentiation, but also by racial distinc- indigenous communities with priority Lanham, Maryland 20706 tion, which, as already indicated, reaf- needs and presenting proposals for a bilin- 1-800-462-6420 firms the white world as a prototype of gual educational project that would take www.rowmanlittlefield.com ◗ what is human, as opposed to the black into account indigenous languages. The world, always associated with non- letter also called for an investment loan human or less human aspects.” ◗ from the Bank to implement the project. ◗ THE WORLD BANK 3 LaVentana CONSULTATION ON THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES POLICY IN LATIN AMERICA Valuable Feedback for the World Bank ore than 250 participants, migrants to cities should fall within the that both sections of the policy be merged M including representatives of purview of Operational Policy 4.10 and given similar weight. many indigenous organiza- whenever they maintain their cultural One message that emerged in the tions and Afro-descendant identity and social ties. workshops was that representatives of a organizations, government When it comes to consultation and number of indigenous organizations said agencies dealing with in- participation in development projects, the meetings were not real consulta- digenous affairs, academics, and NGOs, participants felt that the Operational tions—they were more like intercultural participated in a series of technical work- Policy should be clearer. One aspect of exchange events. The Bank should shops from October to December 2001 this concerns indigenous languages. The finance a greater number of in-depth that led up to the final meeting for the Bank may finance many core governmen- consultations with indigenous communi- Consultation on the World Bank’s tal programs, but participants feared that ties in each country, these participants Indigenous Peoples Policy. indigenous peoples cannot demand com- said. This message was expressed with The participants, many of whom rep- pliance with the policy, even at the pro- particular urgency at the workshops in resented the Bank’s main stakeholders, gram reparation and implementation the Andes and Mexico. attended five meetings—two at the coun- stages, if they are unaware of the Bank Some workshop participants consid- try level, in Brazil and Mexico; two at component. Many participants also said ered that the existing policy is stronger the sub-regional level, for Andean, that Bank programs cannot be truly than the revised draft. They pointed to Spanish-speaking countries of South effective if indigenous languages are not the provisions regarding the protection America, held in Peru; and one for part of the entire process of a program. of indigenous land rights and against Central America held in Belize. The cli- Participants emphasized that the involuntary resettlement as far stronger mactic event for the five gatherings was a Operational Policy should meet the stan- in the existing form than in its intended sixth meeting in Panama that embraced dards of ILO Convention 169 and other replacement. Others stated that when it all of Latin America and the Caribbean. international agreements. They said comes to policy compliance, the new The technical workshops had four indigenous peoples should participate in draft policy gives a dominant role in pol- main objectives. First they informed the entire project cycle, and information icy compliance to the government of bor- participants (indigenous peoples, Afro- about project and post-project impacts rower countries—governments that more descendants, government agencies, and should be widely disseminated. often than not have been responsible for additional stakeholders) about the pro- In the area of indigenous development, the social exclusion of indigenous peo- cess of converting OD 4.20 into OP/BP the policy is divided into a mandatory ples and Afro-descendant communities. 4.10. Second, they informed participants (safeguards) and a non-mandatory (pro- The majority of participants proposed about the Bank’s current portfolio on motion of development) section, but the that the policy should be not only for indigenous peoples. Next, the workshops latter, participants stressed, should not be indigenous peoples but also for Afro- explained how the Bank has taken into interpreted merely as a collection of help- descendants. Both groups, they stressed, consideration the results of the 1998 ful hints. The participants strongly think share conditions of poverty and margin- Consultation on the Approach Paper. the non-mandatory section of the policy ality. In order to specifically include Finally, the workshops provided a forum has a more forceful function, covering Afro-descendants in the OP more specifi- for the Bank to receive feedback on the fundamental rights to be applied in any cally, the Andes workshop proposed that draft of the revised policy. The comments operation. The participants recommended the policy should be not only for indige- and suggestions given during the con- J O N AT H A N F R E N C H sultation have been summarized and systematized. Inclusion The most important message participants had for the Bank was that the Opera- tional Policy created an unnecessary dif- ferentiation between urban and indige- nous peoples. The participants also stressed that it should be applied more flexibly. They said urban indigenous peo- ples should be included in the policy. Some indigenous communities, they pointed out, have been absorbed into expanding urban areas; others have migrated there after being forced off their traditional lands. Participants felt that in Mexico, rural indigenous THE WORLD BANK 4 LaVentana nous peoples but also for ethnic commu- A CHANGE-FOSTERING RAGE nities. That proposal met with some resistance from indigenous representa- A Lifelong “Rage” Wins Change tives, who said the idea constituted a regression to such outdated concepts as am bothered and angered by poverty, port the technical strengthening of I ethnic groups and minorities. Others which should not exist in a world so the national census bureaus in Latin argued that it introduced a concept diffi- full of resources. Our job is to work America and the Caribbean,” Stubbs cult to apply in practice. However, the to change this situation, ensuring that adds. “National censuses, home sur- World Bank suggested that this issue economic growth is distributed with veys, and the poverty studies that could be incorporated in the regional more equity and that the poorest both institutions conduct regularly in guidelines to be developed for LCR. have the opportunity to express their the Region are fundamental. The pro- At the Fondo Indigena/Panama work- ideas and proposals, and to be gram was initiated in 1995. shop, participants stressed the need to listened,” says Josefina Stubbs, Currently, more than half the participate in the elaboration of policy a Dominican professional who countries have already includ- documents that establish collaboration has been a Senior Specialist ed questions of racial and eth- strategies between the World Bank and for Social Development at the nic self-identification in their the borrower country. These policy docu- World Bank’s Latin America national censuses.” ments include the Country Assistance and Caribbean Region. She Strategies, CAS, and Poverty Reduction is in charge of promoting the From Self-definition to Strategy Papers (PRSPs). recent policies for the inclusion Self-esteem of Afro-descendants in the Bank’s This idea of development with identity Land and Property Rights projects. is at the root of the Project for the Participants in Mexico mentioned the Stubbs stresses the importance of Development of Indigenous and Afro- need to respect land and property rights. the meeting held by the World Bank at Ecuadorian Peoples (PRODEPINE in They said it is especially important to Hopkins, Belize, on December 7, 2001. its Spanish acronym). In Ecuador, the respect such rights over the forests and The 42 attendees, all of them Afro- combined population of people of lands now being considered for such descendants, welcomed the invitation indigenous and African descent totals alternative uses as extractive mining or to be included in development projects more than 800,000. Rural poverty rates energy generation. It is vital, they said, to and to make recommendations on the in the country indicate that 85 percent set explicit guidelines that respect tradi- Bank’s Indigenous Peoples Policy. of the indigenous population and 88 tional agricultural and land-use practices, The Afro-descendant participants percent of Afro-descendants live below and to design programs adapting these were eager to take part in the Bank critical poverty levels. “Poverty and systems, rather than replacing them with event, often enduring considerable ethnic origin are closely related,” states a totally new system. The OD 4.20 was hardship to become a part of the Stubbs. PRODEPINE is the World felt to be a more explicit document in process, Stubbs emphasizes. “Some of Bank’s first operation in Latin America outlining the contents of a mitigation or the participants had to travel along vir- designed for the exclusive benefit of action plan than the new OP version. tually impassable roads. They traveled indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian inhabi- Valuable Feedback for the World Bank up to sixteen hours each way. People tants. The project was financed with the The technical consultation workshops spared no efforts to ensure the success first loan aimed at channeling resources have given participants a greater under- of the conference,” she said. There are directly to beneficiary communities. standing about the Bank’s indigenous similarities among Afro-descendants and The total project cost is US$50 million, peoples policy and its experience of indigenous peoples—for instance, they of which the World Bank contributes implementation in Latin America. They are each profoundly attached to their US $25 million, the International Fund are also providing important feedback to ancestral lands—but the general consen- for Agricultural Development another the World Bank, generating specific sug- sus at the conference was that Afro- US$15 million, and the Government of gestions and recommendations for descendants consider themselves to be Ecuador and beneficiary communities changes in the text of OP 4.10. The les- different from indigenous peoples. the remaining US$10 million. sons learned in these events are being “It is estimated that there are From 1984 to 1999, before joining shared with organizations of indigenous between 80 million and 150 million the Bank, Stubbs worked at Oxfam peoples and Afro-descendants, as well as Afro-descendants in Latin America and (England), a private cooperation with the governmental and non-govern- the Caribbean,” she explains. “The inac- agency, as its Regional Director for mental organizations that participated curacy of this data is a concern, as it Central America, Mexico, and the directly in the consultations. In addition, does not help in defining clear strategies. Caribbean. the results of the workshops are being This lack of information makes it diffi- “I still want to change the world. disseminated among World Bank staff cult for governments and developmental When I am old I will have many stories and other donors concerned with the agencies to define programs geared to tell,” says Josefina Stubbs, with indigenous peoples policy and its specifically to people of African descent, a youthful and radiant smile. “And, implementation. ◗ especially in countries where these peo- despite my age, I will still feel the same ple are numerous.” inspiring and constructive rage I have Jorge E. Uquillas “The World Bank and the Inter- felt all my life at the many things that, Senior Sociologist, LCSES American Development Bank (IDB) sup- for sure, will still need to be changed.” ◗ THE WORLD BANK 5 LaVentana BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION: Indigenous Peoples’ Lessons M A RT I E N VA N N I E U W K O O P he indigenous peoples’ spir- pation in the delineation of boundaries T ituality and their respect creates a property awareness that will for all forms of life merit make it possible to ensure the protection recognition for their contri- of natural resources in the future. bution to human survival, The workshop’s recommendations given these peoples’ ade- included an emphasis on the importance quate use of biological diversity in Latin of sacred places. Experts proposed inno- America’s natural ecosystem areas. Such is vative strategies to ensure that indige- Workshop attendees identified the the conclusion arrived at by fifty experts nous peoples’ lands are recognized as difficulties and weaknesses faced by from thirteen countries at the “Indigenous being inalienable and not able to be activities that generate sustainable eco- Peoples’ Participation in Biodiversity encumbered. Another recommendation nomic benefits, such as the existence of Conservation in Latin America” work- calls for taking demographic growth into barriers in export markets, the lack of shop, held in the Peruvian Amazon forest account when determining a territory’s feasibility studies and management from October 17 to 19, 2001. extension. Participants stated that the plans, and deficiencies in the area of The objectives of the meeting, spon- World Bank must recognize the indige- training. They indicated that projects sored by the World Bank, the Moore nous peoples’ land possession rights should include components ensuring Foundation, and the Norway Fund, before it supports any projects liable to food safety and the generation of eco- included learning about indigenous peo- affect these communities. nomic benefits. ◗ ples’ positive experiences in the area of natural resource management. Partici- pants made several recommendations on CONSULTATION IN BRAZIL land securitization and planning instru- ments, the promotion of activities yield- ing sustainable economic benefits, shared The Importance of the conservation management, and the im- portance of cultural and spiritual values Environmental Dimension in natural resource protection. he Bank’s social assessment amount to an annual US $3 billion to US T Currently, the World Bank finances proposal for Brazil lacks an $4 billion. Responding to participants’ over twenty projects in the area of biodi- environmental dimension, questions, Bank representatives added versity conservation in Latin America participants at the Novem- that disbursements to this country through the Global Environment Facility ber 2001 indigenous policy amount to hundreds of millions of dol- (GEF). Fifteen indigenous representatives consultation held in Brazil lars every year. who participate in these projects attend- told representatives of the Bank. The Chapada dos Guimarães work- ed the workshop. Other participants The multilateral organization’s repre- shop also took up the issue of participa- included governmental authorities, eleven sentatives to the gathering, held Novem- tion by indigenous peoples. Attendees experts from non-governmental organi- ber 8 and 9, 2001, in Chapada dos told Bank representatives that many zations (NGOs), representatives from the Guimarães, Mato Grosso, replied that minorities, such as the quilombo people, eco-tourism sector and the private sector, the matter is situational. The Bank, they are still excluded from the Bank’s indige- donors, and officials from the World said, conducts environmental or social nous peoples policy. The attendees Bank, the Latin America and the Carib- assessments differently in each case. stressed the need to consult more thor- bean Socially and Environmentally Sus- Moreover, said the representatives, the oughly with indigenous peoples before tainable Unit (LCSES), and the Social participation of indigenous peoples initiating projects. They also made a new Development Team of the Latin America is always inherent in the assessment pro- recommendation, calling on the Bank to and Caribbean Region (LCSEO). cess. They stressed that the Bank empha- set aside funds to hire independent and sizes its support to social assessments in specialized consultants. Those consult- Lessons and Results all projects. ants would represent indigenous commu- Experts and indigenous representatives The team of Bank officials also nities, helping them understand a project, analyzed the difficulties in enforcing con- explained that Bank loans in Brazil protect their traditional knowledge, and stitutional rights and international con- factor in fair compensation. ventions, but they explained how, in The consultation was attended by some cases, these problems could yield fourteen indigenous representatives from positive lessons. For example, the legal several Brazilian regions and tribes, plus recognition of indigenous territories twelve pro-indigenous non-governmental ‘might become an efficient way to extend organizations, twelve government offi- the Government’s reach to remote areas cials, one academic, one Afro-Brazilian and promote natural resource conserva- individual, five World Bank officials, and tion’. Also, indigenous peoples’ partici- four local coordinators. ◗ C O U RT E S Y M A R I A E L E N A C A S T R O THE WORLD BANK 6 LaVentana SHELTON DAVIS: “A Long Journey Towards Inclusion” he struggle for civil rights Environment Unit in the Latin America that is now integral to the design of the T is a long journey,” Dr. and Caribbean Region and being respon- Bank’s new inclusion policies. Formerly, Martin Luther King told sible for the Bank’s regional work on social inclusion policies were based on a the class of 1965 at behalf of indigenous peoples. His work standard approach that sought to count- Antioch, a small American at the World Bank has fostered the er deficits of the poor in terms of income college in Ohio. The most- design and implementation of policies or consumption. But in many countries, ly young, mostly white, completely that enhance the social soundness of the poverty exists in a robust correlation enthralled audience heard King speak developmental projects funded by this with race, ethnicity, the distribution of about his great dream of a world where financial institution, through strategies wealth, and other aspects of the social all human beings would enjoy the same aimed at reducing poverty and promot- structure. The Bank’s social inclusion rights and opportunities; and they heard ing social inclusion. The idea of respect policies have come to recognize this and King subtly warn them that the United for the land and the cultural rights of to take into account the idea that simple States had a long way to go before all its indigenous peoples is a critical part of poverty reduction is not enough. The citizens would be truly equal. Among these strategies. social inclusion perspective the Bank those intent new graduates that day was now takes is a multi-dimensional Shelton Davis. Development with Identity approach. This institutional vision is Davis, now the Sector Manager of the “Cultural identity is a basic human described in the book Social Exclusion Social Development Unit in the World need,” states Davis, who stresses the and Poverty Reduction in Latin America Bank’s Department for Environmentally importance that collective identity has and the Caribbean, published in August, and Socially Sustainable Development of for the individual, the community, and 2001 by the World Bank’s Latin America the Latin America and the Caribbean the social group to which a person and Caribbean Region’s Social Develop- Region, has devoted most of his pro- belongs. “An individual is immersed in a ment Unit and the Latin American fessional life to studying and implement- wider social, cultural, and linguistic com- Graduate Faculty on Social Sciences ing development strategies with a social munity which one inherits from one’s (FLACSO) in Costa Rica. and human rights component. He ex- parents and passes on to one’s children “The voices of the poor and the tradi- plains that he remains profoundly influ- and grandchildren. Cultural identities tionally excluded are growing,” says enced by Dr. King’s words that day in change, but they are always rooted in Davis. “It is not possible to include com- Ohio. “The opening-up process at the historical and social processes and are munities in the process of development World Bank has started,” Davis says. basic to the survival of communities, without having their voices heard and “The challenge now lies in defining and peoples and nations. Increasingly we are their presence in decisionmaking. Inter- implementing inclusion programs and recognizing that development with iden- mediaries such as NGOs can assist the policies for indigenous peoples and tity is fundamental to an effective and poor, but the real challenge is to listen to Afro-descendants.” sustainable development process, one the poor and to have them participate “Like many people in the Bank based on respect for others and for the actively in the development decision- today,” Davis continues, “I fully support diversity and pluralism which com- making process. There are no better the struggle to alleviate poverty and prises most of the world’s nations and qualified experts than the poor counter social exclusion wherever it societies.” themselves.” ◗ occurs.” Davis obtained his Ph.D. degree Before becoming Sector in Social Anthropology at Harvard Manager, Davis was a founding University in 1970, following two years member of the Bank-wide Social of anthropological research in a Mayan- Development Department. That speaking Indian community in the high- Department was established in lands of Guatemala. After that, he taught 1995 to strengthen the social anthropology at the Federal University of soundness of Bank-financed Rio de Janeiro, at Harvard University, investment projects and to incor- and at the Massachusetts Institute of porate a social development Technology. In 1977, he published dimension into broader Bank Victims of the Miracle: Development policies and programs. and the Indians of Brazil (Cambridge When focusing on develop- University Press), a book about the disas- ment, we must refer to society, C O U RT E S Y S H E LT O N D AV I S trous effects of the Brazilian military culture and values. There is government’s highway construction and always a social, cultural, and land settlement programs on the relative- ethical dimension to develop- ly isolated indigenous peoples of the ment policies,” Davis empha- Amazon region. sizes. One of the major assets of Davis joined the World Bank in 1987, the poor, Davis explains, is their forming part of the first regional culture and values—a concept