Rios Vivos Coalition IFI Program

About this grant

International financial institutions, particularly the multilateral development banks (MDBs), continue to implement policies and promote the financing of projects with serious environmental and social impacts. Despite policies designed to increase stakeholder participation, protect the environment and enhance social development, most projects are only subjected to minimal impact analyses. In South America, a number of infrastructure project are proposed that threaten critical ecosystems, from the Amazon to the Rio Parana. To address these threats, this grant supports coordinated activities on the part of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and affected communities to influence the decisionmaking processes of MDBs.Multiyear funding will enable the Rios Vivos Coalition to pursue objectives that include preventing negative environmental and social impacts from MDB policies, programs and projects; supporting coalition members through regranting for specific local and national project monitoring activities; and strengthening its role as a reference point for NGOs and affected communities to engage with MDB officials.Ecoa – Ecology and Action, founded in 1989, is the secretariat for Rios Vivos, a coalition of more than 400 organizations and communities in Latin America, Europe and the United States. It conducts research, environmental monitoring, public education and capacity building for local communities to protect ecosystems in Brazil and the Southern Cone.