Luis Alberto Moreno, President
Inter-American Development Bank
c/o Inter-American Investment Corporation
1350 New York Avenue, NW
Washington DC, 20577, USA
Dear Mr. Moreno:
I am writing to ask that your company update its environmental policy. In South America the Achuar people in the Amazon have been suffering too long. It should not have taken an uprising by the people whose lives have been irreparably damaged to persuade an oil company to implement safe environmental practices. But that is exactly what has happened as a result of negligence on the part of the company Plusperol, and yet your bank is planning major financial investment in the future of this company.
According to a report by Earth Island Institute, your environmental policy is outdated and ineffectual. I see that there are several companies that are sinking their dipsticks into the soil of the Amazon, and each has a token page about commitment to the environment. These pledges do not instill any faith in me when I read the stories of what is actually going on around these companies’ physical locations.
Please take into consideration the fact that your investments are symbolic endorsements of the activities of the monetary recipients, and act accordingly.
Truly,
Liz Mann
