November, 2000
World Bank Welcomes Commission on Dams Report

Contact Person:
In London: Caroline Anstey 202-345-3387 (cell)
In Washington: Phil Hay, 202-473-1796, Phay@worldbank.org
Kristyn Ebro, 202-458-2736, Kebro@worldbank.org

LONDON, November 16, 2000 -- World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn today welcomed the release of the World Commission on Dams' final report Thursday in London. The report has been two years in the making since the World Bank and World Conservation Union (IUCN) initiated the setting up of the Commission and its dams review process in 1998.

"This impressive report shows that there is common ground that can be found among people of good faith coming from very diverse starting points," said Wolfensohn. "The World Bank firmly believes in this process of reaching out and encouraging dialogue and consensus building."

Wolfensohn spoke at the launch of the World Commission Report in London, where he was joined by former South African President Nelson Mandela, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, and IUCN Director General Maritta von Bieberstein Koch-Weser. The Commission's Chairman, Kader Asmal, who is also South Africa's education minister, said he was pleased that the World Bank played such a major role in convening the Commission and supporting its independence.

Wolfensohn said, "Dams offer huge benefits but sometimes at a large cost. The Bank is currently funding less than 1 percent of dam projects worldwide within strict environmental and social guidelines. Our involvement in large dams has been decreasing and is focusing more on financing dam rehabilitation and safety and much less on financing new dams. This report will help guide our work in the future and I will immediately pass it to the Bank's shareholders. The critical test for us will be whether our borrowing countries and project financiers accept the recommendations of the Commission and want to build on them."

Wolfensohn said that he would now carry the report back to Washington so that its conclusions and recommendations could be fully studied by Bank staff and by the 182 governments that are the Bank's shareholders.

World Bank involvement with dams has been steadily declining over the last 30 years. From 1970-1985 it was estimated that World Bank financing was involved in about 3% of the world's new dam projects. Over the following 10 years the World Bank's rate of involvement fell to about 2%. World Bank funding is currently involved with about 1% of projects that involve new dams worldwide. In 1997, there were an estimated 800,000 dams around the world of which approximately 45,000 are categorized as "large dams" (above 15 meters).
For more on the dams report, go to www.worldbank.org/dams