Accountability Counsel

Accountability Counsel defends the environmental and human rights of communities around the world that have been harmed by internationally financed development projects. Hundreds of billions of dollars a year flow to projects that cause suffering for millions of people, instead of delivering promised benefits for the poor: for example, a mine contaminates a water supply, a dam disrupts a valuable ecosystem, or oil extraction displaces a community. Accountability Counsel is the world’s only legal organization dedicated to working with affected communities to make sure that their voices are heard and that institutions are held accountable if they cause harm.

Accountability Counsel has a three-pronged approach: (1) their Work in Communities Program provides support to communities when they bring complaints to development institutions’ accountability offices, (2) the Policy Advocacy Program works to ensure that those offices are fair and effective, and (3) the Resources Program provides trainings, materials and data analysis to affected communities.  In seven years, Accountability Counsel has supported communities in 35 countries in their struggles for accountability, achieving a number of historic victories that have prevented environmental abuses and improved peoples’ lives, and has contributed to improved accountability policy at every major development bank and several US federal agencies.