Honduran Special Economic Zones Legalize Secretive Corporate Rule, Threaten Constitutional Rights

The document criticizes the ZEDE law in Honduras for creating autonomous corporate enclaves with minimal oversight, undermining democratic governance and constitutional protections. It highlights risks to indigenous communities, specifically the Garífuna, and warns that the Inter-American Development Bank's potential $20 million loan to support these zones contradicts its own safeguards.

• The ZEDE law creates independent corporate enclaves where unelected managers can establish local ordinances and public taxation to maximize profits, operating with little public oversight or accountability.
• ZEDEs undermine constitutional rights and democratic participation, as residents lack guaranteed participation in electing local representatives or creating public policies, and it is unclear how rights such as Habeas Corpus and freedom of expression will apply.
• The implementation of ZEDEs threatens indigenous communities, particularly the Garífuna, through a lack of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) and the potential for forced displacement.
• The ZEDE framework creates risks of impunity and criminal infiltration, as the zones' autonomous legal systems may be used to silence opposition to corporate abuses, and the zones could be controlled by organized criminal groups or drug cartels.
• The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is considering a $20 million loan to support the ZEDE law, which the author claims contradicts the Bank's own policies on indigenous peoples, involuntary resettlement, and access to information.

APA

Alford-Jones, K. (2017). Honduran Special Economic Zones Legalize Secretive Corporate Rule, Threaten Constitutional Rights. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/honduran-special-economic-zones-legalize-secretive-corporate-rule-threaten-constitutional-rights/

Chicago

Alford-Jones, Kelsey. Honduran Special Economic Zones Legalize Secretive Corporate Rule, Threaten Constitutional Rights. Center for International Environmental Law, 2017. https://www.ciel.org/honduran-special-economic-zones-legalize-secretive-corporate-rule-threaten-constitutional-rights/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Alford-Jones |first1=Kelsey |title=Honduran Special Economic Zones Legalize Secretive Corporate Rule, Threaten Constitutional Rights |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=1 December 2017 |url=https://www.ciel.org/honduran-special-economic-zones-legalize-secretive-corporate-rule-threaten-constitutional-rights/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{alfordjones2017honduran, author = {Alford-Jones, Kelsey}, title = {{Honduran Special Economic Zones Legalize Secretive Corporate Rule, Threaten Constitutional Rights}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2017}, month = dec, url = {https://www.ciel.org/honduran-special-economic-zones-legalize-secretive-corporate-rule-threaten-constitutional-rights/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }