Request to meet about the Barro Blanco project during July 2013 visit to Panama

A letter from a coalition of environmental and human rights organizations to UN Special Rapporteur James Anaya requesting intervention regarding the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project in Panama, citing threats to the Ngäbe people's territories, rights, and physical security.

• The Barro Blanco hydroelectric dam on the Tabasará River in the Province of Chiriquí is projected to cause significant environmental and social disruption, including the flooding of homes, schools, and cultural sites within the Ngäbe-Buglé comarca. The project is expected to convert the river into a stagnant lake, forcing the relocation of indigenous families and altering the Ngäbe's diet and landscape. Construction was expected to be completed as early as May 2014.
• The Ngäbe people and civil society groups allege that the company GENISA failed to adequately include the Ngäbe-Buglé comarca in its environmental impact assessment (EIA) or consult affected communities. Despite these failures and claims that the project did not meet Kyoto Protocol Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) requirements for sustainable development and carbon reduction, the EIA was approved by the Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente (ANAM) in May 2008 and the project was registered under the CDM in June 2011.
• There are serious concerns regarding the physical security of the Ngäbe people. During a peaceful rally in Vigui on March 19, 2013, approximately 150 police reportedly used rubber bullets, tear gas, and hunting pellets against about 30 protestors. Three days later, a Ngäbe man who had attended the protest was murdered by four masked men, whom the Movimiento 10 de Abril (M10) believes are linked to the police.
• The Government of Panama has failed to fulfill legal and negotiated obligations to the Ngäbe. A 2011 lawsuit challenging the EIA approval remains unheard due to procedural delays. Additionally, the government has not delivered on a March 2012 agreement to conduct an expert assessment of unresolved controversies following a September 2012 UN Development Programme (UNDP) verification mission.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2013). Request to meet about the Barro Blanco project during July 2013 visit to Panama. https://ciel.org/Publications/BarroBlanco_Anaya_14Jun2013.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Request to meet about the Barro Blanco project during July 2013 visit to Panama. 2013. https://ciel.org/Publications/BarroBlanco_Anaya_14Jun2013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Request to meet about the Barro Blanco project during July 2013 visit to Panama |date=14 June 2013 |url=https://ciel.org/Publications/BarroBlanco_Anaya_14Jun2013.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2013request, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Request to meet about the Barro Blanco project during July 2013 visit to Panama}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2013}, month = jun, url = {https://ciel.org/Publications/BarroBlanco_Anaya_14Jun2013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }