Honduras: ZEDEs and the IDB

The report examines the ZEDE law in Honduras, which creates autonomous zones with their own judicial and administrative systems. It argues that these zones undermine democratic governance, threaten indigenous land rights, and lack transparency. The author contends that IDB funding for ZEDEs would violate the bank's own operational policies regarding indigenous peoples, environmental governance, and access to information.

• The ZEDE law (Decree No. 120-2013) establishes zones that are financially and administratively autonomous, allowing a Technical Secretary to create local ordinances, control budgets and taxation, and manage public security and education.
• The governance of ZEDEs is managed by the Committee for the Adoption of Best Practices (CABP), which has the authority to approve ZEDEs and oversee their governance; the committee has been criticized for making decisions in secret meetings in Miami.
• The ZEDE law creates risks for indigenous communities, specifically the Garífuna people, through potential forced displacements and a lack of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), such as in the proposed Trujillo port project.
• The report identifies a critical lack of transparency regarding ZEDE operations, noting that the Honduran government has denied access to information about CABP personnel and development plans.
• The ZEDE law potentially undermines fundamental constitutional rights in Honduras, as only six Constitutional Articles are explicitly required to be enforced, leaving the status of rights like Habeas Corpus and freedom of expression unclear.
• The proposed $20 million IDB loan to support ZEDEs is argued to contradict the Bank's own operational policies, particularly those concerning indigenous peoples' territorial integrity and the principle of maximizing access to information.

APA

Alford-Jones, K. (n.d.). Honduras: ZEDEs and the IDB. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/ZEDEanalysis.pdf

Chicago

Alford-Jones, Kelsey. Honduras: ZEDEs and the IDB. Center for International Environmental Law, n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/ZEDEanalysis.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Alford-Jones |first1=Kelsey |title=Honduras: ZEDEs and the IDB |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/ZEDEanalysis.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{alfordjonesndhonduras, author = {Alford-Jones, Kelsey}, title = {{Honduras: ZEDEs and the IDB}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/ZEDEanalysis.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }