Involuntary Resettlement

Annex 3. Opening speech.

Involuntary Resettlement Sourcebook: Planning and Implementation in Development Projects clarifies many policy and technical issues that confront resettlement policymakers and practitioners. It provides guidance on resettlement design, implementation, and monitoring, and it discusses resettlement issues particular to development projects in different sectors, such as urban development, natural resource management, and the building of dams. The sourcebook will be useful to a wide range of stakeholders. Its primary audience is resettlement practitioners, who have a role in the actual design, implementation, and evaluation of resettlement programs. The sourcebook will also be of interest to policymakers and project decision makers.

Professionals from, or retired from, the World Bank take six dam projects as case studies on the disruption caused by large-scale engineering projects the Bank funds. They evaluate the mitigation efforts after the Bank's resettlement guidelines had been implemented in projects in India, Thailand, Togo, China, Indonesia, and Brazil. They find satisfactory results, or at least trends, in compensation for the acquired land, relocation, infrastructure, and services. They find less success in the often harsh drop of income by the refugees, and considerable dissatisfaction among the people displaced. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR

A crucial issue that confronts development in South Asia is how to build a better life for people displaced by infrastructure development projects. This book comprises recent displacement and resettlement case studies conducted by eight anthropologists in South Asia. Each contributor wrote around the key theme of the book: Is involuntary resettlement a development opportunity for those displaced by development interventions? In this book, "resettlement" carries a broader meaning to include physical and economic displacement, restricted access to public land such as forests and parks, relocation, income rehabilitation, and self-relocation. The book demonstrates that despite significant progress in national policies, laws, and regulations, their application still requires more commitment, adequate resources, and better supervision.

Global trends suggest that the number of people involuntarily displaced will increase exponentially in the coming decades. The authors argue that when the agency, time-tested adaptations, innovative capacities, dignity, and human rights of displaced people are respected as full participants in the rebuilding of their communities, livelihoods and standards of living, resettlement outcomes are more positive. The goal of resettlement must be the sustainable social, economic and human development of affected communities, requiring a praxis of ethical commitment to effective, actionable recommendations based on empirical observation. The authors draw on case examples from Asia, Africa and the Americas. This book will be of interest to resettlement specialists, planners, administrators, nongovernmental and civil society organizations, and scholars and students of anthropology, sociology, development studies, and social policy.

Content Description #Includes bibliographical references.

This popular technical paper is currently in its sixth reprinting (10/97).Many development projects require that people be involuntarily resettled to other locations to live and work. Governments need adequate policies to minimize the negative effects of this relocation both on the individuals involved and on the national economy. This report presents policy guidelines and procedures for World Bank-financed projects requiring involuntary resettlement.Designed for development specialists, social anthropologists, and sociologists, this volume discusses past Bank projects to illuminate the responsibilities of the governments and the needs of resettlers and host populations during resettlement. Among the topics addressed are types of involuntary resettlement; basic sociological principles in approaching resettlement; policy objectives and strategies; reconstruction of the resettlers' homes, production bases, and social organizations; and the effects of resettlement on the environment.Annexes to this report contain technical checklists for preparing and appraising resettlement plans in projects and for monitoring and evaluating rettlement.Michael M. Cernea has published and editied several books on the sociological aspects of development. Among these books is Putting People First: Sociological Variables in Rural Development , which describes culturally sensitive approaches to the preparation, planning, and implementation of development projects. Other books include Social Organization and Development Anthropology; Social Assessments for Better Development: Case Studies in Russia and Central Asia ; and Urban Environment and Population Relocation .

Among development assistance agencies, the World Bank has led the way in policies to mitigate the impact of large-scale engineering projects on local populations, particularly in the building of dams. Since the 1980s the Bank has implemented guidelines for policies with respect to displacement, social infrastructure and services, environmental effects, resettlement, compensation, and the restoration of income for those affected. Having learned from the failures of past resettlement programs, the Bank has endeavored to function as a responsible and caring agency. This volume builds upon earlier studies and field work to offer a broad look at dam-building projects in six countries and to review the outcomes of Bank policy, learn from experience, and assess outside criticism. The book covers representative dam projects in India, Thailand, Togo, China, Indonesia, and Brazil. Each project was undertaken after Bank resettlement guidelines had been implemented. The widely ranging results in each country are assessed. In the areas of compensation for acquired land, relocation, infrastructure and services, the contributors note satisfactory levels of improvement or positive trends. Governments are moving towards acceptance of the idea that displaced families should be paid the real value of their lost assets. Relocation processes are now keeping pace with water movement caused by dam building, and health, education, utilities, and roads are better than before the resettlement. Other results have been less positive. The impact on incomes of those involuntarily resettled has been harsh in some locations. Resettler dissatisfaction has been intense, notably in those countries where the national economies are not experiencing strong growth. The Bank's performance itself has been uneven. There have been lapses in appraisal and monitoring during the projects and insufficient follow-through support for resettlement operations after the completion of loan and credit disbursements. In addition to its case by case analysis of countries and projects, the book includes detailed lessons and recommendations to strengthen resettlement policy and practice. Involuntary Resettlement will be of interest to economists, sociologists, and professionals working in regional development policy. Robert Picciotto is director general of Operations Evaluation at the World Bank. Warren van Wicklin is task manager and evaluator at the Operations Evaluation department of the World Bank.