Panel Registers Request for Inspection on the Sustainable Financing for Rogun Hydropower Project and Technical Assistance for Financing Framework for Rogun Hydropower Project in Tajikistan

The Panel received a Request dated February 24, 2025, related to the Sustainable Financing for Rogun Hydropower Project (P181029) and Technical Assistance for Financing Framework for Rogun Hydropower Project (P178819) (the “Project”) in Tajikistan. The Request was signed by two individuals (the “Requesters”) in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, who claim to represent their respective communities in the two riparian countries. The Requesters asked the Panel to keep their identities confidential for fear of retaliation. The Requesters are represented by Rivers without Boundaries Public Fund in the Panel’s process. 

The Request alleges that the Rogun Hydropower Plant is likely to cause wide-ranging socio-economic and ecological harms downstream of Tajikistan’s Vakhsh Hydropower cascade, respective which the Rogun HPP is located upstream of several other hydropower plants in the Vakhsh river, and with these harms also affecting the two riparian countries, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The Request alleges that the Bank did not comply with its Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) and has failed to develop a “robust” Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) and Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP) for the Rogun Hydropower Plant (HPP). The Request further alleges that the Bank’s “errors and omissions” in the design and implementation of the HPP will likely contribute to ecological harm and associated negative environmental, social and human health impacts for downstream communities, including water shortages and potential impacts on endangered species of fishes and floodplain forests. The Request also alleges a lack of meaningful consultation and stakeholder engagement in the two riparian countries. 

After meeting with Bank Management on March 25, 2025, the Panel registered the Request on April 8, 2025. The Panel’s registration implies no judgment whatsoever concerning the merits of the Request. As mandated in the Inspection Panel process, the World Bank Management shall provide the Panel with a response to the issues raised in the Request for Inspection which the Panel expects to receive by May 23, 2025. After receiving Management’s response and engaging with the relevant stakeholders, the Panel shall make a recommendation to the Board of Executive Directors on whether the matter should be investigated. 

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