WASHINGTON, May 16, 2012 (ANTARA/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) --
Accusations of Evictions, Destruction of Crops, and Burning Homes Leveled Against WWF
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the globe's largest environmental organizations, is again surveying the damage to its reputation after reports emerged linking the group with a policy initiative in Tanzania that resulted in government officials burning down homes and palm trees used to enhance local livelihoods. The latest scandal is a warning to Indonesia and other countries where WWF operates - WWF's reckless practices are antithetical to raising living standards and alleviating poverty. With more scrutiny to follow, Western governments must cease support of WWF.
"WWF, an organization that pretends to pride itself on ethical values, is again being overwhelmed by accusations that because of its support for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) forestry schemes, it bears responsibility for recent illegal evictions and homes being burned to the ground by Tanzanian officials. But WWF officials also destroyed valuable palm trees, used by Tanzanians to make a living. WWF makes a lot of noise about sustainable economic development. But what's sustainable about making people homeless and wiping out their livelihoods?" said Andrew Langer, spokesman for the Consumers Alliance for Global Prosperity.
"WWF's actions have meaning for other developing countries where the group operates. WWF is hardly a steward of the environment or protector of the world's poor. After this year's debacle when WWF failed to prevent widespread corruption and embezzlement of Norwegian government funds in Tanzania, it's simply stunning that the organization would be complicit in the burning down of homes, cutting down trees and illegal evictions. Burning people out of their homes isn't sustainable. It's not eco-friendly. It's neither ethical nor moral. It is nothing more than Marxist thuggery at its very worst. One report even went as far to note that WWF 'poses a direct threat' to the livelihoods of people in Tanzania because of the REDD scheme."
"People in Indonesia and other countries must take a lesson from this development. WWF is already mired in a scandal concerning fraud and embezzlement charges in Tanzania, raising serious questions about oversight and professional integrity. To guarantee that taxpayers are receiving value for money and people in the developing world are being treated with dignity, Western officials must cease funding of WWF. What's happened in Tanzania is a tragedy. It must not be repeated anywhere else."
News continues to spread regarding WWF's scandalous involvement in Tanzania. British journalist Christopher Booker published a comprehensive story in the Daily Telegraph ( http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=19344975&msgid=315039&act=35HT&c=755837&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Feart%2Fenvironment%2Fclimatechange%2F9246853%2FHow-climate-change-has-got-Worldwide-Fund-for-Nature-bamboozled.html ) on the damage these events have done to the NGO's reputation, as well as WWF's failure to produce a report clearing their name.
The Consumers Alliance for Global Prosperity (CAGP) ( http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=19344975&msgid=315039&act=35HT&c=755837&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.consumerprosperity.org%2F ) is an action-oriented advocacy group that promotes free trade, economic growth and pro-consumer policies across the world. We are passionate in the defense of individual rights and the interests of consumers. CAGP is a project of the Institute for Liberty, a non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to preserving individual rights, protecting entrepreneurship worldwide, and promoting prosperity both in America and abroad.
SOURCE: Consumers Alliance for Global Prosperity (CAGP)
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Editor: PR Wire
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