Amulsar Project Affected Community Residents Applied to EBRD/IPAM Calling on EBRD To Withdraw from Amulsar Project, 19 May 2020

23 residents from the residential areas affected by Amulsar gold-bearing quartzite mining project have applied to the Independent Project Accountability Mechanism(IPAM) of the EBRD calling on the IPAM to suggest the EBRD to withdraw from theAmulsar project. CEE Bankwatch Network, “EcoLur” Informational NGO, “Forests ofArmenia” NGO, “Green Armenia” NGO, “Armenian Environmental Front” Civic Initiative have joined this application to support Jermuk residents.

The bank has already confirmed the receipt of the application, which says: "The undersigned community members are impacted by the Amulsar gold-bearing quartzite mining project (Lydian Extension, 2016, #48579), which is promoted by LydianInternational and financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development(EBRD). Together with civil society organizations from Armenia, we are requesting from the Independent Project Accountability Mechanism (IPAM) of the EBRD to undertake a compliance review of the Amulsar project with the Bank’s Environmental and Social Policy and established principles. The project developer, Lydian International, with the help of the former government of Armenia, and with the financial and moral support of the EBRD, has failed to apply good international standards with regards to impact assessment and meaningful consultations with project-affected people and to take the opinion of the local population into consideration. We believe that the EBRD, as in investor in Lydian, has failed to ensure that the project complies with the requirements of the bank environmental and Social Policy. As a result, the EBRD and its client, Lydian International, have failed to properly protect of our nature (waters, air, land, and wildlife), the protection of our community’s health and livelihoods (orchards, pasture, food production), and the economy of 5 residential settlements of Jermuk enlarged community, including that of Jermuk resort town (based on health, rural and environmental tourism and mineral water, clean agriculture)...