On November 24, Ani Kintsurashvili, Senior Researcher at Civic IDEA, alongside Tinatin Khidasheli, Chairwoman of Civic IDEA, led a panel discussion titled “Lessons Learned from the BRI: Examining Environmental Hazards and Regulatory Shortcomings” at the CITW 2024 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The panel examined environmental and social challenges from Chinese BRI projects in Africa and the South Caucasus. The speakers highlighted that since the launch of the BRI, Chinese investments have attracted significant global attention, increasingly burdening many developing states worldwide and sparking controversies related to environmental concerns, and debt sustainability.
The session also emphasized the risks to communities, ecosystems and biodiversity and emphasize the need for stronger monitoring, regulatory frameworks, due diligence, and improved information sharing to mitigate spillover effects.
