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Les 10 grands défis des 3 prochaines années pour la durabilité de l'industrie du transport aérien de passagers, selon Gediminas Ziemelis, président d'Avia Solutions Group

DUBLIN, Irlande, 18 mai 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ces dernires annes, garantir une exploitation durable est devenu un objectif fondamental pour les entreprises du secteur de l'aviation. Nanmoins, cette industrie changeante est confronte une multitude de dfis pouvant entraver les efforts dont les entreprises font preuve pour l'optimisation de leur rentabilit. Bien que plusieurs facteurs contribuent aux difficults du secteur de l'aviation, il est important de mettre l'accent sur ceux qui ont le plus d'impact.

Les taux d'intrt en dollars, dj hauts pour les compagnies ariennes fortement endettes, seront encore plus levs.

Ces dernires annes, le secteur de l'aviation a connu une baisse importante de la demande de transport arien, ce qui a entran des pertes financires pour de nombreuses compagnies ariennes. Afin de se maintenir flot pendant cette priode, les compagnies ariennes ont contract des dettes supplmentaires. Cependant, cet endettement accru a engendr un risque plus lev pour les cranciers, ce qui s'est ensuite traduit par une hausse des taux d'intrt pour les compagnies ariennes.

Outre l'impact de la pandmie sur l'industrie, d'autres facteurs tels que la hausse des prix du carburant et l'intensification de la concurrence ont galement contribu aux difficults financires de nombreuses compagnies ariennes. En raison de ces facteurs, il est de plus en plus difficile pour les compagnies ariennes fortement endettes de gnrer des bnfices et donc de rembourser leurs dettes, ce qui suscite des inquitudes quant la viabilit de leur modle conomique.

La combinaison de ces facteurs fait que les compagnies ariennes fortement endettes sont maintenant confrontes des taux d'intrt encore plus levs, ce qui peut exacerber encore plus leurs difficults financires.

Des cots d'assurance beaucoup plus levs – l'aggravation des risques de guerre pourrait conduire l'augmentation des primes d'assurance

Le secteur de l'aviation est confront une hausse des cots d'assurance du fait de l'aggravation des risques gopolitiques. Selon les principales compagnies d'assurance, cette situation est fortement influence par le fait qu'environ 500 avions lous des oprateurs russes sont toujours bloqus en Russie. Les assureurs sont confronts des problmes de responsabilit ventuelle en raison de la situation incertaine cre par le refus du gouvernement russe de renvoyer ces avions.

En consquence, les assureurs ont du mal valuer le niveau de risque encouru. Cela se traduit par une large fourchette de pertes potentielles, qui selon certaines sources du secteur sont estimes 30 milliards de dollars. Cette incertitude risque de faire augmenter les primes d'assurance des compagnies ariennes, ce qui aura un impact sur l'ensemble du secteur.

Les passagers se souviendront des compensations disponibles en cas de retard de vol, ce qui aura une incidence sur les cots imprvus des compagnies ariennes

Le rglement europen 261/2004 prvoit une indemnisation pour les passagers victimes de retards ou d'annulations de vols, de surrservations ou de refus d'embarquement. Selon les circonstances spcifiques, et sous rserve de certaines conditions, les passagers concerns peuvent prtendre une indemnisation allant de 250 600 euros par personne. Avant la pandmie de COVID–19, le taux de retard des vols au sein de l'Union Europenne qui relevait d'une indemnisation tait de 1,5 % des vols, avec un montant moyen d'indemnisation de 375 euros par vol retard.

En 2019, les compagnies ariennes de l'UE ont transport un total de 1,12 milliard de passagers, avec 1,7 million de vols ayant subi des retards, ce qui a donn lieu une indemnisation totale de 6,3 milliards d'euros. Seuls 10 % des passagers concerns dposent actuellement des plaintes directement auprs des compagnies ariennes, ou par l'intermdiaire de socits de services spcialises telles que Skycop ou Airhelp.

Toutefois, ce chiffre devrait augmenter de manire significative, du fait qu'aprs la pandmie de COVID–19, l'industrie devra faire face des dficits de capacit et autres dfis. En consquence, le nombre de vols retards pouvant faire l'objet d'une demande d'indemnisation pourrait passer de 1,5 % 5 % des vols, ce qui pourrait donner lieu une indemnisation totale de 20 milliards d'euros.

Les dfis lis aux moteurs LEAP se traduiront par une augmentation du nombre d'avions au sol et un dficit de capacit

Selon nos recherches internes, le secteur de l'aviation exploite actuellement une flotte de 1397 avions A320neo quips de moteurs LEAP–1A, soit un total de 3080 moteurs avec une moyenne de 2,2 moteurs par avion, et 1043 avions Boeing 737 MAX quips de moteurs LEAP–1B, soit un total de 2338 moteurs avec une moyenne de 2,2 moteurs par avion. Il existe 21 sites dans le monde pour la rvision et la maintenance des moteurs LEAP–1A, et 22 sites pour les moteurs LEAP–1B.

Cependant, l'immobilisation au sol de 16 000 avions (soit 60 % de la flotte totale) en 2020–2021 a entran un report impressionnant de la maintenance de 60 % des moteurs LEAP. En consquence, il y a dsormais un important dficit d'entretien sur 43 sites, entranant des temps d'attente de 9 10 mois pour la maintenance des moteurs. Cette situation pourrait potentiellement perturber les activits des compagnies ariennes.

L'interruption de la production et de la chane d'approvisionnement des fabricants d'quipements d'origine au cours de la priode 2023–2025 entranera un dficit de capacit aronautique

La pandmie de COVID–19 a eu un impact considrable sur l'industrie arospatiale. Les fabricants d'quipements d'origine (OEM en anglais) tels que Boeing et Airbus ont d faire face d'importantes perturbations dans leurs chanes de production et d'approvisionnement. En rponse au ralentissement conomique mondial et la baisse de la demande de transport arien, les quipementiers ont rduit leurs niveaux de production d'environ la moiti par rapport aux niveaux pr–Covid. Toutefois, cette situation a entran un dficit de capacit aronautique qui entrave les efforts de rtablissement de l'industrie.

Les rductions de production ont affect plus de 5 000 fournisseurs de la chane d'approvisionnement. Tous les fournisseurs ont d rduire leurs volumes pendant la pandmie. Par consquent, il devrait falloir entre deux ans et demi et quatre ans l'industrie arospatiale pour retrouver ses niveaux de production d'avant la pandmie de Covid. Cette priode de perturbation prolonge risque d'avoir des consquences importantes pour l'industrie et ses parties prenantes.

En 2020–2021, l'annulation des programmes de formation des pilotes combine aux dparts la retraite prvus ont provoqu une pnurie de pilotes en 2023–2024, ainsi qu'une augmentation rapide des cots pour les compagnies ariennes

Le secteur de l'aviation est confronte une demande constante de nouveaux pilotes, tant donn qu'environ 3 % des pilotes partent la retraite chaque anne. Cependant, la pandmie de COVID–19 a provoqu un recul important dans l'industrie, tous les programmes de formation de nouveaux pilotes ayant t soit reports, soit annuls.

Il y a donc maintenant une pnurie importante de pilotes, ce qui entrane une augmentation rapide des cots. On estime que l'industrie connatra une pnurie de 300 000 pilotes d'ici dix ans. Cette pnurie devrait crer d'importants dfis, en particulier en Inde, o l'on s'attend ce que la pnurie de pilotes soit la plus importante.

Difficults rserver des services d'entretien, de rparation et de rvision aprs la pandmie, en raison du report des services d'entretien qui taient programms

Un autre problme caus par la pandmie de COVID–19 est une accumulation importante des services d'entretien des appareils au niveau mondial. En raison de la rduction sans prcdent du transport arien et de l'immobilisation au sol de nombreux avions, la maintenance programme des appareils a t retarde ou reporte.

Nanmoins, alors que la demande de transport arien commence se rtablir et que les compagnies ariennes reprennent leurs activits plein rgime, rserver les services d'entretien, de rparation et de rvision ncessaires ces avions est un vritable dfi. De nombreuses compagnies ariennes constatent que les installations de services d'entretien fonctionnent dj plein rendement, ce qui entrane des temps d'attente longs et des perturbations potentielles pour les activits des compagnies ariennes. Cette accumulation des travaux d'entretien devrait persister pendant un certain temps, crant des obstacles aux efforts de rtablissement du secteur de l'aviation.

Difficult trouver des crneaux pour l'entretien des moteurs V2500 et RR en raison de la maintenance diffre.

Les compagnies ariennes qui exploitent des avions quips de moteurs V2500 et RR rencontrent galement des difficults pour programmer la maintenance de leurs moteurs en raison d'une forte demande et d'une disponibilit limite. Cela cre une situation difficile, en particulier pour les compagnies ariennes dont la flotte compte un nombre important de ce type d'avion.

Le manque de crneaux disponibles pour la maintenance de ces avions a contraint les compagnies ariennes immobiliser certains de leurs appareils, causant des perturbations de leurs activits et des pertes de revenus. Outre l'impact financier, la situation pose galement des problmes de scurit. En effet, les retards de maintenance peuvent compromettre la scurit et la fiabilit des moteurs, ce qui peut entraner des problmes plus importants l'avenir.

Les critres ESG pour une aviation plus respectueuse de l'environnement n'ont pas disparu moyen terme

La 41e assemble de l'Organisation de l'aviation civile internationale (OACI), qui s'est tenue Montral en octobre 2022, a marqu une tape importante dans l'engagement du secteur de l'aviation en faveur du dveloppement durable. L'assemble s'est engage atteindre un objectif ambitieux long terme pour parvenir des missions carbones neutres d'ici 2050. Cela a mis les questions d'environnement, de socit et de gouvernance (ESG) au premier plan de la conversation sur l'aviation durable.

Cet objectif ambitieux est un vritable dfi, mais a le potentiel d'encourager les compagnies ariennes acclrer le dveloppement et l'adoption de carburants plus cologiques ainsi que d'autres amliorations techniques pour dcarboniser les vols. Pour atteindre cet objectif long terme, un changement de mentalit important dans l'ensemble du secteur, des investissements dans la recherche et le dveloppement, et une collaboration entre les compagnies ariennes, les fabricants et les gouvernements seront ncessaires.

Aprs le Covid, les crances pour les pices dtaches, les services de maintenance, et la location d'avions auront pour consquence que certains appareils seront encore bloqus au sol, conduisant une demande de capacit

La situation difficile du secteur a pouss les compagnies ariennes s'endetter davantage pour financer divers aspects de leurs activits, tels que les pices dtaches, les services de maintenance et les locations d'appareils. Toutefois, l'augmentation de la dette existante du secteur pourrait avoir des consquences importantes. Certaines compagnies ariennes auront du mal rembourser leurs dettes, entranant potentiellement une rduction de leur capacit car elles seront contraintes d'immobiliser certains de leurs appareils ou de supprimer des trajets pour minimiser les cots.

Les donnes d'Insider montrent que la dette existante de l'industrie a bondi de plus de 20 % depuis 2020, atteignant plus de 300 milliards de dollars. Pour lever des fonds, les transporteurs ariens mondiaux ont vendu pour 63 milliards de dollars d'obligations et de prts depuis le dbut de l'anne.

Contact mdia :
Silvija Jakiene
Directrice de la communication
Avia Solutions Group
silvija.jakiene@aviasg.com
+370 671 22697


GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 1000810847)

Presidente do Avia Solutions Group Gediminas Ziemelis: 10 grandes desafios para a sustentabilidade da aviação comercial para os próximos 3 anos

DUBLIN, Irlanda, May 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Garantir operaes sustentveis tornou–se uma das principais motivaes das empresas de aviao nos ltimos anos. No entanto, esse setor dinmico enfrenta uma infinidade de desafios que podem impedir os esforos das empresas para aumentar a lucratividade Embora vrios fatores contribuam para as dificuldades do setor de aviao, alguns problemas importantes merecem ser destacados como os principais culpados.

As altas taxas de juros de mercado em dlares para companhias areas altamente alavancadas e afogadas em dvidas sero ainda mais altas

Nos ltimos anos, o setor de aviao experimentou uma queda significativa na demanda por viagens areas, resultando em muitas companhias areas enfrentando perdas financeiras. Para se manterem tona durante esse perodo, as companhias areas contraram mais dvidas. No entanto, esse aumento do endividamento resultou em maior risco para os credores, levando a taxas de juros de mercado mais altas para as companhias areas.

Alm do impacto da pandemia no setor, outros fatores como o aumento dos custos dos combustveis e o aumento da concorrncia tambm contriburam para as dificuldades financeiras de muitas companhias areas. Esses fatores tornaram cada vez mais difcil para as companhias areas altamente alavancadas gerar lucros e pagar suas dvidas, levando a preocupaes sobre a sustentabilidade de seus modelos de negcios.

A combinao destes fatores levou a uma situao em que as companhias areas altamente endividadas enfrentam agora taxas de juro de mercado ainda mais elevadas, o que pode agravar as suas dificuldades financeiras.

Custos de seguro muito mais altos "" o agravamento dos riscos de guerra pode elevar os prmios de seguro

O setor de aviao est se debatendo com o aumento dos custos de seguro devido ao agravamento dos riscos geopolticos. Isso altamente influenciado pelo fato de que, como declarado pelas principais companhias de seguros, cerca de 500 aeronaves alugadas a operadores russos permanecem presas na Rssia. As seguradoras esto enfrentando possveis problemas de confiabilidade devido situao incerta criada pela recusa do governo russo em liberar a aeronave.

Como resultado, as seguradoras esto lutando para avaliar o nvel de risco envolvido, levando a uma ampla gama de perdas potenciais estimadas em at US$ 30 bilhes, segundo fontes do setor. Essa incerteza deve elevar os prmios de seguro para as companhias areas, impactando o setor como um todo.

Os passageiros se lembraro de indenizaes por atrasos de voos, e isso afetar os custos no planejados das companhias areas

O Regulamento 261/2004 da UE prev uma indenizao para os passageiros que sofram atrasos, cancelamentos, overbooking ou recusa de embarque. Dependendo das circunstncias especficas e sob certas condies, os passageiros afetados podem ser elegveis para um pedido de indenizao que varia entre 250 e 600 por pessoa. Antes da pandemia de COVID–19, a taxa de atrasos de voos na UE que eram objeto de compensao era de 1,5% de todos os voos, com um valor mdio de indenizao de 375 por voo atrasado.

Em 2019, as companhias areas da UE transportaram um total de 1,12 bilhes de passageiros, com 1,7 milhes de voos sofrendo atrasos e resultando em um pagamento total de 6,3 bilhes em indenizaes. Atualmente, apenas 10% dos passageiros afetados apresentam reclamaes diretamente s companhias areas ou por meio de empresas de servios especializados, como Skycop ou Airhelp.

No entanto, espera–se que esse nmero aumente significativamente, j que aps a COVID–19 o setor enfrenta escassez de capacidade e outros desafios. Como resultado, o nmero de voos reclamveis que sofrem atrasos pode aumentar de 1,5% para 5%, potencialmente levando a um pagamento total de 20 bilhes em indenizaes.

Os desafios dos motores LEAP tero impacto em mais aeronaves em solo e na escassez de capacidade;

De acordo com nossa pesquisa interna, atualmente, o setor aeronutico opera uma frota de 1397 aeronaves A320neo com motores LEAP–1A, totalizando 3080 motores com uma mdia de 2,2 motores por aeronave, e 1043 aeronaves Boeing 737 MAX com motores LEAP–1B, totalizando 2338 motores com uma mdia de 2,2 motores por aeronave. Para manter esses motores, existem no mundo inteiro 21 locais para reviso e manuteno do LEAP–1A e 22 locais para motores LEAP–1B.

No entanto, a paralisao de 16.000 aeronaves (o equivalente a 60% da frota total) em 2020–2021 levou a um impressionante adiamento de 60% da manuteno do motor LEAP. Consequentemente, h agora uma lacuna de manuteno significativa em 43 locais, resultando em tempos de espera de 9 a 10 meses para manuteno do motor, o que poderia interromper as operaes das companhias areas.

A produo de OEM e a cadeia de suprimentos interrompidas durante 2023–2025 causaro uma escassez de capacidade de aeronaves;

A pandemia de COVID–19 teve um impacto profundo no setor aeroespacial. Os Fabricantes de Equipamentos Originais (OEMs), como Boeing e Airbus, experimentaram interrupes significativas em suas cadeias de produo e suprimentos. Em resposta desacelerao econmica global e reduo da demanda por viagens areas, os OEMs reduziram seus nveis de produo aproximadamente pela metade em comparao com os nveis pr–COVID. Contudo, isso levou a uma escassez de capacidade de aeronaves, o que est dificultando os esforos de recuperao do setor.

Os cortes de produo afetaram mais de 5.000 fornecedores da cadeia de suprimentos, que tiveram que reduzir seus volumes durante a pandemia. Consequentemente, a recuperao do setor aeroespacial deve levar de 2,5 a 4 anos para retornar aos nveis de produo pr–COVID. Este perodo prolongado de interrupo provavelmente ter consequncias significativas para o setor e seus participantes.

Em 2020–2021, o cancelamento de programas de cadetes aviadores e aposentadorias planejadas causaram uma escassez de pilotos em 2023–2024 e um rpido aumento nos custos para as companhias areas;

O setor aeronutico enfrenta uma demanda constante por novos pilotos, j que aproximadamente 3% deles se aposentam anualmente. No entanto, a pandemia de COVID–19 causou um grande revs no setor, com todos os programas de cadetes sendo adiados ou cancelados.

Consequentemente, h agora um problema significativo de escassez de pilotos, levando a rpidos aumentos de custos. Estima–se que o setor experimentar uma escassez de 300.000 pilotos dentro de uma dcada. Espera–se que essa escassez crie desafios significativos, particularmente na ndia, que deve ter a maior escassez de pilotos

Desafios para reservar vagas de MRO aps a COVID–19, j que eventos de manuteno programados foram adiados

Outro problema causado pela pandemia de COVID–19 um acmulo significativo de servios de MRO para aeronaves em todo o mundo. Como resultado da reduo sem precedentes nas viagens areas e da paralisao de muitas aeronaves, a manuteno programada foi atrasada ou adiada.

No entanto, medida que a demanda de viagens areas comea a se recuperar e as companhias areas retornam operao plena, surgiu o desafio de reservar vagas de MRO para realizar a manuteno necessria nessas aeronaves. Muitas companhias areas esto descobrindo que as instalaes de MRO j esto operando a plena capacidade, resultando em longos tempos de espera e possveis interrupes nas operaes das companhias areas Espera–se que esse acmulo de manuteno persista por algum tempo, criando obstculos aos esforos de recuperao do setor areo.

Desafio para encontrar vagas de manuteno de motores V2500 e RR devido manuteno adiada

As companhias areas que operam aeronaves com motores V2500 e RR tambm esto encontrando dificuldades para programar a manuteno de seus motores devido alta demanda e disponibilidade limitada. Isso criou uma situao desafiadora, especialmente para as companhias areas com grandes frotas de aeronaves desse tipo.

A falta de vagas de manuteno disponveis forou as companhias areas a paralisar algumas de suas aeronaves, levando a interrupes operacionais e perdas de receita. Alm do impacto financeiro, a situao tambm levanta preocupaes de segurana, pois o atraso na manuteno pode comprometer a segurana e a confiabilidade dos motores, podendo levar a problemas mais significativos no futuro.

Os requisitos ESG para uma aviao mais ecolgica no desapareceram no mdio prazo

A 41 Assembleia da Organizao da Aviao Civil Internacional (OACI), realizada em Montreal em outubro de 2022, foi um marco significativo para o compromisso do setor da aviao com a sustentabilidade. A assembleia se comprometeu com uma Meta Ambiciosa de Longo Prazo (LTAG) para alcanar emisses lquidas zero de CO2 at 2050, o que trouxe as questes de Meio Ambiente, Sociedade e Governana (ESG) para a vanguarda da conversa sobre aviao sustentvel.

A meta ambiciosa do LTAG desafiadora, mas tem o potencial de incentivar as companhias areas a acelerar o desenvolvimento e a adoo de combustveis de aviao mais ecolgicos e outras melhorias tcnicas para reduzir as emisses de carbono dos voos. Isso exigir uma mudana significativa na mentalidade de todo o setor, investimento em pesquisa e desenvolvimento e colaborao entre companhias areas, fabricantes e governos para alcanar o objetivo de longo prazo.

Aps a COVID–19, dvidas com peas de reposio, servios de MRO e leasing de aeronaves faro com que algumas aeronaves ainda fiquem paradas, o que causar demanda de capacidade

A situao complexa no setor levou as companhias areas a contrarem mais dvidas para financiar vrios aspectos de suas operaes, como peas de reposio, servios de MRO e leasing de aeronaves. No entanto, o aumento da dvida pendente para o setor pode ter implicaes significativas, com algumas companhias areas potencialmente lutando para pagar suas dvidas, o que pode resultar em uma reduo na capacidade, j que as companhias areas so foradas a paralisar algumas de suas aeronaves ou cortar rotas para minimizar os custos.

Dados internos mostram que a dvida pendente do setor saltou mais de 20% desde 2020, chegando a mais de US$ 300 bilhes. Para levantar capital, as transportadoras areas globais venderam US$ 63 bilhes em ttulos e emprstimos at agora neste ano.

Contato de mdia:
Silvija Jakiene
Diretora de Comunicaes
Avia Solutions Group
silvija.jakiene@aviasg.com
+370 671 22697


GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 1000810847)

Vorsitzender der Avia Solutions Group Gediminas Ziemelis: 10 große Herausforderungen für die Nachhaltigkeit der Passagierluftfahrt in den nächsten 3 Jahren

DUBLIN, Irland, May 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Die Sicherstellung eines nachhaltigen Betriebs ist in den letzten Jahren zu einem der wichtigsten Faktoren fr Luftfahrtunternehmen geworden. Dennoch ist diese dynamische Branche mit einer Vielzahl von Herausforderungen konfrontiert, die die Bemhungen der Unternehmen um eine hhere Rentabilitt behindern knnen. Es gibt zwar mehrere Faktoren, die zu den Schwierigkeiten der Luftfahrtbranche beitragen, aber einige Schlsselthemen verdienen es, als Hauptverursacher hervorgehoben zu werden.

Die hohen Zinsen auf dem Markt in USD fr stark fremdfinanzierte und hoch verschuldete Fluggesellschaften werden noch hher sein

In den letzten Jahren hat die Luftfahrtbranche einen erheblichen Nachfragerckgang bei Flugreisen erlebt, was bei vielen Fluggesellschaften zu finanziellen Verlusten gefhrt hat. Um sich in dieser Zeit ber Wasser zu halten, haben die Fluggesellschaften zustzliche Schulden aufgenommen. Diese hhere Verschuldung hat jedoch zu einem hheren Risiko fr die Kreditgeber gefhrt, was zu hheren Marktzinsen fr die Fluggesellschaften fhrte.

Neben den Auswirkungen der Pandemie auf die Branche haben auch andere Faktoren wie steigende Treibstoffkosten und ein verstrkter Wettbewerb zu den finanziellen Schwierigkeiten vieler Fluggesellschaften beigetragen. Diese Faktoren haben es fr stark fremdfinanzierte Fluggesellschaften immer schwieriger gemacht, Gewinne zu erwirtschaften und ihre Schulden zu tilgen, was zu Bedenken hinsichtlich der Nachhaltigkeit ihrer Geschftsmodelle gefhrt hat.

Die Kombination dieser Faktoren hat dazu gefhrt, dass hoch verschuldete Fluggesellschaften jetzt mit noch hheren Marktzinsen konfrontiert sind, was ihre finanziellen Schwierigkeiten noch verschrfen kann.

Deutlich hhere Versicherungskosten "" die sich verschlechternden Kriegsrisiken knnten die Versicherungsprmien in die Hhe treiben

Die Luftfahrtbranche kmpft mit steigenden Versicherungskosten aufgrund zunehmender geopolitischer Risiken. Dies wird in hohem Mae durch die Tatsache beeinflusst, dass nach Angaben fhrender Versicherungsunternehmen rund 500 an russische Betreiber geleaste Flugzeuge in Russland festsitzen. Die Versicherer sehen sich aufgrund der unsicheren Situation, die durch die Weigerung der russischen Regierung, Flugzeuge freizugeben, entstanden ist, potenziellen Haftungsproblemen gegenber.

Infolgedessen fllt es den Versicherern schwer, die Hhe des Risikos einzuschtzen, was zu einer groen Bandbreite an potenziellen Verlusten fhrt, die nach Branchenangaben auf bis zu 30 Milliarden Dollar geschtzt werden. Diese Unsicherheit drfte die Versicherungsprmien fr Fluggesellschaften in die Hhe treiben, was sich auf die gesamte Branche auswirken wird.

Fluggste werden sich an Entschdigungen fr Flugversptungen erinnern, und das wird sich auf die ungeplanten Kosten der Fluggesellschaften auswirken

Die EU–Verordnung 261/2004 sieht Entschdigungen fr Fluggste vor, die von Versptungen, Annullierungen, berbuchungen oder Nichtbefrderung betroffen sind. Je nach den konkreten Umstnden und unter bestimmten Voraussetzungen knnen die betroffenen Passagiere Anspruch auf eine Entschdigung in Hhe von 250 bis 600 pro Person haben. Vor der COVID–19–Pandemie lag der Anteil der Flugversptungen in der EU, die unter die Entschdigungsregelung fielen, bei 1,5 % aller Flge, mit einem durchschnittlichen Entschdigungsbetrag von 375 pro versptetem Flug.

Im Jahr 2019 befrderten die Fluggesellschaften in der EU insgesamt 1,12 Milliarden Gste, wobei 1,7 Millionen Flge von Versptungen betroffen waren, was zu Entschdigungszahlungen in Hhe von insgesamt 6,3 Milliarden Euro fhrte. Nur 10 % der betroffenen Fluggste reichen derzeit Beschwerden direkt bei den Fluggesellschaften oder ber spezialisierte Dienstleistungsunternehmen wie Skycop oder Airhelp ein.

Es wird jedoch erwartet, dass diese Zahl deutlich steigen wird, da die Branche nach COVID–19 mit Kapazittsengpssen und anderen Herausforderungen konfrontiert ist. Infolgedessen knnte die Zahl der Flge, fr die Ansprche geltend gemacht werden, von 1,5 % auf 5 % steigen, was zu Entschdigungszahlungen in Hhe von insgesamt 20 Milliarden Euro fhren knnte.

Herausforderungen in Bezug auf LEAP–Triebwerke werden sich auf mehr Flugzeuge am Boden und Kapazittsengpsse auswirken

Nach unseren internen Recherchen betreibt die Luftfahrtbranche derzeit eine Flotte von 1397 A320neo–Flugzeugen mit LEAP–1A–Triebwerken, insgesamt 3080 Triebwerke mit einem Durchschnitt von 2,2 Triebwerken pro Flugzeug, und 1043 Boeing 737 MAX–Flugzeuge mit LEAP–1B–Triebwerken, insgesamt 2338 Triebwerke mit einem Durchschnitt von 2,2 Triebwerken pro Flugzeug. Fr die Wartung dieser Triebwerke gibt es weltweit 21 Standorte fr die berholung und Wartung von LEAP–1A und 22 Standorte fr LEAP–1B Triebwerke.

Da aber 16.000 Flugzeuge (das entspricht 60 % der gesamten Flotte) in den Jahren 2020–2021 am Boden geblieben sind, hat dies zu einer Verschiebung der LEAP–Triebwerkswartung um sage und schreibe 60 % gefhrt. Infolgedessen klafft nun an 43 Standorten eine erhebliche Wartungslcke, die zu Wartezeiten von 9–10 Monaten fr die Triebwerkswartung fhrt, was den Flugbetrieb potenziell stren knnte.

Unterbrechung der OEM–Produktion und der Lieferkette im Zeitraum 2023–2025 wird zu einer Verknappung der Flugzeugkapazitten fhren

Die COVID–19–Pandemie hat tiefgreifende Auswirkungen auf die Luft– und Raumfahrtbranche gehabt. Erstausrster (OEMs) wie Boeing und Airbus haben erhebliche Unterbrechungen in ihrer Produktions– und Lieferkette erlebt. Als Reaktion auf die weltweite Konjunkturabschwchung und die geringere Nachfrage nach Flugreisen haben die OEMs ihre Produktion im Vergleich zur Zeit vor der Einfhrung von COVID um etwa die Hlfte reduziert. Dies hat jedoch zu einer Verknappung der Flugzeugkapazitten gefhrt, was die Erholungsbemhungen der Branche behindert.

Von den Produktionskrzungen waren ber 5.000 Zulieferer in der Lieferkette betroffen, die alle whrend der Pandemie ihre Volumina reduzieren mussten. Folglich wird es voraussichtlich 2,5 bis 4 Jahre dauern, bis die Luft– und Raumfahrtbranche wieder das Produktionsniveau von vor COVID erreicht. Diese lngere Zeit der Unterbrechung wird wahrscheinlich erhebliche Folgen fr die Branche und ihre Interessengruppen haben.

In den Jahren 2020–2021 fhrten die Streichung von Pilotenkadettenprogrammen und geplante Pensionierungen zu einem Pilotenmangel in den Jahren 2023–2024 und zu einem rapiden Anstieg der Kosten fr die Fluggesellschaften

Die Luftfahrbranche hat einen stndigen Bedarf an neuen Piloten, da jhrlich etwa 3 % der Piloten in den Ruhestand gehen. Die COVID–19–Pandemie hat jedoch einen groen Rckschlag in der Branche verursacht, da alle Kadettenprogramme entweder verschoben oder abgesagt wurden.

Daher gibt es jetzt einen erheblichen Pilotenmangel, der zu einem raschen Kostenanstieg fhrt. Es wird geschtzt, dass der Branche innerhalb eines Jahrzehnts 300.000 Piloten fehlen werden. Dieser Mangel wird voraussichtlich zu erheblichen Herausforderungen fhren, insbesondere in Indien, wo der grte Mangel an Piloten erwartet wird.

Herausforderungen bei der Buchung von MRO–Slots nach COVID–19, da geplante Wartungsereignisse verschoben wurden

Ein weiteres Problem, das durch die COVID–19–Pandemie verursacht wurde, ist eine erhebliche Anhufung von MRO–Dienstleistungen fr Flugzeuge weltweit. Infolge des beispiellosen Rckgangs des Flugverkehrs und des Flugverbots fr viele Flugzeuge wurden geplante Wartungsarbeiten verschoben oder zurckgestellt.

Da sich die Nachfrage nach Flugreisen jedoch zu erholen beginnt und die Fluggesellschaften ihren Betrieb wieder in vollem Umfang aufnehmen, stellt sich die Herausforderung, MRO–Slots zu buchen, um die notwendigen Wartungsarbeiten an diesen Flugzeugen durchzufhren. Viele Fluggesellschaften stellen fest, dass die MRO–Einrichtungen bereits voll ausgelastet sind, was zu langen Wartezeiten und potenziellen Unterbrechungen des Flugbetriebs fhrt. Dieser Wartungsstau wird voraussichtlich noch einige Zeit andauern und die Erholungsbemhungen der Luftfahrtbranche behindern.

Schwierige Suche nach Pltzen fr die Wartung von V2500– und RR–Triebwerken aufgrund aufgeschobener Wartung

Fluggesellschaften, die Flugzeuge mit V2500– und RR–Triebwerken betreiben, haben aufgrund der hohen Nachfrage und der begrenzten Verfgbarkeit ebenfalls Schwierigkeiten bei der Planung von Wartungsarbeiten fr ihre Triebwerke. Dies hat eine schwierige Situation geschaffen, insbesondere fr Fluggesellschaften mit groen Flotten solcher Flugzeuge.

Der Mangel an verfgbaren Wartungsslots hat die Fluggesellschaften gezwungen, einige ihrer Flugzeuge am Boden zu lassen, was zu Betriebsstrungen und Umsatzeinbuen gefhrt hat. Neben den finanziellen Auswirkungen wirft die Situation auch Sicherheitsbedenken auf, da eine verzgerte Wartung die Sicherheit und Zuverlssigkeit der Triebwerke beeintrchtigen kann, was in der Zukunft zu greren Problemen fhren knnte.

ESG–Anforderungen fr eine umweltfreundlichere Luftfahrt sind mittelfristig nicht verschwunden

Die 41. Versammlung der Internationalen Zivilluftfahrt–Organisation (ICAO), die im Oktober 2022 in Montreal stattfand, markierte einen wichtigen Meilenstein fr das Engagement der Luftfahrtbranche im Bereich der Nachhaltigkeit. Die Versammlung verpflichtete sich zu einem langfristigen Ziel (Long Term Aspirational Goal, LTAG), um bis 2050 Netto–CO2–Emissionen zu erreichen, was die Themen Umwelt, Soziales und Unternehmensfhrung (ESG) in den Vordergrund des Gesprchs ber nachhaltigen Luftverkehr gerckt hat.

Das ehrgeizige LTAG–Ziel ist eine Herausforderung, aber es hat das Potenzial, die Fluggesellschaften zu ermutigen, die Entwicklung und Einfhrung umweltfreundlicherer Dsentreibstoffe und anderer technischer Verbesserungen zur Dekarbonisierung des Flugverkehrs zu beschleunigen. Dies erfordert ein erhebliches Umdenken in der gesamten Branche, Investitionen in Forschung und Entwicklung und die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Fluggesellschaften, Herstellern und Regierungen, um das langfristige Ziel zu erreichen.

Nach COVID–19 werden die Schulden fr Ersatzteile, MRO–Dienstleistungen und Flugzeugleasing dazu fhren, dass einige Flugzeuge weiterhin am Boden bleiben, was zu einer Kapazittsnachfrage fhren wird

Die schwierige Situation in der Branche hat die Fluggesellschaften dazu veranlasst, zustzliche Schulden aufzunehmen, um verschiedene Aspekte ihres Geschftsbetriebs zu finanzieren, z. B. Ersatzteile, MRO–Dienstleistungen und Flugzeugleasing. Der Anstieg der ausstehenden Schulden fr die Branche knnte jedoch erhebliche Auswirkungen haben, da einige Fluggesellschaften mglicherweise Schwierigkeiten haben werden, ihre Schulden zu begleichen. Dies knnte zu einem Kapazittsabbau fhren, da die Fluggesellschaften gezwungen sind, einige ihrer Flugzeuge am Boden zu lassen oder Strecken zu streichen, um die Kosten zu minimieren.

Insider–Daten zeigen, dass die ausstehenden Schulden der Branche seit 2020 um ber 20 % auf mehr als 300 Milliarden Dollar gestiegen sind. Um Kapital zu beschaffen, haben die globalen Fluggesellschaften in diesem Jahr bereits Anleihen und Kredite im Wert von 63 Milliarden Dollar verkauft.

Medienkontakt:
Silvija Jakiene
Chief Communications Officer
Avia Solutions Group
silvija.jakiene@aviasg.com
+370 671 22697


GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 1000810847)

DelivApp, a Digital Food Ordering Platform Partners With Yango Delivery To Allow Restaurants To Deliver Faster

Tel Aviv, ISRAEL, May 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As part of the collaboration, Yango's leading delivery app for optimizing deliveries and making them faster and cheaper with machine learning and AI integrates with DelivApp, an online order management platform for restaurant chains.

The integration is international and is available to all restaurants using DelivApp and Yango in Israel, Mexico, South Africa, Serbia, UAE, Turkey and other countries.

With the new partnership, merchants using DelivApp's SaaS platform can choose Yango fleet as a fulfillment option. This will allow them to dispatch their overflow or even all orders to Yango couriers.

The service is already fully functioning for Golda, the largest Israeli gelato franchise with more than 130 locations. DelivApp powers Golda's ordering and delivery experience, allowing its franchisees to deliver by themselves or with the help of delivery partners such as Yango.

Or Zeno–Rabid, CEO of Yango Delivery: “Our delivery system is based on advanced technologies that allow us to provide the best and the most advanced delivery service in Israel. We are happy to cooperate with DelivApp, another leading technology company, and together help many businesses offer fast and reliable deliveries. We believe that our cooperation will help more restaurants and chains become leaders in food delivery, just as Golda did."

"DelivApp is committed to giving restaurants technological means to establish their digital sales and delivery operations and to be able to do so even for locations that don't have their own fleets or experience courier shortage,” explains Yan Zagatsky, the CEO and co–founder of DelivApp. “We see Yango Delivery as a very reliable and affordable option which proves to work extremely well for our customers."

About DelivApp

DelivApp is a SaaS platform for managing on–demand food delivery. Headquartered in Israel, DelivApp serves restaurants and delivery fleets globally and provides them with a white–label ordering experience, loyalty program, merchant portal and app, dispatcher's dashboard, courier app, tracking functionality, access to external fulfillment options, and more.

About Yango Delivery

Yango Delivery provides advanced delivery solutions based on machine learning and AI technology for route optimization and courier selection. The company provides last mile services to businesses and other delivery companies.

About Golda

Golda is the largest Israeli ice–cream franchise chain, established in 2010. Golda operates more than 130 branches in Israel and is establishing its international presence.

Contacts

Katya Rozenoer
Mobile: +972545439934
Email: katya–r@delivapp.com


GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 1000810799)

Impulse Dynamics Announces First Implant for CCM-D™ Clinical Trial

MARLTON, N.J., May 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Impulse Dynamics plc, a global medical device company dedicated to improving the lives of people with heart failure, announced the completion of the first implantation for the INTEGRA–D clinical trial, designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of two proven cardiac therapies combined "" CCM and an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) "" in a single device (CCM–D). The Optimizer IntegraTM CCM–D System delivers CCM therapy to improve quality of life and reduce heart failure symptoms, and ICD therapy to treat life–threatening arrhythmias that may cause sudden cardiac death. The investigational technology is rechargeable with long battery life, potentially reducing the need for replacement procedures.

The journey of a heart failure patient often involves debilitating symptoms and declining quality of life.

CCM therapy delivered by the Optimizer System improves quality of life and helps patients feel better. Patients indicated for CCM therapy may also be at a higher risk for arrythmias and sudden cardiac arrest and are therefore often offered an ICD to treat their heart for life–threatening arrythmias, should they occur. The INTEGRA–D trial is the first to evaluate the Optimizer Integra CCM–D System that combines both therapies into a single device, designed to last for many years.

"The first–in–the–world implant of this novel technology has potential to advance treatments for patients living with heart failure," said Niraj Varma, M.D., Ph.D., electrophysiologist at Cleveland Clinic and National Primary Investigator of the INTEGRA–D clinical trial. "The trial aims to study whether this device can protect heart failure patients from the risk of sudden cardiac death while also treating heart failure symptoms."

"We hope combining cardiac contractility modulation therapy and ICD therapy with prolonged battery life will reduce the number of leads and the number of procedures a patient may have to endure," said Bruce Wilkoff, M.D., Director of Cardiac Pacing and Tachyarrhythmia Devices at Cleveland Clinic and Principal Investigator of the INTEGRA–D trial. "The first implant went well, and we look forward to further studying this device."

The INTEGRA–D trial is a multicenter study of 300 subjects from 75 centers that will evaluate the combination of CCM and ICD therapy in a single device via the Optimizer Integra CCM–D System. The study will assess the performance of the CCM–D device in effectively treating episodes of ventricular tachycardia and/or ventricular fibrillation while also providing CCM treatment for heart failure. Patients enrolled in the study will receive the Optimizer Integra CCM–D System, and will be followed for at least two years.

"This clinical study is important in proving the potential benefit of combining CCM therapy, which improves quality of life in patients with heart failure, with gold–standard ICD technology that delivers lifesaving therapy for sudden cardiac death," said Nir Uriel, M.D., Director of Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation at New York–Presbyterian and National Co–Principal Investigator for the INTEGRA–D trial. Dr. Uriel is also a professor of cardiology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and an Adjunct Professor of Medicine in the Greenberg Division of Cardiology at Weill Cornell Medicine.

"Today's announcement is another example of our commitment to a continuous pace of innovation to build a comprehensive platform in interventional heart failure and help improve the lives of many patients that suffer from this debilitating disease," said Simos Kedikoglou, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Impulse Dynamics. "We are proud to partner with physicians at leading centers around the world to conduct important research on this first–of–its–kind rechargeable combination device designed to address a major unmet need of a large patient group."

About the Optimizer Integra CCM–D System and CCM Therapy

The Optimizer Integra CCM–D System is an investigational device that combines CCM therapy and ICD therapy into one device. "Investigational" means that the study device is currently being tested. It is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Impulse Dynamics currently offers the Optimizer system that is FDA–approved and CE–marked. The Optimizer system delivers CCM therapy "" the company's proprietary technology "" to the heart. CCM therapy has been designed by Impulse Dynamics to significantly improve the heart's contraction, allowing more oxygen–rich blood to be pushed out through the body. CCM therapy is indicated to improve the 6–minute hall walk, quality of life, and functional status of NYHA Class III heart failure patients who remain symptomatic despite guideline–directed medical therapy, are not indicated for CRT, and have a left ventricular ejection fraction ranging from 25 to 45 percent.

CCM is the brand name for cardiac contractility modulation "" a therapy that delivers non–excitatory electrical pulses from the implantable Optimizer device to improve heart contraction. CCM therapy sends unique electrical pulses to the heart cells during the absolute refractory period. In doing so, CCM helps the heart contract more forcibly. Impulse Dynamics has completed numerous clinical studies, including several randomized controlled trials, and CCM therapy has been published in more than 120 peer–reviewed journal articles.

About Impulse Dynamics

Impulse Dynamics is dedicated to advancing the treatment of heart failure for patients and the healthcare providers who care for them. The company pioneered its proprietary CCM therapy, which uses the Optimizer technology platform to improve quality of life in heart failure patients. CCM therapy is delivered through the Optimizer system, which includes an IPG implanted in a minimally invasive procedure and approved for commercial use in the United States and 44 countries worldwide. More than 9,000 patients have received the therapy as part of clinical trials and real–world use, where it is proven to be safe and effective for heart failure patients with debilitating symptoms who otherwise have few effective options available to them. To learn more, visit www.ImpulseDynamics.com, or follow the company on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

Forward–looking Statements

This press release contains forward–looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are forward–looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward–looking statements by terms such as ""may,'' ""will,'' ""should,'' ""expect,'' ""plan,'' ""anticipate,'' ""could,'' ""intend,'' ""target,'' ""project,'' ""contemplate,'' ""believe,'' ""estimate,'' ""predict,'' ""potential'' or ""continue'' or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions, although not all forward–looking statements contain these words. Forward–looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning potential benefits of CCM therapy, and CCM therapy combined with an ICD delivered via a single device (CCM–D), and the absence of risks associated therewith; the ability for CCM therapy and our products to fill a significant unmet medical need for patients with heart failure; and the short–term and long–term benefits of the Optimizer Integra CCM–D System and CCM therapy in patients with heart failure, as well as to the physicians treating those patients. These forward–looking statements are based on management's current expectations and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward–looking statements. Other important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contemplated in this press release include, without limitation: the company's future research and development costs, capital requirements and the company's needs for additional financing; commercial success and market acceptance of CCM therapy; the company's ability to achieve and maintain adequate levels of coverage or reimbursement for Optimizer systems or any future products the company may seek to commercialize; competitive companies and technologies in the industry; the company's ability to expand its indications and develop and commercialize additional products and enhancements to its current products; the company's business model and strategic plans for its products, technologies and business, including its implementation thereof; the company's ability to expand, manage and maintain its direct sales and marketing organization; the company's ability to commercialize or obtain regulatory approvals for CCM therapy and its products, or the effect of delays in commercializing or obtaining regulatory approvals; FDA or other U.S. or foreign regulatory actions affecting us or the healthcare industry generally, including healthcare reform measures in the United States and international markets; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals; and the company's ability to establish and maintain intellectual property protection for CCM therapy and products or avoid claims of infringement. The company does not undertake any obligation to update forward–looking statements and expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward–looking statements contained herein. These forward–looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

###


GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 8841961)

Nothing Beats Bushmeat, Not Even the Risk of Disease

Freshly slaughtered bush meat is being consumed even though it may have health risks.

Freshly slaughtered bush meat is being consumed even though it may have health risks.

By Busani Bafana
BULAWAYO, May 18 2023 – Meat from wild animals is relished across Africa and widely traded, but scientists are warning that eating bush meat is a potential health risk, especially in the wake of pandemics like COVID-19.

A study at the border settlements of Kenya and Tanzania has found that while people have been aware of the risks associated with eating bushmeat, especially after the COVID-19 outbreak, they don’t worry about hunting and eating wild animals that could transmit diseases.

On the contrary, the demand for bushmeat has increased, the 2023 study by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and TRAFFIC and other partners found.

No Beef With Bushmeat

Bushmeat is a collective term for meat derived from wild mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds that live in the jungle, savannah, or wetlands. Bushmeat comes from a variety of wild animals, including monkeys, pangolins, snakes, porcupines, antelopes, elephants, and giraffes.

The study — the first ever to look at disease risk perceptions of wild meat activities in rural communities in East Africa — was conducted in December 2021, and 299 people were interviewed in communities on the Kenya-Tanzania border.

Key findings of the study revealed that levels of education played a critical role in understanding zoonotic disease transmission; a majority of the people interviewed who had higher levels of education were more aware of the risks of disease transmission.

Nearly 80 percent of the respondents had learned about COVID-19 from mass media sources, but this did not impact their levels of wild meat consumption. Some even reported increased consumption. Hoofed animals, such as antelopes, gazelles and deer, were found to be the most consumed species, followed by birds, rodents and shrews.

Scientist and lead study author at ILRI, Ekta Patel, commented that it was important to commence the study in Kenya given the limited information on both rural and urban demand for wild meat and the potential risks associated with zoonotic diseases. The Kenya-Tanzania border is a known hotspot for wild meat consumption.

Zoonotic diseases are those that originate in animals — be they tamed or wild — that then mutate and ‘spill over’ into human populations.  Two-thirds of infectious diseases, from HIV/AIDS, which are believed to have originated in chimpanzee populations in early 20th century Central Africa, to COVID-19, believed to have originated from an as-yet undetermined animal in 2019, come from animals.

Confirming that there is no COVID health risk of consuming wild meat, Patel said that given the COVID-19 pandemic, which is thought to originate from wildlife, the study was investigating if the general public was aware of health risks associated with frequent interactions with wildlife.

Patel said some of these risks of eating bush meat include coming into contact with zoonotic pathogens, which can make the handler unwell. Other concerns are linked to not cooking meats well, resulting in foodborne illnesses.

“The big worry is in zoonotic disease risks associated with wild meat activities such as hunting, skinning and consuming,” Patel told IPS.

Africa is facing a growing risk of outbreaks caused by zoonotic pathogens, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The global health body reported a 63% increase in zoonotic outbreaks in the region from 2012-2022 compared to 2001-2011.

Control or Ban?

Scientists estimate that 70 percent of emerging infectious diseases originated from animals, and 60 percent of the existing infectious disease are zoonotic. For example, Ebola outbreaks in the Congo basin have been traced back to hunters exposed to ape carcasses.  She called for governments to implement policies to control zoonotic disease transmission risks through community engagements to change behaviour.

The study, while representative of the small sample, offered valuable insights about bushmeat consumption trends happening across Africa, where bushmeat is many times on the menu, says Martin Andimile, co-author of the study and Research Manager at the global wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC.

Pointing to the need to improve hygiene and standards of informal markets while at the same time providing communities with alternative protein sources, Andimile believes bushmeat consumption should be paused, citing the difficulty of regulating this source of meat.

“I think people in Africa have other options to get meat besides wild meat although some advocate that they get meat from the wild because of cultural reasons and that it is a delicacy, government systems cannot control the legal exploitation of wildlife,” Andimile told IPS. “I think bushmeat consumption should be stopped until there is a proper way of regulating it.”

Andimile said while some regulation could be enforced where the population of species are healthy enough for commercial culling to give communities bushmeat, growing human populations will impact the offtake of species from the wild.

“Bushmeat consumption is impacting species as some households consume bushmeat on a daily basis, and it is broadly obtained illegally (and is) cheaper than domestic meat,” Andimile told IPS.

Maybe regulation could keep bushmeat on the menu for communities instead of banning it, independent experts argue.

“Wild meat harvesting and consumption should not be banned as this goes against the role of sustainable use in area-based conservation as made clear by recent CBD COP15 decisions,” Francis Vorhies, a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group (SULi), says.  He called for an enabling environment for sustainable and inclusive wild meat harvesting, which means better regulations and voluntary standards such as developing a FairWild-like standard for harvesting wild animals.

Another expert, Rogers Lubilo, also a member of the IUCN SULi, concurs that bushmeat consumption should not be banned because it is a major source of protein. He argued that local communities who live side-by-side with wildlife would like to access bushmeat like they used to before, but the current policies across many sites incriminate bushmeat when acquired from illegal sources.

“There is a need to invest in opportunities that will encourage access to legal bushmeat,” Lubilo said. “The trade is big and lucrative, and if harnessed properly with good policies and the ability to monitor, would be part of the broadened wildlife economy.”

Eating Species to Extinction

There is some evidence that the consumption of bushmeat is impacting the species’ population, raising fears that without corrective action, people will eat wildlife to extinction.

The IUCN has warned that bushmeat consumption and trade have driven many species closer to extinction, calling for its regulation. Hunting and trapping are listed as a threat to 4,658 terrestrial species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, including 1,194 species in Africa.

At least 5 million tons of bushmeat are trafficked every year in Central Africa. Africa is expected to lose 50 percent of its bird and mammal species by the turn of the century, says  Eric Nana, a member of the IUCN SULi.

Nana notes that bushmeat trafficking from Africa into European countries like France, Switzerland, Belgium and the UK remains a largely understudied channel. He said estimates show that more than 1,000 tons are trafficked yearly.

“Much of the reptile-based bushmeat trade in Africa is technically illegal, poorly regulated, and little understood,” Patrick Aust, also a member of IUCN SULi, said, adding that reptiles form an important part of the bushmeat trade in Africa and further research is urgently needed to better understand conservation impacts and socioeconomic importance.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 


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Architects Lina Ghotmeh and Asif Khan appointed for two major museums in AlUla, Saudi Arabia

ALULA, Saudi Arabia, May 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) announces Lina Ghotmeh and Asif Khan as architects for two upcoming museums in its constellation of cultural assets. Ghotmeh will design the contemporary art museum and Khan will design the museum of the Incense Road. Both museums are situated in AlUla, a destination in northwest Arabia with 7,000 years of continuous human history.

Khan, who was awarded a MBE for his services to architecture and is currently working on the renewal of the Barbican Centre and the new London Museum, is known for his radical approach to architecture, which merges history with the future, grounding projects in material experimentation and social context.

Award winning Ghotmeh, who is designing the 2023 Serpentine Pavilion, creates work that sits at the intersection of art, architecture and design. Her practice is developed through a process of thorough historical research, emerging in complete symbiosis with nature as exquisite interventions that enliven memories and the senses.

The architects were chosen through an international competition. The jury comprised of key stakeholders and specialists in architecture, landscape and museology, supported by a technical panel, and was chaired by Dr Khaled Azzam, the architect of AlUla's Journey Through Time Masterplan.

We are excited to announce the appointed architects to these two significant museums "" the first of 15 cultural assets being developed as part of AlUla's Journey Through Time Masterplan. AlUla is a spectacular landscape of discovery, where heritage, works of nature and humankind combine to reveal a long and intimate relationship between people and their environment. This Masterplan will guide the reinvigoration of AlUla establishing a new cultural legacy including the implementation of a circular economy expected to create 38,000 new jobs.

Dr Khaled Azzam "" Architect, Journey Through Time Masterplan, Royal Commission for AlUla

The architecture of the contemporary art museum in AlUla immerses visitors in a creative journey from the desert expanse to the lush cultural oasis of AlUla, interweaving the natural environment, agriculture and art to reveal the heart of contemporary culture. Through a series of garden pavilions, the museum presents a constant interplay between art and nature, capturing the essence of this unique place. The galleries offer surprising and anchored perspectives on the many facets of AlUla, from the microclimates of the oasis to the expanse of the desert, evoking a deep sense of attachment to the land and its heritage.

Lina Ghotmeh, architect, contemporary art museum in AlUla

AlUla resonated with me deeply as did the local community members I met. The design takes the form of a public space, not a museum within walls, situated in AlJadidah village with galleries and spaces for sensory experiences and learning. The mountains are a constant background, whose sand dunes reach down to greet the edges of the museum, while stepped terraces of gardens act as a new interface between the village and the oasis.

I am excited about how the museum of the Incense Road can be brought into the collective memory of the world, and become a transformative asset for the local community.

Asif Khan, architect, museum of the Incense Road

The contemporary art museum in AlUla is a museum of regional and global contemporary art with Arabia at its heart. Offering a core collection of works by artists from regions adjoining the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean in dialogue with their contemporaries from across the world, the collection aims to evolve in partnership with these artists, including a robust programme of commissioned works. As the primary art museum in AlUla, it contributes to the region's legacy as a cultural beacon, generating opportunities for artists, designers, creatives and curators.

An adjoining series of artist–designed gardens will ensure the experience is connected to the landscape in which it sits. Integrated into the distinctive AlUla oasis, set amongst vegetable gardens, palm groves, mountain ranges and an ancient settlement, the museum will explore sensitive environmental design and function as a catalyst for environmental renewal and regeneration of the oasis. It will be structured as an archipelago of pavilion galleries interspersed with a mosaic of artist gardens. Its balance of interior and exterior galleries and gardens will allow visitors to define their own encounters both with art and the natural landscape.

The museum of the Incense Road will be the world's first museum dedicated to this epic and millennia–old network of major land and sea trading routes, celebrating AlUla's cultural legacy as a place of exchange at the confluence of civilisations. Bringing to life global histories, through which ideas, goods and culture were exchanged, it shines a light on north–west Arabia as a cultural epicentre. Living and dynamic narratives will include spotlighting the discoveries of ongoing excavations, highlighting the active nature of AlUla's archaeological sites and the cultural importance of the Incense Road. At the forefront of innovative museum practice, it will enable visitors to engage through layered, multidisciplinary interpretation anchored by carefully curated collections.

The museum of the Incense Road is being developed in dialogue with AlUla's ancient heritage "" including Hegra, Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site "" and its host village, AlJadidah. It will be an extension of the urban fabric that sits towards the oasis edge, looking out on a vista where Dadan and Hegra "" once vibrant cities that thrived as a result of the Incense Road "" are located. Guided by subject experts and the local community, the museum of the Incense Road will continue to be developed through extensive local and international collaboration with specialists across fields including academia and museology.

Both museums offer a unique entry point into AlUla's rich and extensive cultural offering and will be developed with a socially responsible approach to the preservation, interpretation, meaningful community engagement and presentation of AlUla's cultural inheritance. They will consider how to reduce environmental impact while building meaningful spaces, particularly regarding conservation, controlled temperature, humidity and lighting, and will work with a network of cultural leaders at an institutional, thematic and discipline level in the spirit of reciprocal exchange.

Notes to editors

About AlUla:

Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in north–west Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km , includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned.

The most well–known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. A 52–hectare ancient city, Hegra was the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and comprises more than 100 well–preserved tombs with elaborate facades cut out of the sandstone outcrops surrounding the walled urban settlement. Current research also suggests Hegra was the most southern outpost of the Roman Empire after the Nabataeans were conquered in 106 CE.

In addition to Hegra, AlUla is home to fascinating historical and archaeological sites such as Ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms, which is considered one of the most developed 1st–millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula; thousands of ancient rock art sites and inscriptions at Jabal Ikmah; and AlUla Old Town, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes developed from at least the 12th century.

About The Royal Commission for AlUla:

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) was established by royal decree in July 2017 to protect and safeguard AlUla, a region of outstanding natural and cultural significance in north–west Saudi Arabia. RCU is embarking on a long–term plan to develop and deliver a sensitive, sustainable transformation of the region, reaffirming it as one of the country's most important archaeological and cultural destinations and preparing it to welcome visitors from around the world. RCU's development work in AlUla encompasses a broad range of initiatives across archaeology, tourism, culture, education and the arts, reflecting the ambitious commitment to cultivate tourism and leisure in Saudi Arabia, outlined in Vision 2030.

Lina Ghotmeh works and lives in Paris, where she leads her multidisciplinary practice Lina Ghotmeh "" Architecture. Her visionary and materially sensitive works emerge in complete symbiosis with their environment while soliciting memory and senses.

Lina Ghotmeh is the nominated Architect for this year's 22nd Serpentine Pavilion and her projects include Ateliers Herms (first low carbon, energy positive building in France) delivered this April 2023, Stone Garden crafted tower and gallery spaces in Beirut (Dezeen Architecture of the year 2021 Prize), the Estonian National Museum (Grand Prix Afex 2016, project she designed in partnership with Dorell.Ghotmeh.Tane), Wonderlab Master crafts exhibition in Tokyo and Beijing & award winning Les Grands Verres restaurants for the Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France.

She is the recipient of multiple awards including the 2020 Schelling Prize, the 2020 Tamayouz "Woman of Outstanding Achievement", the French Fine Arts Academy Cardin Award 2019, the Architecture Academy Dejean 2016 and the French Ministry AJAP Prize in 2008. Her works have been exhibited at the 17th Architecture Biennale in Venice, at the MAXXI in Rome, and currently at the Cooper Hewitt in New York. She is active in Academic life and was Louis I Khan professor at Yale and Gehry Chair at the University of Toronto.

Asif Khan founded his London–based practice in 2007, which designs buildings, landscapes, installations, exhibitions and objects. His work is concerned with sensory experience, craftsmanship, cultural exchange and the merging of history with future worlds.

Asif Khan is currently working on the Barbican Art Centre Renewal, the new London Museum, opening 2026, itself the largest cultural project in Europe, and Liverpool Canning Dock waterfront transformation, a site at the centre of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. In 2020 he completed 6.5km of public realm design of Dubai Expo 2020, where his carbon–fibre Entry Portals received the Dezeen public award 2021 and nomination for the Aga Khan award for Architecture. He received the Grand Prix for Innovation (Cannes 2014) and Architect of the Year (German Design Council 2017).

His works have been exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts, V&A, Milan Salone, Milan Triennale, Gwangju Design Biennale, the Design Museum, London, London Design Week, Tokyo Design Week, and currently at MAAT Lisbon. He has taught at the Royal College of Art and at Musashino Art University, Tokyo. Khan was awarded an MBE for Services to Architecture in 2017 and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Design Museum in London.

Press contacts:

Vicky Newark
Pelham Communications
vicky@pelhamcommunications.com

Sherif Elhalafawy
Royal Commission for AlUla
s.elhalafawy@rcu.gov.sa

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e9648d36–fa73–489c–938c–7bb1d439c81e

The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.

A video accompanying this announcement is available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/725cb185–c4e4–4e48–a341–ee572ff27b60


GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID 8842227)

خبر صحافي

اختيار لينا غوتمة وآصف خان لتصميم وتطوير متحفين في العلا

العلا

18 مايو2023

18مايو2023،العلا


أعلنتالهيئة الملكيةلمحافظة العلا،عن تعيين ليناغوتمة، وآصفخان، كمهندسينمعماريين لمتحفينسيجري تنفيذهماضمن الأصولالثقافية فيمحافظة العلا،وفقا لما حددتهالرؤية التصميميةلمخطط رحلة عبرالزمن، ومن ضمنهذه المراكز،سيتم إنشاء 15مرفقًاثقافيًا جديدًا،بما في ذلك المتاحفوالمعارض ومعالمالجذب السياحي،وستعمل غوتمةعلى تصميم متحف"الفنالمعاصر"بينماسيطور خان متحف"طريقالبخور".

ويأتيإعلان الهيئةالملكية لاختيارالمعماريينللمتحفين فيمحافظة العلا،مع الاحتفالباليوم العالميللمتاحف، والذييوافق يوم الثامنعشر من شهر مايومن كل عام، حيثتعمل الهيئةضمن برنامج"تطويرالعلا"علىأن تصبح العلاأكبر متحف مفتوحفي العالم وتحويلهاإلى وجهة عالميةللفنون والتراثوالثقافة والطبيعة.

ويعدُّقطاعُ الفنونأحدَ القطاعاتالرئيسية فيضوء "رؤيةالعلا"،التي استلهمتمحاور رؤية2030،والركائز الثلاث:"مجتمعحيوي، واقتصادمزدهر، ووطنطموح"،عبر العديد منالمبادرات،التي تم تنفيذعدد منها، إضافةإلى ما تضمنهمخطط "رحلةعبر الزمن"الذييبرزُ مواقعالتراث والطبيعة؛لتعزيز التنميةالمستدامة،باستثمار كلالمقومات المتاحةمن أجل خلق روافداقتصادية متنوعة.

وتماختيار المعماريانعن طريق مسابقةدولية، تكونتمن الأطرافالمعنية الرئيسيةومتخصصين فيالهندسة المعماريةوالمناظر الطبيعيةوعلم المتاحف،مدعومة من لجنةفنية يرأسهاالدكتور خالدعزام، عضو مجلسإدارة الهيئةالملكية لمحافظةالعلا مهندسمخطط رحلة العلاعبر الزمن.

وتعدلينا غوتمة،أحد أبرز المعماريينحيث حصلت علىجوائز عالميةعديدة، وتجمعمختلف أعمالهابين الفن والهندسةالمعماريةوالتصميم.وتطورعملها المعماريفي إطار البحثالتاريخي للمواقع،وإبرازه عبرابتكارات تصميمية تتناغم مع الطبيعة.

ويشتهرآصف خان، الحائزعلى رتبة الإمبراطوريةالبريطانيةفي الهندسةالمعمارية،بأعماله التيتدمج التاريخمع تطورات المستقبل،وتبرز تصاميمهعلى أساس مراعاةالبيئة والسياقالاجتماعيالتاريخي، ويعملحالياً علىتجديد مركزباربيكان ومتحفلندن الجديد.

وسيوفرمتحف "الفنالمعاصر"رحلةإبداعية تنقلالزائر من البيئةالطبيعية إلىواحة العلاالثقافية، فيتداخل بين البيئةالطبيعية وتفاصيلهاوالفن لإظهارمكنون الثقافةالمعاصرة، ويتيحالمتحف تفاعلاًمستمراً بينالفن والطبيعة،ليجسد تفرد بيئةالعلا.

وسيحتفيمتحف "طريقالبخور"الذيسيتم تطويرهبالتراث الثقافيللعلا باعتبارهاملتقى القوافلعلى طريق البخورومن خلال إعادةإحياء صفحاتالتاريخ العالمي،ويسلط الضوءعلى دور شمالغرب المملكةكمركز ثقافيرئيسي والتيتبرز الطبيعةواندماجها فيبيئة العلاالثقافية، ويجريتطوير متحف طريقالبخور من خلالالانسجام بينإرث العلا بمافي ذلك مدينةالحجر التاريخيةوكذلك دادان.

ويوفركلا المتحفينمدخلاً فريداًللاطلاع علىالعروض الثقافيةالثرية في العلا،وسيجري تطويرهمابنهج يراعيالاستدامة كعنصررئيسي في مختلفمشروعات الهيئةالملكية لمحافظةالعلا.

–انتهى–

GLOBENEWSWIRE (Distribution ID )

Human Rights & Sovereign Debt Restructurings: A Proposal for an Optimal Outcome

UN Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the Opening Ceremony at the 36th ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. February 2023. On the economic front, Guterres called for more financial support for a continent that is, being hit by a dysfunctional and unfair financial system, inequalities in the availability of resources for the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and a cost-of-living crisis exacerbated by the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The financial system, declared the UN chief, routinely denies African countries debt relief, and charges extortionate interest rates, starving them of investment in vital areas, such as health, education, and social protection. Credit: UNECA/Daniel Getachew

By Daniel Bradlow
PRETORIA, South Africa, May 18 2023 – Zambia defaulted on its debt in November 2021 but has not yet reached an agreement with its creditors. Its president recently warned that this situation is hurting its citizens and undermining its democracy because “you cannot eat democracy”.

Given their adverse economic, social, and political impacts, it should be expected that human rights considerations would play an important role in sovereign debt restructurings. Unfortunately, this is not the case, even though all negotiating parties have human rights responsibilities or obligations.

It is unclear why these actors pay so little attention to human rights in the sovereign debt restructuring context. One possibility is that they are not sure how to incorporate human rights into their transactions.

This should not be surprising. It is difficult to understand the causal linkages between a sovereign debt crisis and the deteriorating human rights situation that follows. There can be multiple such linkages and the lines of causation can run in different directions.

Consequently, a human rights consistent debt restructuring will be fact and context specific and will require the parties to understand their role in both creating the situation and in mitigating or eliminating the adverse human rights impacts.

This requires the parties to have a common approach to analysing the debt crisis and its anticipated economic, financial, human rights, environmental, social and governance impacts. Thus, they could benefit from having a mutually acceptable set of principles that incorporates all these issues.

In 2021, I received a grant from the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa to explore the feasibility of my proposal to establish a DOVE (Debts of Vulnerable Economies) Fund. This fund would buy the debts of sovereigns in distress and state that it would only support sovereign debt restructurings that were consistent with widely accepted international norms and standards.

My work on this project revealed shortcomings with all the existing international standards and led me to develop the DOVE Fund Principles. The principles are based on 20 existing international norms and standards developed by states, international organisations, industry associations and civil society organisations. They can provide a common framework for the negotiations between states and their creditors. They are now set out and explained.

The DOVE Fund Principles

Principle 1: Guiding Norms: Sovereign debt restructurings should be guided by the following 6 norms: Credibility, Responsibility, Good Faith, Optimality, Inclusiveness, and Effectiveness.

• Credibility: The Negotiating Parties and the Affected Parties are confident that the restructuring process can produce an Optimal Outcome. The “Negotiating Parties” are the sovereign debtor, its creditors and their advisors. The “Affected Parties” are the residents of the debtor country and those individuals whose savings either directly or indirectly finance the debt being restructured.
• Responsibility: The Negotiating Parties seek an agreement that respects their respective economic, financial, environmental, social, human rights and governance obligations and/or responsibilities.
• Good Faith: The Negotiating Parties intend to reach an agreement that takes account of all their rights, obligations and responsibilities.
• Optimality: The Negotiating Parties seek an “Optimal Outcome”, that addresses the circumstances in which the transaction is being negotiated, the parties’ respective rights, obligations and responsibilities, and offers them the best possible mix of economic, financial, environmental, social, human rights and governance costs and benefits.
• Inclusiveness: All creditors can participate in the restructuring process and the Affected Parties are able to make informed decisions about how it will impact them.
• Effectiveness: The Negotiating Parties should seek an Optimal Outcome in a timely and efficient manner.

Principle 2: Transparency: The Negotiating Parties and the Affected Parties should have access to the information that they need to make informed decisions regarding the debt restructuring.

The creditors have access to sufficient information that they can make informed decisions about the scope of the sovereign’s debt problems, the options for their resolution and their potential economic, financial, environmental, social, human rights and governance impacts.

The Affected Parties should also have access to sufficient information, subject to appropriate safeguards, that they can make informed decisions about how the restructuring may affect their rights and interests.

The creditors should inform the debtor and the Affected Parties about their environmental, social, and human rights obligations and responsibilities.

Principle 3: Due Diligence: The sovereign debtor and its creditors should each undertake appropriate due diligence before concluding a sovereign debt restructuring process.

The Negotiating Parties should utilize a debt sustainability analysis which credibly determines the sovereign’s debt restructuring needs and their impacts.

Principle 4: Optimal Outcome Assessment: At the earliest feasible moment, the Negotiating Parties should publicly disclose why they expect their restructuring agreement to result in an Optimal Outcome.

An Optimal Outcome requires the Negotiating Parties to assess the expected impacts of their proposed agreement on the economic, financial, environmental, social, human rights and governance condition of the sovereign borrower and the Affected Parties.

Principle 5: Monitoring: The restructuring process should incorporate credible mechanisms for monitoring the implementation of the restructuring agreement.

The Negotiating Parties should audit the financial aspects of the agreement and monitor its economic, social, environmental, human rights and governance impacts. This information should be published periodically.

Principle 6: Inter-Creditor Comparability: The restructuring process should ensure that all creditors make a comparable contribution to the restructuring of the sovereign’s debt.

The process should give creditors the confidence that all other creditors are making comparable contributions to an Optimal Outcome.

Principle 7: Fair Burden Sharing: An Optimal Outcome should share the burden of the restructuring fairly between Negotiating Parties and should not impose undue costs on any of the Affected Parties.

Both the debtor and the creditor bear some responsibility for causing debt crises and should absorb some of the restructuring costs. Moreover, they should seek to limit how much of the restructuring costs the Affected Parties will have to bear, considering their relative wealth and ability to absorb losses.

Principle 8: Maintaining Market Access: The restructuring agreement, to the greatest extent possible, should be designed to facilitate future market access for the borrower.

It is an unfortunate reality that debtor countries must seek financing from international financial markets. Thus, the Optimal Outcome should help the debtor regain access to financial markets as quickly as possible.

As the Zambian case demonstrates, the current arrangements for restructuring sovereign debt are sub-optimal. The DOVE Fund Principles seek to overcome this problem by offering both Negotiating and Affected Parties a common conceptual framework that facilitates a fair resolution of the crisis incorporating all its social, environmental, human rights, economic, financial and governance impacts.

They therefore can promote an Optimal Outcome.

Daniel D. Bradlow, Professor/Senior Research Fellow, Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship, University of Pretoria, South Africa
SSRN Author Home Page
www.chr.up.ac.za

For further information on this ongoing project, contact: danny.bradlow@up.ac.za
Business and Human Rights Journal articles for further reading:
1) “Social Bonds for Sustainable Development: A Human Rights Perspective on Impact Investing” Stephen Kim PARK Journal: Business and Human Rights Journal / Volume 3 / Issue 2 / July 2018 pp. 233-255
2) The Record of International Financial Institutions on Business and Human Rights
Jessica EVANS Journal: Business and Human Rights Journal / Volume 1 / Issue 2 / July 2016

IPS UN Bureau

 


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Government Financing for Mayan Train Violates Socio-environmental Standards

Carrying the Mayan flag, members of the Colibrí Collective lead a march against the Mayan Train in the city of Valladolid, in the southern Mexican state of Yucatán, in May 2023. The construction of the Mexican government’s most important megaproject has drawn criticism from affected communities due to its environmental, social and cultural effects. CREDIT: Arturo Contreras / Pie de Página - Mexico’s development banks have violated their own socio-environmental standards while granting loans for the construction of the Mayan Train (TM), the flagship project of the presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador

Carrying the Mayan flag, members of the Colibrí Collective lead a march against the Mayan Train in the city of Valladolid, in the southern Mexican state of Yucatán, in May 2023. The construction of the Mexican government’s most important megaproject has drawn criticism from affected communities due to its environmental, social and cultural effects. CREDIT: Arturo Contreras / Pie de Página

By Emilio Godoy
MEXICO CITY, May 18 2023 – Mexico’s development banks have violated their own socio-environmental standards while granting loans for the construction of the Mayan Train (TM), the flagship project of the presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

The National Bank of Public Works and Services (Banobras), the Nacional Financiera (Nafin) bank and the Foreign Commerce Bank (Bancomext) allocated at least 564 million dollars to the railway line since 2021, according to the yearbooks and statements of the three state entities.

Banobras, which finances infrastructure and public services, granted 480.83 million dollars for the project in the Yucatan peninsula; Nafin, which extends loans and guarantees to public and private works, allocated 81 million; and Bancomext, which provides financing to export and import companies and other strategic sectors, granted 2.91 million.

Bancomext and Banobras did not evaluate the credit, while Nafin classified the information as “confidential”, even though it involves public funds, according to each institution’s response to IPS’ requests for public information.“(The banks) are committing internal violations of their own provisions in the granting of credits, in order to give loans to projects that are not environmentally viable and that do not respect the local communities.” — Gustavo Alanís

The three institutions have environmental and social risk management systems that include lists of activities that are to be excluded from financing.

In the case of Bancomext and Nafin, these rules are mandatory during the credit granting process, while Banobras explains that its objective is to verify that the loans evaluated are compatible with the bank’s environmental and social commitments.

Bancomext prohibits 19 types of financing; Banobras, 17; and Nafin, 18. The three institutions all veto “production or activities that place in jeopardy lands that are owned by indigenous peoples or have been claimed by adjudication, without the full documented consent of said peoples.”

Likewise, Banobras and Nafin must not support “projects that imply violations of national and international conventions and treaties regarding the indigenous population and native peoples.”

The three entities already had information to evaluate the railway project, since the Superior Audit of the Federation, the state comptroller, had already pointed to shortcomings in the indigenous consultation process and in the assessment of social risks, in the 2019 Report on the Results of the Superior Audit of the Public Account.

The total cost of the TM has already exceeded 15 billion dollars, 70 percent above what was initially planned, mostly borne by the government’s National Fund for Tourism Promotion (Fonatur), responsible for the megaproject.

 

Mexico’s three state development banks are partially financing the Mayan Train, for which they have failed to comply with the due process of the evaluation of socio-environmental risks that are part of their regulations. The photo shows the clearing of part of the route of one of the branches of the railway line in the municipality of Playa del Carmen, in the southeastern state of Quintana Roo, in March 2022. CREDIT: Emilio Godoy / IPS

Mexico’s three state development banks are partially financing the Mayan Train, for which they have failed to comply with the due process of the evaluation of socio-environmental risks that are part of their regulations. The photo shows the clearing of part of the route of one of the branches of the railway line in the municipality of Playa del Carmen, in the southeastern state of Quintana Roo, in March 2022. CREDIT: Emilio Godoy / IPS

 

Violations

Angel Sulub, a Mayan indigenous member of the U kúuchil k Ch’i’ibalo’on Community Center, criticized the policies applied and the disrespect for the safeguards regulated by the state financial entities themselves.

“This shows us, once again, that there is a violation of our right to life, and there has not been at any moment in the process, from planning to execution, a will to respect the rights of the peoples,” he told IPS from the Felipe Carrillo Port, in the southeastern state of Quintana Roo, where one of the TM stations will be located.

Sulub, who is also a poet, described the consultation as a “sham”. “Respect for the consultation was violated in all cases, an adequate consultation was not carried out. They did not comply with the minimum information, it was not a prior consultation, nor was it culturally appropriate,” he argued.

In December 2019, the government National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI) organized a consultation with indigenous groups in the region that the Mexican office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights questioned for non-compliance with international standards.

Official data indicates that some 17 million native people live in Mexico, belonging to 69 different peoples and representing 13 percent of the total population.

INPI initially anticipated a population of 1.5 million indigenous people to consult about the TM in 1,331 communities. But that total was reduced to 1.32 million, with no official explanation for the 12 percent decrease. The population in the project’s area of ​​influence totaled 3.57 million in 2019, according to the Superior Audit report.

The conduct of the three financial institutions reflects the level of compliance with the president’s plans, as has happened with other state agencies that have refused to create hurdles for the railway, work on which began in 2020 and which will have seven routes.

The Mayan Train, run by Fonatur and backed by public funds, will stretch some 1,500 kilometers through 78 municipalities in the states of Campeche, Quintana Roo and Yucatán, within the peninsula, as well as the neighboring states of Chiapas and Tabasco. It will have 21 stations and 14 other stops.

The Yucatan peninsula is home to the second largest jungle in Latin America, after the Amazon, and is notable for its fragile biodiversity. In this territory, furthermore, to speak of the population is to speak of the Mayans, because in a high number of municipalities they are a majority and 44 percent of the total are Mayan-speaking.

The government promotes the megaproject, whose locomotives will transport thousands of tourists and cargo, such as transgenic soybeans, palm oil and pork – key economic activities in the area – as an engine for socioeconomic development in the southeast of the country.

It argues that it will create jobs, boost tourism beyond the traditional attractions and energize the regional economy, which has sparked polarizing controversies between its supporters and critics.

The railway faces complaints of deforestation, pollution, environmental damage and human rights violations, but these have not managed to stop the project from going forward.

In November 2022, López Obrador, who wants at all costs for the locomotives to start running in December of this year, classified the TM as a “priority project” through a presidential decree, which facilitates the issuing of environmental permits.

Gustavo Alanís, executive director of the non-governmental Mexican Center for Environmental Law, questioned the way the development banks are proceeding.

“They are committing internal violations of their own provisions in the granting of credits, in order to give loans to projects that are not environmentally viable and that do not respect the local communities. They are not complying with their own internal guidelines and requirements regarding the environment and indigenous peoples in the granting of credits,” he told IPS.

 

Groups opposed to the Mayan Train protest along a segment of the megaproject in the municipality of Carrillo Puerto, in the southeastern state of Quintana Roo, on May 3. CREDIT: Arturo Contreras / Pie de Página

Groups opposed to the Mayan Train protest along a segment of the megaproject in the municipality of Carrillo Puerto, in the southeastern state of Quintana Roo, on May 3. CREDIT: Arturo Contreras / Pie de Página

 

Trendy guidelines

In the last decade, socio-environmental standards have gained relevance for the promotion of sustainable works and their consequent financing that respects ecosystems and the rights of affected communities, such as those located along the railway.

Although the three Mexican development banks have such guidelines, they have not joined the largest global initiatives in this field.

None of them form part of the Equator Principles, a set of 10 criteria established in 2003 and adopted by 138 financial institutions from 38 countries, and which define their environmental, social and corporate governance.

Nor are they part of the Principles for Responsible Banking, of the United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative, announced in 2019 and which have already been adopted by 324 financial and insurance institutions from more than 50 nations.

These standards address the impact of projects; sustainable client and user practices; consultation and participation of stakeholders; governance and institutional culture; as well as transparency and corporate responsibility.

Of the three Mexican development banks, only Banobras has a mechanism for complaints, which has not received any about its loans, including the railway project.

In this regard, Sulub questioned the different ways to guarantee indigenous rights in this and other large infrastructure projects.

“The legal fight against the railway and other megaprojects has shown us in recent years that, as peoples, we do not have effective access to justice either, even though we have clearly demonstrated violations of our rights. Although it is a good thing that companies and banks have these guidelines and that they comply with them, we do not have effective mechanisms for enforcement,” he complained.

In Sulub’s words, this leads to a breaching of the power of indigenous people to decide on their own ways of life, since the government does not abide by judicial decisions, which in his view is further evidence of an exclusionary political system.

For his part, Alanís warned of the banks’ complicity in the damage reported and the consequent risk of legal liability if the alleged irregularities are not resolved.

“If not, they must pay the consequences and hold accountable those who do not follow internal policies. The international banks have inspection panels, to receive complaints when the bank does not follow its own policies,” he stated.