新开发银行是金砖国家的王牌

The ninth annual BRICS summit is being held amid turbulent times for the five countries. In the wake of the recent Doklam stand-off, India and China relations remain delicate. Engulfed in economic and political turmoil, South Africa and Brazil are likely to play a less active role at the meeting in Xiamen.

在第九届金砖国家(Brics)年度峰会召开之际，5个金砖国家并不平静。在最近多兰高原(Doklam Plateau,中国称洞朗地区——译者注)对峙之后，印度和中国的关系依然微妙。南非和巴西陷入了经济和政治动荡，可能在厦门峰会上扮演不太活跃的角色。

But if question marks on the future of BRICS are repeatedly raised, the New Development Bank (NDB) is probably the most concrete avenue through which the grouping can deepen co-operation. Last month the NDB Board of Directors approved four projects in China, Russia and India with loans totalling more than $1.4bn.

但如果说金砖国家的未来反复引起疑问的话，新开发银行(NDB)可能是让该集团深化合作的最具体的平台。上月，新开发银行董事会批准了在中国、俄罗斯和印度的4个项目，贷款总额超过14亿美元。

The second tranche of projects broadens the scope of NDB’s activities from renewable energy to areas ranging from information technology to energy conservation. This includes a $2bn sovereign project finance facility for flood control and water quality extended to Hunan province in China, and a $470m sovereign project loan for developing the rural drinking water supply scheme in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Going forward, another $30bn in loans, including a total of 15 projects by the end of 2017 and up to 50 in 2021, has already been announced.

这第二批项目将新开发银行的业务范围从可再生能源扩大到信息科技和节能等领域。其中包括为中国湖南省防洪和改善水质提供的20亿元人民币主权项目融资贷款，以及开发印度中央邦(Madhya Pradesh)乡村饮用水供应项目的4.7亿美元主权项目贷款。此外该行还宣布了300亿美元的贷款，为到2017年底总计15个项目以及到2021年的多达50个项目提供融资。

According to the Bank’s five-year strategy, approximately two-thirds of all projects will be devoted to sustainable infrastructure development. The NDB’s stated commitment to sustainable infrastructure is perhaps its most important differentiating feature, carving out a niche for itself among existing multilateral development banks.

根据该行的5年战略，近三分之二的项目将集中于可持续的基础设施建设。新开发银行做出的可持续基础设施建设承诺或许是其最重要的区别特征，为自己在现有的多边开发银行当中找到了独特的位置。

In 2015 almost 190 countries, accounting for more than 98 per cent of greenhouse-gas emissions, agreed to a global climate-change strategy. Each country submitted a voluntary plan that set out how it would move its economy on to a lower-carbon growth pathway. With the recent withdrawal of the US from the Paris Agreement, countries such as India and China may well provide a new kind of leadership to climate change efforts.

2015年，约190个国家就全球气候变化战略达成一致——这些国家排放了全球逾98%的温室气体。每个国家提交了详述如何转型为低碳增长经济模式的自愿减排计划。随着美国最近退出《巴黎协定》(Paris Agreement)，印度和中国等国家可能为气候变化方面的努力提供新的领导力。

Attention now shifts towards how to implement and finance sustainable development. While these voluntary plans will take years to play out, one thing likely to happen is to direct investment towards ensuring the sustainability of infrastructure. Given the scale of investment required, creating the right conditions for these investments is essential. From 2015 to 2030, global demand for new infrastructure could amount to more than $90tn from a total estimate of $50tn in 2015. In India alone, this amount could reach $646bn over the next five years. Doing it sustainably will probably increase upfront capital costs by 6 per cent for individual projects.

现在注意力已经转向如何实施可持续发展以及如何融资。尽管这些自愿计划需要数年时间实施，但一种可能是引导投资来确保基础设施的可持续建设。鉴于所需投资规模庞大，为这些投资创造合适条件至关重要。从2015年到2030年，全球对新基础设施的需求可能从50万亿美元上升至逾90万亿美元。仅在印度一个国家，今后5年的基础设施需求就可能达到6460亿美元。可持续基础设施建设将可能让单个项目的前期资金成本增加6%。

But apart from stating that sustainable development will be linked to the financing of infrastructure projects, the NDB has been less clear about how it will ensure that these projects will be rooted in sound social and environmental practices. Addressing this question will be critical as the NDB implements its five-year strategy and realises its vision around sustainable development.

但除了声明可持续发展将与基础设施项目融资挂钩以外，新开发银行没有明确表示将会如何确保这些项目扎根于良好的社会和环境实践。在新开发银行实施其5年战略并实现可持续发展愿景之际，解决这个问题将至关重要。

An ongoing research study by BRICS scholars at the Center for African, Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CALACS) at O.P. Jindal Global University, India, and Conectas Human Rights, Brazil, in collaboration with the Center for BRICS Studies at Fudan University, China, has found that there is no common definition nor a unified approach to sustainable infrastructure. A working definition of sustainable infrastructure coupled with a framework for assessing the actual sustainability of NDB’s projects would equip the bank with the necessary policy tools to fully articulate its mandate. Some institutions have gone further and developed methodologies for assessing sustainability of infrastructure projects and institutions’ commitments to sustainable development. These experiences point to important lessons for the BRICS to apply within the context of the NDB.

印度金德尔全球大学(O.P. Jindal Global University)非洲、拉美和加勒比研究中心(CALACS)以及巴西人权组织Conectas Human Rights的金砖国家学者，与中国复旦大学金砖国家研究中心正在合作进行的一项研究发现，可持续基础设施建设既没有共同的定义，也没有统一的方法。一个可持续基础设施建设的有效定义，加上评估新开发银行项目实际可持续性的框架，将让该行拥有充分阐述其使命所必需的政策工具。一些机构更进一步，发展出评估基础设施项目可持续性以及各机构对可持续发展的承诺的方法。这些经验为金砖国家就新开发银行的工作提供了重要借鉴。

First, the negative spillovers of sustainable infrastructure projects on the environment and local communities are normally corrected via safeguards. But safeguards are limiting in that they do not necessarily unlock the transformational nature of development itself. Sustainable infrastructure projects should not only aim to compensate or mitigate adverse impacts on the environment and vulnerable groups, but go beyond the “do no harm” approach to generate positive impacts in borrowing countries.

首先，可持续发展基础设施项目对环境和当地社区的负面溢出，通常通过保护性措施进行修正。但保护性措施的局限性在于，它们不一定会释放发展本身的转变本质。可持续发展基础设施项目的目标不应该只是补偿或者减轻对环境和相关弱势群体的不利影响，而是超越“不伤害”的角度，对借款国产生积极影响。

Second, emphasis on each pillar of the sustainability triple bottom-line is context-specific and should follow a country’s development priorities and trajectories. While India and South Africa may place greater emphasis on social aspects such as job creation and service delivery, China would likely place more emphasis on economic growth. Moving forward pragmatically, without being overly prescriptive, is a must.

第二，对可持续发展三大支柱中每一个支柱的强调，都应考虑具体的环境，并且应该遵循相关国家的发展重点和轨道。印度和南非可能更强调就业增长和提供服务等社会方面，而中国可能更强调经济增长。务实地向前推进，而不过度强调条条框框，这是必须的。

Third, the social dimension of sustainability is not exactly framed under a “rights-based approach” to development. Even though requirements on consultation, participation, transparency, accountability and non-discrimination are present in most existing frameworks, people’s rights are not necessarily reflected therein. This is particularly important since infrastructure projects can cause heavy social impacts.

第三，可持续发展的社会维度并不完全构建于“以权利为基础”的发展模式下。虽然大多数现有框架都存在咨询、参与、透明、问责和不歧视的要求，但其中并不一定会反映人权。由于基础设施项目可能造成重大社会影响，这一点格外重要。

Financial and non-financial incentives, such as long-term repayment terms and lower interest rates, could be further designed to stimulate countries to submit projects that meet these sustainability criteria and to ensure that projects remain as such throughout their entire lifecycle.

金融和非金融方面的激励措施——比如长期偿还条款和低利率——可能进一步用来刺激相关国家提交满足这些可持续发展标准的项目，并确保项目在整个生命周期中满足标准。

Linking sustainability criteria to incentives would encourage countries to think about sustainable practices not as bureaucratic formalities or risks to be avoided, but as actions conducive to better development outcomes. This would represent a major shift in the way environmental and social standards are conceived in the international financial architecture, ultimately moving beyond do no harm’s and bottom lines to unravelling the “new” in the New Development Bank.

把可持续标准和激励措施联系在一起，可以鼓励相关国家不从官僚程序或需要避免的风险的角度来考虑可持续发展实践，而是把它看作有利于改善发展结果的行动。这意味着国际金融架构在考虑环境和社会标准的方式上的重大转变，最终将超越“不伤害”、三大支柱等标准，释放新开发银行的“新”。

Prof Karin Costa Vazquez is Executive Director of the Center for African, Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CALACS) and Assistant Dean for Global Engagement at O.P. Jindal Global University School of International Affairs, India.

卡林•科斯塔•巴斯克斯教授(Prof Karin Costa Vazquez)是印度金德尔全球大学国际事务学院(School of International Affairs)非洲、拉美和加勒比研究中心的执行主任、全球参与项目的副主任

Supriya Roychoudhury is a Senior Associate Researcher at the Center for African, Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CALACS) at O.P. Jindal Global University School of International Affairs, India.

塞博利亚•罗乔和里(Supriya Roychoudhury)是印度金德尔全球大学国际事务学院非洲、拉美和加勒比研究中心的高级副研究员

Caio Borges is a lawyer with Conectas Human Rights in Brazil

卡约•博尔热斯(Caio Borges)是巴西人权组织Conectas Human Rights的律师