Environmental associations file complaint against broker Marsh

Ugandan, Tanzanian and American human rights and environmental organizations filed a formal complaint with the U.S. National Contact Point (NCP) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) against the broker Marsh on 7 February 2022.

The U.S.-based organization Inclusive Development International (IDI), along with ten other organizations based in Tanzania and Uganda, are accusing the company of violating international corporate social responsibility guidelines by serving as an insurance broker for the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project.

The EACOP would stretch over 1 400 kilometers through Uganda and Tanzania to export crude oil to the Indian Ocean.

This project poses a great threat to both countries' environments and could exacerbate the current climate emergency, according to the plaintiffs. The collective is calling on Marsh to stop providing brokerage services to the project.

The plaintiffs believe that without the support of insurance market players such as Marsh, the EACOP would not come into being.