When the Sacred Is Bulldozed

Cultural heritage harm is increasingly acknowledged in accountability processes—but rarely repaired. This article draws on three emblematic cases from Jharkhand (India), Samoa, and Côte d'Ivoire, along with data from the Accountability Console, to show that even though Independent Accountability Mechanisms (IAMs) routinely document loss, development finance institutions (DFIs) rarely deliver redress. Most cases end with procedural outputs that sidestep the substance of what was taken from the affected community: spiritual spaces, ancestral lands, and community identity. The article concludes with six concrete recommendations for how DFIs and IAMs can reorient their frameworks toward culturally meaningful remedy.