Board Approves Panel Recommendation for Second Deferral in MINIS Case

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on July 20, 2016, approved the Inspection Panel’s recommendation to defer for a second time a decision on whether the Panel should investigate a complaint related to the Mining Infrastructure Investment Support Project (MINIS) in Mongolia. In a February 2015 Request for Inspection, the complainants had claimed that MINIS is supporting two subprojects that may have potential irreversible environmental and social impacts on the Selenge River in Mongolia and on Lake Baikal in the Russian Federation, the latter of which is a World Heritage Site. The Requesters also questioned the selection of the subprojects and raised concerns about its transboundary and cumulative impacts, in addition to complaining about lack of consultation and disclosure of information.

On July 27, 2015, the Board had approved the Panel’s initial recommendation to defer a decision on whether to investigate the Request. In recommending a second deferral, the Panel said it had been following developments closely and noted the “positive developments and actions that have been made in the consultation process.” The Panel stated, however, that several actions to address the Requesters’ concerns are pending and required additional time to be implemented. The Panel said it would report back to the Board within one year’s time after assessing the progress and scope of the project’s Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and the quality of the consultation process both in Russia and Mongolia.

Read the Second Report and Recommendation Report.