Inspection Panel, Other IAMs Explain Their Mandates, Operations to Civil Society in Cambodia

The Inspection Panel on June 16-17, 2021, joined the independent accountability mechanisms (IAMs) of the International Finance Corporation and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to explain their mandates and operations to civil society organizations in Cambodia.
 
Panel Chair Imrana Jalal explained the compliance-review work done by the IAMs and Senior Operations Officer Serge Selwan took part in a discussion on how to find information online about development projects, who can submit a complaint to the IAMs, how to do so, and the criteria the IAMs use to determine whether a complaint is eligible for investigation. 
 
The virtual workshop was organized with the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman, AIIB’s Project-affected People’s Mechanism, Inclusive Development International and the International Accountability Project. The workshop also discussed the dispute-resolution services offered by IAMs and how they address reprisals against complainants.
 
Ms. Jalal and Mr. Selwan joined Panel Member Mark Goldsmith and Senior External Affairs Officer Rob Doherty in responding to participants’ comments and questions on topics such as the importance of quality consultations with project-affected communities, particularly indigenous communities, whether the IAMs can accept a complaint prior to project implementation and if the IAMs review corruption complaints. [There were also several queries concerning the lessons learned by IAMs in relation to minimizing the risk of reprisals – a topic that the Panel will be specifically covering in an Advisory publication that is scheduled to be launched later this year]
 
The Inspection Panel continues to organize virtual outreach events during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are interested in partnering with the Panel on a virtual event, please email us at ipanel@worldbank.org.