The Complaints Mechanism of the EIB organised its first outreach event in Kyiv, Ukraine, in partnership with CEE Bankwatch Network and six Independent Accountability Mechanisms, including the Project Complaint Mechanism of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Inspection Panel of the World Bank, the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman of the International Finance Corporation and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, World Bank Group, the Office of Accountability of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the Complaints Mechanism of the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank.
The Independent Accountability Mechanisms (IAMs) were established to handle complaints and address grievances from project-affected people regarding the environmental and social impacts of projects financed by multilateral institutions. Since civil society organisations (CSOs) often are involved in supporting affected communities, the IAMs regularly conduct public outreach in collaboration with CSOs in the regions where the multilateral institutions are active, to raise awareness of their services with civil society networks.
This awareness raising seminar was an opportunity for the IAMs to meet and comprehensively explain their work and procedures, as well as engage with a broad assembly of interested NGOs/CSOs. The issues that were discussed were the role and the responsibility of the accountability mechanisms, the CSOs’ challenges in the social/environmental space and an in-depth and interactive dialogue between the IAMs, co-organiser CEE Bankwatch and the CSOs with active input and experience-sharing from the CSOs’ and local population’s audience in particular on access to IAMs; eligibility criteria; operating procedures; mediation/investigation processes; community impact; and the exchange of information between mechanisms on co-funded projects etc.
The debates and speeches were lively and demonstrated the usefulness of this kind of outreach event organised together with IAMs and larger, regionally operating NGOs, who are able to reach out to smaller local NGO/CSO and local communities.
For further information, please see the Related Documents section or contact Bram Schim van der Loeff, Complaints Mechanism Division, by phone + 352 4379 83130 or by e-mail SCHIMVAN@eib.org.