* Admissibility date reflects the date the case was officially registered. All other dates pertain to the date in which a stage was completed.
Case Description
Complaint
On 11 February 2020, the Directly Inundation Affected Peoples Collective Rights Protection Committee representing a group of project-affected households sent a letter to the EIB-CM requesting mediation to resolve concerns regarding the EIB-funded Nepal Tanahu Hydropower Project. The main allegations leading to the request for mediation of the complainants are:
1) Lack of adequate information sharing, meaningful consultation, and participation;
2) incomplete survey of land and inadequate and discriminatory form and amount of compensation;
3) Negative impact on their access to natural resources and livelihoods as well as on ancestral lands, cultural sites, and traditional practices (as Magar indigenous people) — all of which were not sufficiently taken into account.
The complainants also sent their complaint to the Office of the Special Project Facilitator (OSPF) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
EIB-CM Action
On 21 February 2020, the EIB-CM acknowledged receipt and confirmed the admissibility of the complaint. During its initial assessment of the complaint, the EIB-CM held meetings with the EIB services, started reviewing key project documentation, and assessed the opportunities for collaborative problem-solving. Further, the EIB-CM liaised with the OSPF to discuss the complaint and its background and to consider potential ways of cooperation and coordination of the complaint handling process. Due to the ongoing global health crisis caused by COVID-19, the EIB-CM was not able to perform a site visit to Nepal. On 16 April 2020, the EIB-CM concluded its initial assessment and subsequently issued the initial assessment report both in English and Nepali recommending a collaborative resolution process between the Complainants and the Promoter.