* 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 3 June 2021, the EIB-CM received a complaint from a group of Dalit households claiming to be affected by the EIB-funded Nepal Tanahu Hydropower Project. On 22 August 2021, additional Dalit households requested to join the complaint presented to the EIB-CM. The main allegations of the complainants are:
1) Lack of adequate information sharing, meaningful consultation, and participation;
2) Lack of compensation;
3) Inadequate grievance redress mechanism;
4) Lack of proper consideration of the Dalits’ vulnerability.
The complaint was also sent to the Office of the Special Project Facilitator (OSPF) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
EIB-CM Action
On 16 June 2021, 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 liaised with the ADB project team 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. However, an external facilitator was contracted to facilitate communication during this initial assessment phase and virtual meetings were held with the complainants, their NGO advisors, and the promoter. The EIB-CM consulted with all stakeholders on the Initial Assessment Report. The consultations with the complainants were carried out on site in Nepali. On 13 December 2021, the EIB-CM finalized the Initial Assessment Report in English and Nepali.
The EIB-CM continues to liaise closely with the stakeholders and it will present a recommendation on the way forward after having received additional information on the design of the buffer zone and its implications for the complainants. This may include a compliance review or a collaborative resolution process.
Having identified significant overlaps between this complaint and SG/E/2021/11, the EIB-CM decided to carry out a joint initial assessment for both cases, which is reflected in the Initial Assessment Report.
In an addendum to the Initial Assessment Report (published in May 2022), the EIB-CM proposed a collaborative resolution process for some aspects of the complaint to which the parties agreed.