A Mongolian herder harmed by the Oyu Tolgoi mine, an Accountability Counsel Strategic Support client
Accountability Counsel provides assistance through our Strategic Support program to local community groups and organizations where there is strong local capacity to bring a complaint to an accountability mechanism, but specific help has been requested. In these cases, we focus on using our expertise with regard to accountability mechanisms to add value to locally-led complaint processes. We currently support communities in the following countries:
- Bangladesh: Phulbari Coal Mine (Corporation Governed by the OECD Guidelines)
- Kenya: Lamu Port Project (AfDB)
- Mongolia: OT Mining Project (IFC, MIGA and EBRD)
- Nepal: High Voltage Transmission Line (World Bank)
- Panama: Pando and Monte Lirio Dams (IFC and IDB)
- Russia: Sakhalin II Oil and Gas Project (Banks & Corporations Governed by the OECD Guidelines)
- United States: West Virginia Mountaintop Removal Coal Mine (Banks Governed by the OECD Guidelines)
We have also provided strategic support to communities in Brazil, Cambodia, Ecuador, India, Malawi, Mexico, Peru and Serbia, assisting with a diverse set of grievances, such as involuntary displacement without compensation, water contamination, gender impacts of livelihood destruction and harm to critical ecosystems. These cases relate to projects financed by each of the world’s international financial institutions.
Accountability Counsel’s assistance to communities begins with a request for support from the community itself or a local NGO, followed by initial factual research and a needs assessment. Once out initial assessment is complete, we work closely with local partners to identify how we can best support them. Our work varies because we become involved in our Strategic Support cases at different stages of the case and the local partners with whom we work request different types of support. Depending on the needs of the local groups, we may assist with community trainings, factual research, drafting of the complaint, support with the filing of the complaint to the accountability mechanism, and assistance throughout the dispute resolution and/or compliance review process.
For more information, please visit our community pages, the Resources and Community Trainings pages or contact us.