• 15 November 2024

    IFC’s Bridge Academies Management Action Plan Has Failed Survivors So Far

    By Teresa Mutua, Accountability Counsel
    Survivors and civil society organizations have raised serious concerns regarding the management action plan’s implementation and its potential to fall short of delivering meaningful support to survivors, specifically to Bridge survivors.
  • 14 November 2024

    Joint Statement on Bridge 4 Management Action Plan Implementation Expressing Civil Society and Survivor Concerns

    By Accountability Counsel, Inclusive Development International, Wangu Kanja Foundation, and Oxfam
    We strongly urge the Board to request that IFC Management revise its Action Plan to prioritize consultation with the maximum number of Bridge survivors as is possible, and ensure that the remediation program is fit for purpose to deliver meaningful remedy.
  • 12 November 2024

    The World Bank’s climate mission: New risks on the horizon?

    By Avalon Bauman, Accountability Counsel
    Over a year into its new climate mission, the World Bank faces questions about human rights and accountability, as recent complaints reveal vulnerabilities linked to its climate-focused projects.
  • 23 October 2024

    Press Release: Civil Society Welcomes the Introduction of the International Financial Institution Improvements Act of 2024

    By Accountability Counsel and Bank Information Center
    The Bank Information Center (BIC) and Accountability Counsel (AC) welcome the introduction of Chairwoman Maxine Waters and Congresswoman Joyce Beatty’s International Financial Institution Improvements Act of 2024. This comprehensive legislation directs the U.S. to advocate for improved environmental, social, accountability, and transparency standards at the IFIs in which it is a member. This bill also reflects the priorities of our organizations and broader civil society around the need for the IFIs to improve their due diligence before project approval and provide remedy when their projects cause harm. 
  • 15 October 2024

    Without Accountability, Climate Finance Won’t Stand a Chance of Protecting Biodiversity

    By Margaux Day, Accountability Counsel
    For increased climate finance to meet its ambitions, it has to be good. And right now, the prevailing model is far from it.
  • 1 October 2024

    Why Every IAM Should Have the Power to Self-Initiate Investigations

    By Gregory Berry and Leo Lou, Accountability Counsel
    While it would be ideal if directly impacted people were able to file cases and demand justice whenever harm occurs, significant barriers to access can make it nearly impossible for that to happen. There is an obvious solution: equipping IAMs with the ability to self-initiate compliance investigations.
  • 25 September 2024

    34 Civil Society Organizations submit joint recommendations on how to strengthen AIIB’s Project-Affected People’s Mechanism

    By Radhika Goyal, Accountability Counsel
    A version of this blog was also published in the AIIB Observer Vol. 2 As the Board of Governors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank gather for their annual meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, we call on the Bank to strengthen its Project-Affected People’s Mechanism (PPM) and reaffirm the importance of…
  • 3 September 2024

    New Export Feature to Download Complaint Data

    By Breanna Burke and Esha Thapa, Accountability Counsel
    Experience faster, more reliable data exports on the Console with our new asynchronous export feature – optimized for large volumes of data and seamless analysis.
  • 6 August 2024

    How the largest multilateral development bank finances conflict

    By Lama Almoayed, Accountability Counsel
    Explore the EIB’s controversial investments in Israel, the implications of its new defense financing policy, and the urgent need for alignment with international law to prevent complicity in human rights violations, especially in light of the recent ICJ ruling.
  • 5 August 2024

    Reflecting on the Shortcomings of the World Bank’s Dispute Resolution Service

    By Civil Society Organizations
    Dispute resolution facilitated by Independent Accountability Mechanisms (IAMs) is an important tool for giving communities harmed by development or infrastructure projects an opportunity to express their concerns about project impacts, directly engage with the actors responsible for ensuring proper project implementation, and reach an agreement on how those project impacts…
  • 31 July 2024

    Now is the Time for DFC to Shore Up Its Accountability

    By Stephanie Amoako, Accountability Counsel
    Last month, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee passed legislation to reauthorize the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). The legislation, which received bipartisan support, would give DFC seven more years to operate, increase its lending cap to 120 billion USD, and extend its geographical reach. For DFC to meet…
  • 16 July 2024

    Joint Civil Society Statement ahead of IFC Remedy and Responsible Exit Framework Decision

    By Civil Society Organizations
    Tomorrow, the Committee on Development Effectiveness (CODE) of the World Bank Board of Executive Directors will discuss the IFC’s draft Remedy and Responsible Exit Framework, which is intended to outline how the institution will deliver remedy to communities harmed by projects it finances. This would be the first policy to…
  • 8 July 2024

    Redefining Impartiality: Advocating for a Community-Centered Approach to Accountability Mechanisms

    By Robi Chacha Mosenda, Accountability Counsel
    While accountability mechanisms are meant to provide impartiality and justice, strict adherence to impartiality can sometimes render them ineffective in addressing the unique needs and vulnerabilities of the very communities they were established to assist.
  • 3 July 2024

    Statement on the Situation in Kenya

    By Accountability Counsel
    We are saddened by the news of killings, abductions, arbitrary detentions, and violence meted out by the police in Kenya against its citizens. As an international organization that amplifies the voices of communities around the world seeking protection of their human rights and environment, we are alarmed at the retaliation…
  • 2 July 2024

    Banks do not assess project risks accurately. People and our planet pay the price.

    By Megumi Tsutsui, Accountability Counsel
    Discover how development financial institutions’ risk categorizations impact local communities and the environment, and why current safeguard measures may be falling short in protecting those most affected by investment projects.
  • 24 June 2024

    External Review Report Recommends Sweeping Changes to the AIIB’s Independent Accountability Mechanism

    By Radhika Goyal, Accountability Counsel
    The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), whose finance last year exceeded USD 52 billion, is currently reviewing the effectiveness of its independent accountability mechanism (IAM) for addressing allegations of environmental and social harm from communities, the Project-Affected People’s Mechanism (PPM). Ultimately, the success of the PPM as a trust-building office…
  • 14 June 2024

    Civil Society’s Key Demands to the African Development Bank

    By AfDB CSO Working Group
    The African Development Bank (AfDB) held its Annual Meetings on May 27–31, 2024, in Nairobi, Kenya, under the theme ‘Africa’s Transformation, the African Development Bank Group, and the Reform of the Global Financial Architecture.’ About 5,000 delegates, including representatives from civil society organizations (CSOs) working in Africa, attended the event.…
  • 13 June 2024

    Welcoming Michael Jarvis to Accountability Counsel’s Board of Directors!

    By Accountability Counsel
    Accountability Counsel is thrilled to welcome Michael Jarvis to our Board of Directors!
  • 4 June 2024

    Development Bank Must Prevent Forced Displacement

    By Aleena Mufti Anand, Stanford University
    This article analyzes community-led complaints about forced displacement in development bank projects, including coercive resettlement agreements and violent removals, and suggests measures to prevent future harm.
  • 3 June 2024

    One Year Later, Justice is Delayed: A joint statement on the implementation of the KIIDP-2 Kawaala Community Agreement

    By Accountability Counsel and Witness Radio
    One year since the signing of a dispute resolution agreement, advisors Accountability Counsel and Witness Radio evaluate progress toward the agreement’s implementation and remedy for community members.