An evaluation of the bank’s accountability mechanism failed to recommend changes needed to improve the IDB’s accountability system or to respond to the needs of citizens in Latin America and the Caribbean.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 27, 2021
Washington, DC — Last week, an Office of Evaluation of Oversight (OVE) evaluation of the Independent Consultation and Investigation Mechanism (MICI), the accountability mechanism of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), was made public. Despite an extensive review, OVE’s evaluation acknowledged many of the failures of the accountability system, but did not recommend a comprehensive policy review of the MICI.
The following is a statement from Carla García Zendejas, Director of the People, Land, and Resources program at the Center for International Environmental Law:
“People living in Latin America whose land, lives, and livelihood may be impacted by the projects financed by the Inter-American Development Bank Group deserve an independent and legitimate accountability office that will not only acknowledge their complaints but actually remedy circumstances when harm occurs. Such a process requires the IDB Board and Management allow the MICI to determine what complaints it declares eligible, while also allowing it to decide what it will investigate regarding bank-funded projects. It is imperative that the Board and Management of the IDB are responsive and act upon the MICI’s findings and recommendations to avoid harm and remedy situations where harm has occurred. Unfortunately, the OVE evaluation falls short —despite the recognition that changes are needed — this was a missed opportunity to improve the MICI’s processes.
In 2020 the Inter-American Development Bank approved a record $21.6 Billion in lending to its 26 member states in Latin America and the Caribbean. At a time when countries are managing the economic and social impacts of the pandemic, it is ever more crucial to ensure that transparency, monitoring, and accountability are sound. The pandemic has left communities in a more fragile and vulnerable situation than ever, which has only exacerbated the human rights violations in the region.
Without an independent mechanism that can independently review operational, management, and design failures in IDB projects that have caused the loss of land, lives, and livelihoods in communities throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, the environmental and social policies of the IDB and IDB Invest will remain meaningless.”
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Media Contact: Cate Bonacini, press (at) ciel.org