Inspection Panel Emerging Lessons Series
8 items available
Permanent URI for this collection
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors (“the
Board”) established the Inspection Panel (“the Panel”) in
1993 as an independent complaint mechanism for people
and communities who believe they have been—or likely will
be—adversely affected by a World Bank-funded project. Under its mandate, the Panel provides advisory services in
the form of lessons from its cases. These lessons endeavor
to increase institutional learning at the World Bank and
throughout the larger development community to enhance
the application of social and environmental policies and
standards for the overall sustainability and effectiveness of operations. The case studies and insights presented
herein may also interest civil society organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and academia.
Items in this collection
1 - 8 of 8
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Publication
Right to Be Heard: Intimidation and Reprisals in World Bank Inspection Panel Complaints
(Washington DC, 2023-05-02)The World Bank Inspection Panel is committed to preventing intimidation or reprisals of any kind against anyone who submits or supports a complaint presented to it. The Panel believes that any form of reprisal threatens the integrity of the World Bank’s accountability process and that a fundamental premise of the Panel’s function is that project-affected persons (PAPs) can access it safely. The World Bank more broadly also maintains a strong commitment against reprisals. In striving to meet the level of zero tolerance of intimidation and reprisals in the context of Panel cases, the Panel and World Bank Management have promptly and consistently collaborated in responding to instances of reprisal. This advisory report delves into the Panel’s experience and practice responding to allegations of reprisals since its inception nearly 30 years ago. The Panel believes the insights presented here will be of use to development practitioners and anyone else with an interest in or need for accountability. Hence, the objectives of this report are twofold: First, to share the Panel’s experience, knowledge, practice, and the practical steps taken to date in response to reports of reprisals; and Second, this report examines how PAPs can be preemptively protected from the risk of reprisals and remain engaged in the development process. -
Publication
Insights of the World Bank Inspection Panel: Responding to Project Gender-Based Violence Complaints Through an Independent Accountability Mechanism
(Washington DC, 2023-05-02)The World Bank Inspection Panel is an independent complaints mechanism for people who believe they have been or will be adversely affected by the World Bank not complying with its operational environmental and social safeguard policies in projects that it funds. The Panel’s process seeks redress for affected communities. It investigates the Bank, not its member or borrower countries. Although the Bank has a 2003 operational directive that seeks to narrow gender gaps and a gender strategy that sets targets, assesses progress toward gender equality, and incorporates gender dimensions into its operations, the directive does not explicitly target harm3 such as gender-based violence (GBV). However, under the Directive for Addressing Risks and Impact on Vulnerable and Disadvantaged Groups pursuant to the 2018 Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) the Bank now has additional coverage, including a requirement that staff conduct due diligence on the risks to individuals and groups who might be adversely affected or excluded from project benefits due to gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. This report is the sixth in the Panel’s Emerging Lessons Series. It draws on the main lessons of two groundbreaking investigations in which Bank operations faced allegations of inadequate social risk assessment, management, and supervision that contributed to project-related GBV and harm in two transport projects. The insights provided here explain how these investigations inspired institutional transformation of the Bank’s approach to GBV and the importance of Independent Accountability Mechanisms (IAMs) such as the Panel for responding to claims of project-related GBV. -
Publication
Land at the Center of Inclusive and Sustainable Development
(Washington DC, 2023-05-02)The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors established the Inspection Panel in 1993 as an independent complaint mechanism for people and communities who believe they have been or likely will be adversely affected by a World Bank-funded project. Under its mandate, the Panel provides advisory services in the form of lessons from its cases. These lessons endeavor to increase institutional learning at the World Bank and throughout the larger development community to enhance the application of social and environmental policies and standards for the overall sustainability and effectiveness of operations. The case studies and insights presented herein may also interest civil society organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and academia. This report focuses on Panel investigations of land administration and management projects in Honduras, Panama, and Cambodia. It explores some of the challenges of land tenure security, regularization, and titling and discusses the importance of assessing the context in which such activities are undertaken, and the challenges of stakeholder engagement associated with them. -
Publication
Insights from the Kalagala biodiversity offset associated with the Bujagali power project in Uganda
(Washington DC, 2023-05-02)This report on biodiversity offsets is the fifth in a series published by the World Bank’s Inspection Panel drawing on the main lessons that have emerged from its caseload over 26 years. The Inspection Panel was created in 1993 by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors to receive and investigate complaints submitted by people actually or potentially suffering harm allegedly caused by Bank projects. With these reports, the Panel aims to contribute to institutional learning at the World Bank and in the larger development community by highlighting areas where improvements can enhance the social, environmental and overall sustainability of Bank-funded operations, further development effectiveness and enhance transparency. This publication refers to the Kalagala Falls Site (KFS), the Kalagala Offset Area (KOA), the Extended Kalagala Falls Site (EKFS) and the Extended Kalagala Offset Area (EKOA) which are associated with the Bujagali power project in Uganda. -
Publication
Consultation, Participation, and Disclosure of Information
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-10)This report on consultation, participation and disclosure of information is the fourth in a series of publications by the World Bank Inspection Panel drawing on the main emerging lessons from its caseload over nearly a quarter century. The Panel hope the lessons presented in this report can highlight areas in which continued improvements can enhance the Bank's and its member countries' overall approach to consultation, participation and disclosure of information as tools to empower affected person and communities to participate in development projects affecting their lives. The Inspection Panel was created in 1993 by the World Bank's Board of Executive Directors to receive and investigate complaints submitted by people suffering harm allegedly accused by Bank projects. As of September 2017, the Panel had received 120 requests for inspection. Of those, 90 had been registered and 34 investigated. -
Publication
Environmental Assessment
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-04)The Inspection Panel, the World Bank’s independent accountability mechanism, has released the third report in its Emerging Lessons Series. The latest report identifies lessons from Panel cases related to environmental assessment (EA) issues. The Panel is an impartial fact-finding body, independent from the World Bank management and staff, reporting directly to the Board. In response to complaints from affected people, it has a mandate to review projects funded by the World Bank, investigate allegations of harm to people or the environment and review whether the Bank followed its operational policies and procedures. Of the 34 cases the Panel has investigated since it was created by the Bank’s Board of Executive Directors in 1993, 29 of them have involved environmental assessment issues. The Panel’s EA report identifies seven lessons that can be learned from those cases, and reaches five major conclusions. The Panel’s Emerging Lessons Series is meant to build institutional knowledge at the World Bank, enhance accountability and contribute to more effective development. The first two reports, on lessons from cases involving involuntary resettlement and indigenous peoples, were released in 2016. The fourth report in the series – on cases related to consultation, participation and disclosure of information – will be released in the fall of 2017. -
Publication
Indigenous Peoples
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-10-31)The Inspection Panel was created in 1993 by the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank to receive complaints submitted by people suffering harm allegedly caused by World Bank projects. This experience provides important lessons for both the Bank and for the global development community at large. The Panel therefore launched this series of publications to draw the main emerging lessons from its caseload. While Panel cases tend to highlight challenging projects where things went wrong and are not necessarily reflective of the Bank’s entire portfolio, the lessons nonetheless are important. This exercise is intended to help build the institutional knowledge base, enhance accountability, foster better results in project outcomes, and, ultimately, contribute to more effective development with shared prosperity for all. The series is organized around the most recurrent issues in Panel investigations. This report, the second in the series, covers Panel cases that focused on Indigenous Peoples’ issues. Currently, there are approximately 370 million self-identified Indigenous Peoples in some 90 countries worldwide. They are among the world’s most vulnerable, marginalized, and disadvantaged groups. According to the World Bank, while Indigenous Peoples own, occupy, or use a quarter of the world’s surface area, they safeguard 80 percent of its remaining biodiversity, and some of the most biologically important lands and waters are intact as a result of Indigenous Peoples’ stewardship. Their knowledge and expertise on how to adapt, mitigate, and reduce risks from climate change and natural disasters are considered vital. Adequately responding to these challenges requires considering Indigenous Peoples as fundamental stakeholders and important partners in the development process. The Bank has undertaken several reviews and evaluations of its Indigenous Peoples Policy since 1982.The Inspection Panel’s mandate covers projects financed by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). The Compliance Advisor Ombudsman handles complaints related to projects financed by the International Finance Corporation and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency. In this report, the World Bank (or Bank) refers to IBRD and IDA only. -
Publication
Involuntary Resettlement
(The Inspection Panel, Washington, DC, 2016-04-12)This report on involuntary resettlement is the first in a series of papers to be published by The World’s Bank Inspection Panel with the aim of drawing on the main emerging lessons from its caseload over 22 years. The Panel hopes the lessons presented in this study can highlight areas in which continued improvements can enhance the Bank’s overall approach to resettlement and, in that regard, be useful to both the Bank and the global development community. The Inspection Panel was created in 1994 by the World Bank’s Board of Directors to receive complaints submitted by people suffering harm allegedly caused by Bank projects. Since then, the Panel has received 105 Requests for Inspection. Of those, 85 have been registered and 32 investigated. Two additional investigations are underway.