In accordance with the policies of both the Government of Lao PDR and ADB, a lengthy consultation process has been undertaken with people who will be affected by the NN3 project.

Villagers first heard about the possibility of the project in 1998. Consultations with potentially affected villages started in 2007, with a large number of meetings at national, provincial, district, and village levels to ensure that those affected by the project understand how the project will affect them and how any adverse impacts will be mitigated.

Village-level consultations have been conducted by the project's staff and consultants with the assistance of district staff. At the meetings, the consultation teams consisted of men and women, and people from different ethnic backgrounds.

Directly affected Khmu living in Ban Xiengdet have provided broad community support to the project. Such support is documented in meeting agreements, consultation reports, and individual household consent-to-relocate forms.

Effective measures to avoid, minimize, mitigate, and compensate for the adverse impacts -- and to ensure compliance with ADB's safeguards and social requirements – are incorporated in the Environmental Impact Assessment and the Resettlement and Ethnic Minority Development Plan.

Consultation and participation activities will continue during the construction and operations phases of the project.