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Step 1: Receiving and registering the complaint

Within 2 days of receiving the complaint

• The complaint is filed with the complaint-receiving officer.
• The complaint-receiving officer informs the Special Project Facilitator, the Compliance Review Panel chair, and the operations department about the complaint, with a copy of the complaint letter.
• The complaint-receiving officer registers the complaint on the Accountability Mechanism website.

Notes:

1. Complaints received by other ADB departments should be forwarded to the complaint-receiving officer.
2. The complaint-receiving officer ensures the confidentiality of complainants’ identities if requested.

Step 2: Acknowledging the complaint

Within 2 days of receiving the complaint

• The complaint-receiving officer acknowledges receipt of the complaint and sends an information packet to the complainants.
• The complaint-receiving officer gives complainants who have clearly chosen for either problem solving or compliance review 21 calendar days to change their choice and to notify the complaint-receiving officer.
• If the choice is not clear, the complaint-receiving officer requests complainants to clarify their choice.

Step 3: Forwarding the complaint

Within 5 days after the 21- day deadline for complainants to change their choice

• The complaint-receiving officer decides to forward the complaint for handling to
  1. the Special Project Facilitator, or
  2. the Compliance Review Panel chair, or
  3. other departments or offices (if the complaint falls outside the Accountability Mechanism mandate).
• The complaint-receiving officer sends his/her decision to
  1. the Special Project Facilitator;
  2. the Compliance Review Panel chair;
  3. the operations department; and
  4. other departments or offices, if any.
• If there are no objections to the complaint-receiving officer’s decision (see note below), the complaint-receiving officer will forward the complaint to the relevant party to be handled.

Note: Within 3 days of the complaint-receiving officer’s decision, the Special Project Facilitator, Compliance Review Panel chair, operations department or any other relevant department or office may object if they feel that the complaint-receiving officer has misinterpreted the complainants’ choice of function.

Returning complaint to complainants (if needed)

• The complaint-receiving officer will return the complaint to the complainants with a request to clarify the choice of function if
  1. the choice was unclear; or
  2. an objection is raised by the Special Project Facilitator, Compliance Review Panel chair, operations department, or other relevant department or office.
• The complainants must clarify their choice within 60 calendar days of the complaint-receiving officer’s request for clarification.

Note: If the complaint needs to be returned, the complaint-receiving officer again sends the information packet to explain the two available functions.

Step 4: Informing the complainants

Within 2 days of forwarding the complaint to the relevant party, or failure of the complainants to clarify their choice

• The complaint-receiving officer informs the complainants and their representative(s), if any, which party will handle the complaint and the contact person(s).
• If the complainants did not clarify their choice within 60 calendar days, the complaint-receiving officer informs them that the Accountability Mechanism process has ended.