ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty.
Established in 1966, it is owned by 69 members—49 from the region.
ORGANIZATION
ACCOUNTABILITY
ADB supports projects in developing member countries that create economic and development impact, delivered through both public and private sector operations, advisory services, and knowledge support.
Accountability Mechanism
The Accountability Mechanism of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) exists to provide an independent and effective forum for those affected by ADB-assisted projects to voice their concerns.
- Jump to:
- Fast Facts
- Process
- FAQs
The Problem-Solving Function
Led by ADB’s Special Project Facilitator (SPF), the problem-solving function assists people who are directly, materially, and adversely affected by ADB-assisted projects to find solutions to their problems. The harm can be actual present harm, or expected harm in the future. Examples of harm would be displacement, loss of livelihoods, loss of indigenous peoples culture and traditions, loss of territorial and developmental rights, and harm to the environment and natural resources.
The problem-solving function starts with consideration of the eligibility of the complaint. If accepted, the focus will be on seeking agreement among all the parties involved such as the complainant, project implementer, developing member country government or private sector sponsor, and ADB. The SPF will, however, not interfere in the internal matters of a developing member country.
The general approaches in the problem-solving function include (i) consultative dialogue, (ii) information sharing, (iii) joint fact-finding, and (iv) mediation. The SPF may also suggest various specific approaches to resolve problems, such as convening meetings, organizing and facilitating problem-solving processes, or engaging in a fact-finding review of the situation.
The problem-solving function is outcome driven. It will not focus on the identification and allocation of blame, but on finding ways to address the problems of the project-affected people.
The SPF offers an additional avenue for problem solving, but does not supplant the project administration and problem-solving functions of ADB’s operations departments. He/she reports directly to the ADB President and recommends actions to deal with complaints. He/she will also monitor implementation of agreements resulting from the problem-solving process.
Fast Facts
(as of 30 June 2024)
Status Breakdown of Eligible and Ineligible Complaints
| Year | Eligible | Ineligible |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 ADB Accountability Mechanism Policy | ||
| 2024 | Open/active [4] |
Open/active [6] Closed [5] |
| 2023 | Open/active [3] |
Open/active [6] Closed [10] |
| 2022 |
Open/active [2] Closed [1] |
Open/active [3] Closed [13] |
| 2021 | 0 |
Open/active [4] Closed [12] |
| 2020 |
Open/active [2] Closed [2] |
Closed [7] Para. 142 (i) [1] Para. 142 (ii) [6] |
| 2019 |
Open/active [2] Closed [2] |
Closed [7] Para. 142 (i) [3] Para. 142 (ii) [4] |
| 2018 | Closed [4] | Closed [7] Para. 142 (i) [2] Para. 142 (ii) [4] Para. 163 [1] |
| 2017 | Closed [2] | Closed [10] Para. 142 (i) [3] Para. 142 (ii) [5] Para. 143 [2] |
| 2016 | Closed [1] | Closed [5] Para. 142 (i) [3] Para. 142 (ii) [2] |
| 2015 | 0 | Closed [1] Para. 142 (ii) [1] |
| 2014 | Closed [2] | Closed [1] Para. 142 (ii) [1] |
| 2013 | 0 | Closed [6] Para. 142 (ii) [5] Para. 143 [1] |
| 2012 | 0 | Closed [1] Para. 142 (ii) [1] |
| 2003 ADB Accountability Mechanism Policy | ||
| 2012 | 0 | Closed [1] Para. 70 (viii) [1] |
| 2011 | Closed [3] | Closed [4] Para. 70 (viii) [4] |
| 2010 | Closed [2] | Closed [5] Para. 70 (viii) [2] Para. 72 (i) [1] Para. 72 (ii) [1] Para. 72 (iv) [1] |
| 2009 | Closed [4] | Closed [9] Para. 70 (viii) [8] Para. 72 (i) [1] |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | Closed [1] | Closed [1] Para. 70 (viii) [1] |
| 2006 | Closed [1] | Closed [5] Para. 70 (viii) [3] Para. 72 (ii) [1] Para. 72 (iv) [1] |
| 2005 | Closed [1] | 0 |
| 2004 | Closed [2] | Closed [1] Para. 70 (viii) [1] |
Notes:
- Twenty-eight (28) eligible complaints (68%) have been closed with the issuance of final reports, while 13 eligible complaints (32%) are currently undergoing the problem-solving process.
- Since 2004, out of 130 ineligible complaints, a total of 107 complaints (82%) were deemed ineligible for the formal problem-solving process due to a lack of good faith efforts by the complainants to address their concerns with the concerned ADB operations department. Currently, 19 ineligible complaints (18%) remain pending with the concerned ADB project teams for resolution at the project level, while 88 ineligible complaints (82%) have been closed.
- Due to dissatisfaction with the resolution process at the project level, eight (8) ineligible complaints were resubmitted for problem-solving. Of these, seven were subsequently deemed eligible for the formal problem-solving process. One complaint was ultimately excluded after it was found that the issues raised were not related to ADB’s actions or omissions in formulating, processing, or implementing the project.
By Sectors
By ADB Operations Departments
By Issues
| Subject of Complaints | Problem-Solving | Share (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Resettlement, land acquisition, compensation, and valuation¹ | 111 | 34.5 |
| Information, consultation, and participation | 71 | 22.0 |
| Environment² | 46 | 14.3 |
| Community and social issues³ | 27 | 8.4 |
| Village infrastructure⁴ | 26 | 8.1 |
| Other issues⁵ | 23 | 7.1 |
| Livelihood | 18 | 5.6 |
| TOTAL | 322 | 100 |
1 Compensation and valuation in this category refers only to resettlement and land acquisition.
2 Includes those with issues pertaining to biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of natural resources, pollution prevention and abatement, occupational and community health and safety, and conservation of physical cultural resources. Concerns involving air pollution, noise, and vibration are the most frequent environmental issues raised.
3 Includes issues on gender, social uplift program, social impact assessment, grievance redress, customary land, and indigenous people.
4 Includes school and road reconstruction and rehabilitation, bus stops, multipurpose hall, toilets and cowsheds, bridges, beaten tracks, underpass for agricultural machinery, cattle pass, and distributary channels.
5 Includes issues on high electricity rates, grid network fee, power sector reform, procurement, loans and contract matters, project monitoring, exclusion from project intervention, etc. This includes issues on high electricity rates, grid network fee, power sector reform, procurement, loans and contract matters, project monitoring, exclusion from project intervention, etc.
Contact
Complaint Receiving Officer
Accountability Mechanism
Asian Development Bank
6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550
Metro Manila, Philippines
About the Complaint Receiving Officer
The single point of entry for complaints and serves as the first contact for project-affected people under ADB’s Accountability Mechanism. After filing a complaint, there are two options available.
Office of the Special Project Facilitator
-
Special Project Facilitator
-
Principal Facilitation Specialist
-
Senior Assessment and Facilitation Officer
-
Facilitation Coordinator
The Problem-Solving Process
The time required to resolve a complaint varies depending on its complexity, nature, and scope of the complaint; including the need to translate documents, accessing and communicating with isolated communities, and facilitating problem solving. The maximum time allowed is two years.
Note: The SPF forwards the complaint to the operations department if the complainants did not make prior good faith efforts to solve the problems with the operations department.
Notes:
- A party can walk away or disengage from the problem solving process at any time. This closes the process.
- Upon completion of step 3, the complainants can request compliance review, to be carried out in parallel with implementation and monitoring of the remedial actions (step 4).
After monitoring of remedial actions is completed, OSPF prepares a final report and submits it to the President, complainants, borrower, operations department, CRP, Board Compliance Review Committee (BCRC), and the Board for information.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no required format. The complaint can be in the form of a simple letter addressed to the Complaints Receiving Officer with basic information about the project and the concerns of the complainants. However, a sample complaint letter is available on the web which complainants can use. Otherwise, complainants can simply fill out a complaint form which is also available on the web.
Yes. Complainants may submit their complaints in the official or national language of ADB's developing member countries.
No, the Office of the Special Project Facilitator cannot accept anonymous complaints. The persons or representatives sending the complaint must identify themselves. However, the identities of the actual complainants will be kept confidential if requested.
Yes. The Office of the Special Project Facilitator excludes the following:
- Matters not related to ADB's actions or omissions in formulating, processing, or implementing ADB-assisted projects
- When complainants have not made good faith efforts to address with the operations department concerned
- Procurement of goods, services and consulting services
- Matters already considered by the Special Project Facilitator, unless complainants have new evidence previously not available to them and unless the subsequent complaint can be readily consolidated with the earlier complaint
- Allegations of fraud and corruption in ADB-assisted projects and by ADB staff
- An ADB-assisted project which has been closed for 2 or more years
- Adequacy or suitability of ADB's existing policies and procedures
- Matters that are frivolous, malicious, trivial, or generated to gain competitive advantage
ADB takes corruption allegations very seriously and has a separate office that works on those issues. Anyone who wishes to call the attention of ADB to possible cases of corruption, fraud, coercion, collusion, abuse, conflict of interest or obstructive practice related to an ADB-financed activity should contact the Office of Anticorruption and Integrity [send an email to [email protected] or [email protected]]
Yes, you may submit a complaint as soon as you learn that an ADB project may affect you. Complaint should be addressed to the Complaints Receiving Officer.
For a complaint to be accepted by The Office of the Special Project Facilitator, there must be people who are directly affected. The Accountability Mechanism policy was designed as a recourse for people who experience direct and material harm caused by an ADB-assisted project
Yes, if complainants have serious issues regarding compliance, they may request for compliance review during the problem-solving phase. They may however, only do so after completion of step 3 in the problem-solving phase. In such cases, the problem-solving and compliance review will run in parallel.
The complainants, the executing agency or the private-project sponsor, and ADB are parties to a complaint.
If you think it might be an ADB project, you could ask the people working on the project if they know who is assisting it. You could also contact the ADB resident mission in your country and ask them. If you have access to the internet, you can check the ADB projects website to see if there is such a project listed.
Before submitting a complaint, you should contact the operations department responsible for the project you are concerned about and explain your problems and the remedy you are seeking. There should be a record of exchanges of communications between you and the operations department, showing that real effort has been made to resolve problems together.
If you don't know who is handling the project within ADB, you can visit or send your complaint to the ADB resident mission in your country. The ADB resident mission will be able to tell you the right person to contact, or it may forward your complaint to that person.
If complainants request that their identities be kept confidential, the Office of the Special Project Facilitator will respect that request and not divulge their names to other parties. In the later stages of resolving a complaint OSPF often convenes meetings among the parties, and this approach is restricted if the complainants do not wish to reveal their identities. In such cases other approaches, like individual meetings and shuttling between parties, can be pursued.
Yes, the Office of the Special Project Facilitator will publish documents related to the complaint but only with the consent of the complainants and government. Documents that are normally published are the complaint letter, the review and assessment report (RAR), monitoring reports and the Special Project Facilitator Final Report.
The Office of the Special Project Facilitator makes documents publicly available by posting them in the Complaints Registry on its website.
NGOs can play various roles in complaints to the Office of the Special Project Facilitator. NGOs can act as representatives of complainants, if the complainants themselves provide specific written authorization for the NGO to represent them. NGOs can also be advisors to complainants, act as intermediaries between complainants and the Office of the Special Project Facilitator for communications purposes. The roles of NGOs depend on the situation, can be different for each complaint, and need to be agreed upon and monitored during the problem-solving process.
The Office of the Special Project Facilitator will pay or reimburse any direct costs to the complainants, such as travel to meetings or income foregone due to attendance at meetings. However, complainants need to understand that resolving complex issues may take considerable time. The Office of the Special Project Facilitator does not cover costs of NGOs.