The Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman (CAO) is the independent recourse mechanism for the private sector arms of the World Bank Group: the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). Civil society campaigns targeting environmentally and socially destructive projects financed by the IFC (in particular, the Pangue Dam project on the BioBio River in Chile) led in 1998/1999 to the adoption of safeguard policies and an accountability mechanism for the IFC and MIGA.
Whereas the Inspection Panel only investigates whether the Bank has violated its own policies, the CAO has a broader mandate. The CAO performs three roles:
- Ombudsman -- reviews all complaints from people affected by the social and environmental impacts of IFC/MIGA projects and encourages collaborative problem solving among parties.
- Compliance -- conducts audits of IFC/MIGA social and environmental performance in the event that the parties are unable or unwilling to reach an agreement.
- Advisor -- provides advice to IFC/MIGA management and the President of the World Bank Group in relation to individual projects and/or broader policy, procedural, and strategic issues.
Information on How to File a Complaint.
This page was last modified on August 27, 2009.