The Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman (CAO) position was created in 1999 by World Bank Group President James Wolfensohn. The idea for the office emerged from discussions between the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), their shareholders, civil society organizations, and members of the business community, as a means to address the environmental and social performance of the IFC and MIGA and provide a mechanism through which people affected by those institutions’ projects can raise concerns.
Because the World Bank Inspection Panel’s jurisdiction does not extend to the IFC and MIGA, the CAO is currently the only public accountability mechanism available to citizens affected by the private sector projects supported by the IFC or MIGA. However, as an advisory and problem-solving mechanism, the CAO does not replace the need for an effective inspection panel function covering the activities of the IFC and MIGA. NGOs continue to advocate for the extension of the World Bank's Independent Inspection Panel to IFC and MIGA operations.
Information on How to File a Complaint.