In 1994, the IDB’s Board of Governors approved the establishment of an Independent Investigation Mechanism (IIM) as part of the request for funds from the U.S. Congress for the Bank’s Eighth Replenishment. The IIM was created to allow affected groups within an IDB member country to request an independent investigation of Bank-supported operations in alleged violation of IDB procedures and guidelines which result in, or are likely to cause, material harm. According to the IDB, the IIM “affords people whose lives stand to be affected by projects financed by the IDB a means to ensure that due diligence has been exercised by the Bank in the design, analysis and negotiation of those projects.”
To date, the IIM has completed four investigations, two of the Yacyretá Hydroelectric project on the Argentina/Paraguay border, one of the Cana Brava Hydroelectric project in Brazil, and one of the Termoeléctrica del Golfo project in Mexico. A claim of material harm in relation to an additional operation, the Argentina Emergency Flood Rehabilitation Program, is currently pending IDB Board decision on whether to move forward with an investigation.
Information on How to File a Claim.