Please also see BIC's Accountability at the World Bank webpage for general information on the CAO and Inspection Panel.
The mandate of the CAO is to address complaints of people affected by their IFC/MIGA projects and to assist the IFC and MIGA to improve the social and environmental outcomes of their activities. The CAO reports to the President of the World Bank Group instead of the World Bank/IFC Board of Executive Directors (as does the Inspection Panel). While this initially raised questions regarding indepedence, the CAO has clearly demonstrated its autonomy over the past decade of addressing civil society complaints.
The problem-solving and compliance functions provide the CAO flexibility in addressing complaints. In the early years of the CAO's operation, the relatively low number of complaints were addressed largely through the ombudsman function. The number of complaints has steadily increased over the past decade, with agribusiness and infrastucture sectors garnering the most in recent years. With the revision of the CAO's Operational Guidelines in 2007, the number of cases referred to Compliance significantly increased: all cases for which the CAO Ombudsman is unable to facilitate a settlement agreement are now automatically transfered to Compliance for appraisal and audit. Compliance audits may also be triggered upon request by the President or IFC/MIGA senior management.
Information on How to File a Complaint