Summary of Formal Public Consultations from April 5 - May 19, 2021 and Feedback on the Draft IFC/MIGA Independent Accountability Mechanism (CAO) Policy

Jul 19, 2026

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This report summarizes the formal public consultation process for the draft IFC/MIGA Independent Accountability Mechanism (CAO) Policy, covering April 5 to May 19, 2021, and consolidates feedback received through both live sessions and written submissions. It explains the rationale for conducting an open, inclusive and transparent consultation despite COVID-19 constraints, detailing outreach to civil society, IFC/MIGA clients, complainant groups, development finance institutions, and other stakeholders. The document also provides counts and categorization of stakeholder comments and submissions, and describes how technology, translation, facilitation, and structured regional consultations supported participation and informed the final policy draft.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages29

Reading Time1 h 13 min

Overview

Background and external review

Development of the draft CAO Policy

Purpose of the public consultation process

Summary of the process

Consultation kickoff and multilingual access

Informational session and regional consultations

Stakeholder participation and written submissions

Common feedback themes and issue handling

Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Summary of Formal Public Consultations from April 5 – May 19, 2021 and Feedback on the Draft IFC/MIGA Independent Accountability Mechanism (CAO) Policy I. Overview In August 2020, IFC and MIGA Boards of Directors (“Boards”) released the report of the independent External Review Panel on the External Review of IFC’s/MIGA’s Environmental and Social Accountability, including the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman’s (CAO) Role and Effectiveness (“External Review1”) . Thereport reflected the extensive consultations that the External Review Panel had with the Reference Group comprising civil society organizations, IFC/MIGA clients, independent experts, and other DFIs and their independent accountability mechanisms (IAMs) . The External Review report was published and additional public comment on it was solicited from August 12 to September 12, 2020, generating a total of 74 submissions from civil society, clients, other DFIs, IAMs, governments, academia, and others. In response to recommendations of the External Review Panel, the Boards tasked a Joint CAO/IFC/MIGA Working Group (the “Working Group”) to develop a draft IFC/MIGA Independent Accountability Mechanism (CAO) Policy (“CAO Policy” or the “Policy”)) . The Working Group conducted an informal stakeholder engagement with the Reference Group on the outline of the Policy in February 2021 before developing a full draft Policy during February and March 2021. A critical component of the development of the IFC/MIGA Independent Accountability Mechanism (CAO) Policy has been engagement with, and seeking feedback from, stakeholders. A Working Group comprised of CAO, IFC, and MIGA staff (“Working Group”) jointly designed and conducted a consultation process, including formal public consultations on the draft CAO Policy from April 5-May 19, 2021. The objective was to conduct an open, inclusive, and transparent consultation process despite the challenges imposed by COVID-19. Efforts were made to engage civil society, clients of IFC and MIGA, complainant groups and others who have directly participated in a CAO process, development finance institutions, independent accountability mechanisms, and other interested groups. The use of technology, in addition to an experienced facilitation team2, outreach to stakeholders, and the use of translation and interpretation services allowed for good participation, discussion, and feedback from a range of stakeholders. Written comments submitted by stakeholders provided detailed and thoughtful inputs. This report provides a summary of the consultation process, feedback received during the formal consultation sessions, feedback received from written submissions, and a table summarizing all input received and how the issue or suggestion was addressed in the final draft Policy. II. Summary of the process To initiate the consultation process, a dedicated website was launched on April 5, 2021, which made the draft Policy available in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Stakeholders could submit comments on the draft Policy through an online form on the website or via an 1 For more information about the External Review, go to [https://www.worldbank.org/en/about/leadership/brief/external-review-of-ifc-miga-es-accountability](https://www.worldbank.org/en/about/leadership/brief/external-review-of-ifc-miga-es-accountability) [2](2 All sessions were led by a team of experienced mediators/facilitators including Mr. Juan Dumas)[ All sessions were led by a team of experienced mediators/facilitators including Mr. Juan Dumas](2 All sessions were led by a team of experienced mediators/facilitators including Mr. Juan Dumas), Ms. Aparna Mukhergee, Mr. Adi Gavrila, Mr. John Garrison, Ms. Alma Jadallah, and Ms. Mariama Conteh and supported by team members from CAO, IFC, and MIGA. email link. Information about the consultation sessions and the draft Policy,

FAQs

What consultation process did the Working Group conduct for the draft CAO Policy?

The Working Group designed and ran a consultation process that included formal public consultations from April 5 to May 19, 2021, supported by stakeholder outreach, facilitation, and translated materials for inclusive participation.

How did stakeholders submit feedback during the consultation period?

Stakeholders submitted comments through an online form on a dedicated consultation website and also provided written submissions, alongside participation in informational and regional interactive consultation sessions.

What types of participants contributed input to the draft policy?

Participants included civil society organizations, IFC/MIGA clients, complainant groups, development finance institutions, independent accountability mechanisms, academia, governments, and other interested groups.

Jul 19, 2026

Upload by Levi