Guide to filing a complaint

Do you believe you have been harmed by an IDB Group project? These three steps will guide you in filing your complaint with MICI.

1. Answer these questions to confirm that MICI is the right channel for submitting your complaint.

• Does the complaint refer to an IDB Group project? Sometimes, it is easy to identify whether the IDB Group is financing the project because national law requires the disclosure of this information. If you are unsure, you can check the lists of IDB projects and IDB Invest projects.
• Does the potential impact or harm relate to environmental and social issues covered by the operational policies of the IDB or IDB Invest? If the alleged harm has to do with ethical issues; corruption, fraud, or prohibited practices; or management, internal finance, or procurement or contracting processes, the complaint will be registered on the MICI website but will not be admitted for processing and will be transferred to other IDB Group offices responsible for these issues.
• Have you already tried to contact the people in charge of the project? Before contacting MICI as a last resort, try to work out a solution with the IDB or IDB Invest teams. However, if you fear possible reprisals for voicing your complaint, you may go directly to MICI.

2. Review the exclusions and requirements in paragraphs 19 and 22 of the MICI policy. You can use this list (checklist) to review these basic criteria:

• The complainants must be two or more persons who may be affected by a project, and they must be residents of the country where it is being implemented.
• The complaint is not anonymous, and it provides the names and contact information of all complainants. If a representative is supporting the complainants, he or she must have the written authorization of all the complainants.
• The alleged harm is related to an IDB Group-financed project already approved by the Board of Directors. If more than 24 months have passed since the Bank’s last disbursement, the complaint will not be eligible.

3. Send your complaint in writing, in any language of Latin America and the Caribbean. Although there is no predefined format, you can use this sample letter as a guide. You can send it by email, mail, or fax, addressed to the director of MICI. Our contact information is:

Email address

mecanismo@iadb.org

Mailing address

Independent Consultation and Investigation Mechanism

1300 New York Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20577

United States

Fax +1 202 312 4057