We are the independent accountability office of the IDB Group. We receive complaints from communities in the region alleging that they have been harmed by projects financed by one of the Group’s institutions as a result of noncompliance with one or more of its operational policies.
In 2010, the IDB Group reinforced its accountability with the creation of MICI, a new independent mechanism that replaced the first investigation mechanism created in 1994. The new Mechanism:
Added the dispute resolution function (Consultation Phase)
Improved its transparency and accessibility to address the concerns of local communities.
Reinforced its independence by reporting directly to the Executive Board.
In 2020, MICI is presenting the results of these first 10 years of work in all the areas of our mandate. Main commemoration activities:
February 26th and 27th: MICI Forum “Accountability, Conflict and Mediation”.
Launch of the II American Congress on Mediation, Negotiation and Arbitration.
Workshops with Civil Society in the region through the year.
September 23th and 24th: XVII Annual Meeting of Accountability Mechanisms
The IDB Group has suspended all international travel and all its employees are working remotely from Monday, March 16th, until further notice.
All of our complainants, friends, stakeholders, and colleagues must know that the MICI team is actively working, but given the restrictions on travel and face-to-face contacts, certain adverse impacts can be expected both in complaints management as well as access promotion activities.
Read more about the specific details of what to expect while the preventive measures are in place.
The Independent Consultation and Investigation Mechanism (MICI) addresses the complaints from communities harmed by projects funded by any of the institutions that make up the Inter-American Development Bank Group related to non-compliance with the Group's social and environmental standards.
On May 28, 2020, MICI submitted to the Board of Executive Directors the Compliance Review Report for the Alto Maipo Hydroelectric Power Project in Chile. The Board of Executive Directors endorsed the 7 recommendations made by MICI and instructed Management to submit, within a maximum period of 30 days, an Action Plan to address them. [Read more]
Since the introduction of telework for all IDB Group employees, field missions have been postponed until the necessary conditions are met, without in any case implying a suspension of the management of ongoing complaints or paralysis of the processes. On the contrary, in the last two months dozens of virtual meetings have been held with the different interlocutors of each complaint, using multiple channels and platforms based on particular situations.
On March 20, 2020, the MICI Director determined that the Request is eligible as it does meet the eligibility criteria established in the MICI Policy. For more information, access the registry file.
In the framework of the celebration of its tenth anniversary, this 2020, MICI has published three knowledge notes that delve into different aspects of accountability and promotion of sustainable development. With these three new publications, MICI aims not only to present the results of its first ten years of work but also to strengthen knowledge and understanding of all aspects linked to the mandate of the Mechanism.
More than 110 representatives from 23 independent accountability mechanisms (IAMs) of international financial institutions (IFIs) participated in the XVII Annual Meeting of the IAMnet, organized this year by MICI on the occasion of its tenth anniversary celebrations. The Annual Meeting, held for the first time in a totally virtual format due to COVID-19 restrictions, took place over two days, on September 23 and 24.
The expert in environmental and social sustainability, Jean-Roger Mercier, member of the Roster of independent experts of MICI's Verification Compliance Phase, passed away on July 5, at the age of 74. Jean-Roger was currently part of the Compliance Review Panel in charge of the MICI investigation of the Hydroelectric Projects Generadora San Mateo S.A. and Generadora San Andrés S.A., in Guatemala (MICI-CII-GU-2018-0136).
