We are the last resort of the conflict resolution system for employment related disputes at the IDB Group. Learn more about our role, composition, previous Judgments and resources available.
The information shared on this webpage is not equivalent to legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. Any specific questions concerning legal rights should be consulted with an attorney.
The Administrative Tribunal of the IDB Group hears complaints in which a current or former staff member of the IDB Group alleges non-observance of his or her contract of employment or terms and conditions of appointment, provided the complainant has exhausted all other remedies available within the IDB Group, as applicable, within the appropriate time periods, as established by the Statute and Rules of Procedure of the Administrative Tribunal.
The cases are related mostly to the following topics: performance evaluation and career development; benefits, compensation, and pension issues; equity of treatment and respect in the workplace; and misconduct, conflict of interest, and alleged misuse of Bank resources.
A complaint can be filed by any IDB Group employee, including consultants and retirees, and also by any person who is entitled to present a claim upon a right of a current, former, or retired staff member or consultant.
The Tribunal is composed of seven members who are independent from the IDB Group; they are appointed by the Board of Directors. The members of the Tribunal must be nationals of member countries of the IDB Group. No two of them can be nationals of the same country. The members of the Tribunal are appointed for one non-renewable term of six years. In addition, an Executive Secretary of the Tribunal is appointed by the Board of Executive Directors and is responsible for assisting the Tribunal in discharging its functions.
Member Name | Country | Since |
United States | 2020 | |
United Kingdom | 2021 | |
Argentina-Spain | 2020 | |
Portugal | 2020 | |
Trinidad and Tobago | 2021 | |
Mexico | 2023 | |
Brazil | 2023 | |
Italy | 2016 |
See Former Members
The Administrative Tribunal has jurisdiction when all internal remedies established in the formal conflict resolution mechanisms have been exhausted in a timely manner (Article II of the Statute of the Administrative Tribunal).
If the employee does not agree with the decision taken in previous instances, he or she may file a complaint with the Administrative Tribunal no later than 120 days after the following:
- The employee receives a Certificate of Conclusion of the Mediation.
- The employee receives the Final Decision of the Administration Subcommittee (Pension).
- The employee receives the Final Decision of the Vice President for Finance and Administration (VPF).
The Complaint is filed electronically (tribunal@iadb.org) with the office of the Tribunal's Executive Secretariat. If this is not practicable, the Complaint can be filed by mail to the office located at the Bank's headquarters or at the nearest Bank office if the complainant lives in a place other than Washington, D.C.
The documents mentioned above need to be attached to the Complaint.
The Rules of Procedure of the IDB Group Administrative Tribunal provide for two distinct types of hearings: witness testimony hearings and oral argument hearings.
Witness testimony hearings are held for the purpose of examining witnesses, legal experts, or other evidence, and are closed to the public.
Oral Argument hearings are convened after the conclusion of the evidentiary stage of the proceedings to allow the Parties to address the Tribunal directly and to provide a summary of their main arguments and submissions. They are open to all IDB Group active and retired personnel.
The Tribunal’s Decisions are notified to each of the parties of the case, and they are final and not subject to appeal. The judgments are published in accordance with the provisions of the Bank’s Access to Information Policy. Click here to access the Tribunal’s Decisions and search engine.
The IDB and IDB Invest, like many international organizations, enjoy immunity from jurisdiction of the courts of their member countries. For this reason, the Administrative Tribunal was established to adjudicate disputes which arise out of the employment relationship of the IDB Group with their employees.
The Administrative Tribunal was established by the Board of Executive Directors of the IDB on April 29, 1981. The Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC) became subject to the Administrative Tribunal’s jurisdiction on November 19, 1991 by resolution of its Board of Executive Directors. As of November 2017, IDB Invest is the commercial name of the IIC.
The Tribunal is composed of seven members who are independent from the IDB Group; they are appointed by the Board of Directors. The members of the Tribunal must be nationals of member countries of the IDB Group. No two of them can be nationals of the same country. The members of the Tribunal are appointed for one non-renewable term of six years. In addition, an Executive Secretary of the Tribunal is appointed by the Board of Executive Directors and is responsible for assisting the Tribunal in discharging its functions.
Member Name | Country | Since |
United States | 2020 | |
United Kingdom | 2021 | |
Argentina-Spain | 2020 | |
Portugal | 2020 | |
Trinidad and Tobago | 2021 | |
Mexico | 2023 | |
Brazil | 2023 | |
Italy | 2016 |
See Former Members
The Administrative Tribunal has jurisdiction when all internal remedies established in the formal conflict resolution mechanisms have been exhausted in a timely manner (Article II of the Statute of the Administrative Tribunal).
If the employee does not agree with the decision taken in previous instances, he or she may file a complaint with the Administrative Tribunal no later than 120 days after the following:
- The employee receives a Certificate of Conclusion of the Mediation.
- The employee receives the Final Decision of the Administration Subcommittee (Pension).
- The employee receives the Final Decision of the Vice President for Finance and Administration (VPF).
The Complaint is filed electronically (tribunal@iadb.org) with the office of the Tribunal's Executive Secretariat. If this is not practicable, the Complaint can be filed by mail to the office located at the Bank's headquarters or at the nearest Bank office if the complainant lives in a place other than Washington, D.C.
The documents mentioned above need to be attached to the Complaint.
The Rules of Procedure of the IDB Group Administrative Tribunal provide for two distinct types of hearings: witness testimony hearings and oral argument hearings.
Witness testimony hearings are held for the purpose of examining witnesses, legal experts, or other evidence, and are closed to the public.
Oral Argument hearings are convened after the conclusion of the evidentiary stage of the proceedings to allow the Parties to address the Tribunal directly and to provide a summary of their main arguments and submissions. They are open to all IDB Group active and retired personnel.
The Tribunal’s Decisions are notified to each of the parties of the case, and they are final and not subject to appeal. The judgments are published in accordance with the provisions of the Bank’s Access to Information Policy. Click here to access the Tribunal’s Decisions and search engine.
The IDB and IDB Invest, like many international organizations, enjoy immunity from jurisdiction of the courts of their member countries. For this reason, the Administrative Tribunal was established to adjudicate disputes which arise out of the employment relationship of the IDB Group with their employees.
The Administrative Tribunal was established by the Board of Executive Directors of the IDB on April 29, 1981. The Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC) became subject to the Administrative Tribunal’s jurisdiction on November 19, 1991 by resolution of its Board of Executive Directors. As of November 2017, IDB Invest is the commercial name of the IIC.
This toolkit was created to guide future users in the event they decide to represent themselves when filing a case with the Administrative Tribunal of the Inter-American Development Bank Group.
Find out about the cases resolved by the Administrative Tribunal since 1981.
The Guide is a visual map of each of the three phase and the role that the Parties have in the process.
This article provides an overview of the history, practice and composition of the Tribunal, and identify trends in the statistical data of the four decades of service of the Administrative Tribunal of the IDB Group.
Learn about the role of the Administrative Tribunal within the IDB Group, procedure, practices, and its main statistics on cases
This study offers a discussion of a specific feature of the Tribunal’s procedure
This resource guide was developed to facilitate conversations between the Board of Executive Directors and the Secretariat of the Tribunal
Check out our gallery of audiovisual resources available to you. In this gallery you will find instructional videos about the process before the Administrative Tribunal, its composition and operational framework as well as interviews from judges, users and peers.
The videos shared in this webpage are intended to provide general information about the Tribunal's role within the IDB Group, why it was established and how to access to it.
Discover our mechanisms for ensuring good practices and how to contact us regarding ethics and integrity matters at the IDB.
Learn about our comprehensive approach to transparency and accountability.