"BRI project flaws can be addressed with digital tools" 26 September 2022

[...] Political leaders in Beijing are sensitive to criticism of the BRI, and have pledged to make projects "clean, green and consultative." But delivering on those promises will require overcoming numerous hurdles.

Government agencies and the development banks that fund most BRI projects may ask construction contractors to perform impact assessments and to conduct stakeholder engagement, but they typically have little visibility into overseas projects and limited ability to hold powerful state-owned enterprises accountable.

The Chinese companies themselves often have insufficient knowledge of local rules, customs, issues or languages. Project developers and contractors, as well as financiers, seldom take responsibility for ensuring that local laws are followed or that commitments to residents are honored. [...]

In other cases, top leaders fast-track pet projects, skipping due diligence and tying the hands of civil servants. Local officials, civil society organizations and community leaders may not have the tools or the know-how to deal with project-generated problems. [...]

The result is a digital toolkit developed in consultation with local civil society groups and international development experts, with step-by-step guidance that can be easily accessed online even in low-bandwidth areas.

The Belt and Road Initiative Toolkit website can help stakeholders [...] engage with a BRI project in ways that can help protect their health, homes, livelihoods, communities and their environment. It includes an interactive timeline linked to checklists of best practices for engagement between Chinese and host country stakeholders.

It also provides information about conducting environmental and social impact assessments; key Chinese and international laws, policies, and guidelines relevant to projects; an inventory of organizations that local stakeholders can reach in their own country, in China and around the world; and a glossary that explains key technical terms relating to infrastructure. The toolkit is currently available in English and Chinese and will soon be available in Lao, Khmer and Bahasa Indonesia. [...]