“In Financing ‘Infrastructure for Tomorrow,’ the AIIB Refuses to Learn From Its Past” 16 October 2024

Last month, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) held its ninth annual meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan...This is a critical time for the AIIB to take stock and reflect on its track record, as the bank is currently reviewing its Project-affected People’s Mechanism (PPM)...

However, so far the PPM has not addressed a single complaint about the 286 projects that the bank is funding across the globe. And, unfortunately, this does not mean that the AIIB has flawless operations.

In Indonesia, the Mandalika project violently relocated the Sasak Indigenous Peoples to build a racing circuit, construct hotels, and attract tourism to Lombok Island...

In southern Bangladesh, the community impacted by the Bhola Gas Power Plant filed a complaint with the AIIB, raising concerns about the loss of land and livelihoods, serious environmental damage, and lack of meaningful consultation and information disclosure. The PPM, however, rejected their complaint, claiming there had not been good faith engagement...

The PPM is widely considered as inaccessible and unreliable, because it has strict eligibility requirements that limits its mandate. Too often, the PPM serves to help the bank evade accountability...

when investing in countries where civic space is extremely restricted, the AIIB is failing to take adequate measures to ensure people can safely speak out. In Tajikistan, for example, the AIIB is looking to finance the Rogun Dam...This mega-dam risks displacing more than 50,000 people while having heavy environmental, social, and economic impacts. However, the concerns of thousands of affected people remain unheard, as the repressive regime in Tajikistan is silencing any form of dissent...

CSOs continue to be left on the sidelines. During the bank’s annual meetings, there is no opportunity to organize CSO-led sessions and to meaningfully participate...

The AIIB should pay attention to these urgent calls from civil society. As it ushers in a decade of its operations, the bank should look back to its past, learn from its mistakes, and commit to remedy the harm caused....