Panel Hosts OHCHR-Sponsored Virtual Consultation on Remedy in Development Finance

The Inspection Panel on June 9, 2020, hosted an informal virtual consultation sponsored by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the topic of remedy in development finance.

The consultation was attended by more than 30, mostly Washington-based, representatives of independent accountability mechanisms, civil society, academia and development finance institutions (DFIs).

Inspection Panel Chair Imrana Jalal co-chaired the virtual consultation along with OHCHR representative Mac Darrow. Ms. Jalal said the topic was an important one for project-affected people who often want to know who will fix their problem, who will pay for the remedy and will the remedy make their lives better.

Panel Executive Secretary Dilek Barlas was the discussant on the topic of  “How Remedy Is Currently Framed in Mandates, Safeguard Policies.”

Other topics included: “Identifying Entry Points, Mechanisms, Teams and Tools for Early Action”; “Getting to Effective Outcomes”; remedy in “High Risk Circumstances”; and “DFI Actions on Remedy.”

The session was the first of three regional consultations planned by OHCHR leading to the publication in 2021 of a report for development policymakers and practitioners on “Accessing Remedy in Development Finance: Guidance and Practice.”