On August 29, 2025, the Panel received a Request for Inspection related to the Investing in Forests and Protected Areas for Climate-Smart Development Project (P170466) in Uganda. The Request was submitted by two individuals from Batwa communities in Uganda on behalf of themselves and other Batwa communities residing around four protected forest areas which they consider their ancestral territories and from which these communities were evicted in the early 1990s. The Requesters are concerned about reprisals and have asked the Panel for confidentiality.

The Request alleges that the Project is perpetuating historical injustices against the Batwa people. It states that the Project’s consultation framework treats Indigenous Peoples as general civil society, thereby disregarding rather than applying the specific requirements of Environmental and Social Standard 7 regarding Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities (ESS7).  According to the Request, the Bank’s “acceptance of unauthorized representation” during the consultation process and failure to follow ESS7 is damaging relations between Batwa leaders and settlements, weakening their collective voice when unity is essential for their survival.

The Request claims the exclusion of Batwa people from the Project denies them of the opportunity to co-manage protected forest resources and benefit from tourism-generated revenues which could support Batwa livelihoods. It also claims that while the Project exploits Batwa culture to promote tourism activities, it disregards their traditional forest knowledge and excludes them from receiving revenues that these activities generate.

After meeting with Bank Management on October 1, 2025, the Panel registered the Request on October 15, 2025. The Panel’s registration implies no judgment whatsoever concerning the merits of the Request. As mandated in the Inspection Panel process, the World Bank Management shall provide the Panel with a response to the issues raised in the Request for Inspection. After receiving Management’s response and engaging with the relevant stakeholders, the Panel shall make a recommendation to the Board of Executive Directors on whether the case should be investigated. Learn more.