Public Consultation on
Proposed IFC/MIGA Approach to Remedial Action andDraft IFC Responsible Exit Principles
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) consultation session
Online meeting 16 March 2023

Following the release of the proposed IFC/MIGA Approach to Remedial Action; and the IFCs
draft Responsible Exit Principles in February 2023, IFC/MIGA launched a global public
consultation process to elicit comments and submissions on both documents.
The consultation period began with a hybrid Informational Session on 28 February 2023, and willconclude on 20 April 2023 after a total of ten virtual consultation sessions covering all global timezones. Submissions can also be made by email toaccountabilityconsultation@worldbankgroup.org. All details appear on the dedicated consultation
webpage.

Facilitator´s Summary Report: Final

Introduction:
This Summary Report presents questions, inputs and comments received during a consultation
meeting for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) held on 16 March 2023 at 9:00 AM Washington
DC time. The session was attended by 10 participants and conducted in French by a team ofprofessional facilitators, with English interpretation.
IFC and MIGA representatives provided presentations on the process to date, which covered
background to the process; the documents themselves, and next steps towards finalizing thedocuments for consideration by the Committee on Development Effectiveness (CODE) of theIFC/MIGA Board of Directors. The goal was to collect as many comments, questions, reflections
and recommendations from participants as possible and have some dialogue between
participants and IFC/MIGA on key issues.
This Summary is based on comprehensive notes taken during the meeting by a team of Notetakers. It is divided into themes, some of which may overlap, and inputs intersect. The final
Report, at the end of the consultation period, will elaborate on the key points.
The session was divided into two parts: the proposed IFC/MIGA Approach to Remedial Action;
followed by the draft IFC Responsible Exit Principles.

A.

APPROACH TO REMEDIAL ACTION

1. Preparation for Remedial Action● A participant commented that they were interested in the very beginning phase of aproject: evaluating impact and moving toward reparation in the Environmental andSocial (E&S) evaluation assessment. They went on to say that the information in theApproach to Remedial Action is important, but that there is weakness in implementationof E&S impact studies and with the evaluation and decision-making. In their experience,
communities often feel impacted and helpless, so much so that crises and disputearound projects can descend into civil war. In order to mitigate such risks, one
participant underscored the need to engage local communities at the outset of aproject, for instance employing local youth. This would ensure a positive impact. Some
major cases, such as the well-known GTA gas projects in Senegal and Mauritania areexperiencing major issues regarding impacts on the local fishing community.

2. Roles and Responsibilities● A participant wants to see safeguards properly implemented and commented on
IFC/MIGA’s responsibilities in connecting communities with clients in situations where
the state is weak and communities feel helpless.

3. Process● A participant requested that the PowerPoint presentation of the Approach be shared.
● Another participant asked whether the final Approach to Remedial Action will be forinternal use only, or whether it could be shared with other stakeholders. Will theApproach be published, and can independent consultants and others have access to it aswell as to the case studies?
● A participant expressed their thanks for the presentations. The participant asked how
the Approach to Remedial Action and Responsible Exit Principles were developed and ifthey came from or are based on practical experience. The participant commented thatthe final version of the Approach should contain some examples or case studies to help
users fully understand the IFC/MIGA strategy.

B.

Responsible Exit Principles● One participant stated that the IFC and MIGA are generally seen as actors on thefinancing side who are not interested in the concerns of the community; andcommented that it is crucial that local populations are taken into account within theResponsible Exit Principles. The participant said that IFC should take their concerns into
account in the exit process.
● Another participant also remarked that it is crucial at the point of exit for investors totake the concerns of the affected population into consideration. Too often, exit leaves

communities in difficulties, such that they are left worse off than before the projectstarted. More can be done to consider the concerns of the populations and enable themto improve their situation and improve their livelihoods after IFC has exited the project.
The participant commented that these aspects are ignored when the financing is done.
At exit, confusion can arise between social responsibility and local context, so it isimportant to understand the respective roles and responsibilities in the process of exit
so that communities have some recourse and ways to mitigate negative E&S impacts.
● A participant referred to Principle 2 (point C) of the document which refers to E&S
impacts and pointed out that E&S impacts often persist after Exit, and felt that thesesometimes relate to contractual matters. The participant remarked that during project
set-up and approval, it is important to consider mechanisms that respond to concerns
generated during the financial contracting period and before final Exit.
● A participant commented that at the point where IFC decides to exit a project, a client
has sometimes not regulated E&S problems. Therefore, a fund should be mobilized aspart of the Project's financial package in its approval phase, to be used to deal with E&S
issues caused by the project, if the client is not willing to resolve the said problematic.
● One participant expressed gratitude for the presentation but asked that the final versionof the Responsible Exit Principles contain some examples or case studies to provide
background to their development. This would help users better understand IFC’s
strategy.