Infrastructure transforms landscapes and lives. At the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), our mission is rooted in the belief that communities must be active partners, with a clear, trusted path to be heard if things go wrong. This is the purpose of our Project-affected People’s Mechanism (PPM) – an independent forum for recourse when communities believe an AIIB-financed project has adversely affected them.
A robust mechanism must evolve. In 2023, the Complaints-resolution, Evaluation and Integrity Unit (CEIU), an independent unit at AIIB that reports directly to the Board, initiated a rigorous, two-year review of the PPM Policy. This process, which included global consultations, was designed to enhance the PPM's visibility, accessibility and effectiveness.
Global Dialogue: A Two-Phase Stakeholder Consultation
The policy review engaged a broad range of stakeholders globally through two phases of consultations:
Phase one of stakeholder consultations was about broad listening. CEIU convened over 1,000 participants from 30 countries in more than 100 in-person and virtual meetings. In-person sessions spanned from Brazil and Germany to Türkiye, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Uzbekistan, engaging governments, public and private sector clients, CSOs and affected communities. Virtual rounds connected us with voices from across the globe, and deep-dive sessions were held with peer independent accountability mechanisms and experts.
Phase two focused on refining the PPM Policy, incorporating feedback from AIIB staff, sovereign and non-sovereign clients, CSOs and other stakeholders.
The process culminated in the approval of the revised PPM Policy by the Board on Dec. 18, 2025, with the updated policy taking effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
Key Improvements for Project-Affected Communities
1. Gender-Based Violence Complaints: Single Individuals Can File
Change: The PPM previously required two or more requestors for all submissions irrespective of the issue. The revised policy allows a single individual to file in cases involving gender-based violence, sexual harassment, or sexual exploitation and abuse.
Why it matters: Survivors of these harms often face stigma, trauma and retaliation risks that make it difficult to find others willing to come forward together. This change removes a barrier for vulnerable individuals, ensuring they can seek accountability without requiring collective action that may expose them to further harm.
2. Clearer Pathways When Local Mechanisms Fail
Change: The revised policy clarifies the discretion afforded to the PPM, making it unequivocal that communities can approach it when issues remain unresolved through project-level grievance mechanisms and AIIB management.
Why it matters: The revised policy provides additional clarifications and makes the process more predictable. The revised provisions explicitly confirm that the PPM serves as a genuine avenue of last resort when other mechanisms prove inadequate. If good-faith efforts were not made through project-level and management channels, the PPM will provide guidance to enable them to do so.
3. Judicial Proceedings No Longer Bar PPM Review
Change: The policy removes the provision that made submissions ineligible for compliance review if matters were under arbitral or judicial review.
Why it matters: The previous restriction prevented communities from accessing the PPM while pursuing issues in domestic courts. The revised approach recognizes that PPM’s compliance review focuses on AIIB’s adherence to its own Environmental and Social Policy – a distinct process that can provide accountability even as other legal avenues are pursued.
4. Mandatory Learning from Co-Financed Projects
Change: When AIIB relies on a co-financier’s independent accountability mechanism, and that mechanism finds non-compliance, AIIB management must now report to the Board on implications and lessons learned.
Why it matters: AIIB frequently co-finances projects with other multilateral development banks, relying on their environmental and social policies and accountability mechanisms. This change ensures AIIB systematically learns from co-financiers’ non-compliance findings, strengthening accountability even when using partner institutions’ systems, and ensuring these insights inform our future work.
5. Independent Verification of Action Plans
Change: Under exceptional circumstances and with Board approval, the PPM can independently verify the implementation of management action plans.
Why it matters: Independent verification ensures that commitments translate into real changes for affected communities. If needed, the PPM may also conduct site visits to gather necessary information to prepare independent verification reports.
6. Strengthened Confidentiality Protections
Change: Enhanced provisions clarify the protection of requestor confidentiality throughout the PPM process, with additional detail in the updated PPM Rules of Procedure.
Why it matters: Communities filing complaints often face the risk of retaliation. Robust confidentiality protections are essential to enable people to come forward safely, particularly where civic space is constrained.
These revisions represent meaningful progress, balancing greater accessibility with the need for an operational and sustainable mechanism. They reinforce AIIB’s commitment to accountability while enabling project-affected communities to have a fairer, more trusted avenue to raise concerns.
CEIU also substantially revised the PPM Rules of Procedure, simplifying language and providing clarifications – all with the objective of enhancing the PPM’s accessibility and effectiveness. We are now focused on the diligent implementation of these improvements and will actively assess their impact in the next policy review cycle.
Strengthening the Full Accountability Ecosystem
The revised policy is part of AIIB’s holistic commitment to accountability. Throughout 2026, CEIU will implement a comprehensive rollout plan, including expanded outreach, in-country workshops, updated digital resources and toolkits for staff and clients.
Complementing these efforts, AIIB management has committed to operational enhancements:
- Strengthening AIIB’s management-level grievance redress mechanism.
- Enhancing project-level grievance redress mechanisms (GRMs).
- Training project teams and clients on the PPM process, GRM accessibility and key issues like confidentiality and retaliation.
This integrated approach – spanning policy, outreach and management-led improvements – is how AIIB is building a more resilient and trusted accountability ecosystem.
