Compliance Advisor Ombudsman

Complaint

Societe Concessionaire de l'Aeroport, a special purpose company, holds a 45-year concession from the Royal Government of Cambodia to operate the Phnom Penh International Airport, the Siem Reap International Airport, and the Sihanoukville Airport (SIA).  IFC has two active projects with the company, the second of which involves financing capital expenditures and runway investments for SIA.

In December 2009, a local NGO in Cambodia filed a complaint with the CAO on behalf of 79 families who believe they have been negatively affected by the project and who hold that the project is not compliant with IFC requirements.  The families live in close proximity to the project site and many own land in what is presumed to be the expansion zone of the project.

The complainants raise concerns about improper land acquisition and compensation, loss of livelihoods, noise pollution, environmental impact to a national park, incorrect categorization, lack of community consultation, and inadequate disclosure of project information to impacted communities.  The complaint was deemed eligible in January 2010.

CAO Action

The CAO team visited the field in May 2010 where meetings were held to understand the issues and perspectives of affected community members, the NGOs supporting the complaint, IFC and the Sponsor, as well as local and provincial government officials relevant to the land acquisition process.

Based on the findings of the field visit, CAO shared an Ombudsman assessment report with the parties in May 2010.  The report, publicly released in August 2010, articulates a series of agreed next steps, which include:

• Development of a Community Relations and Communications Plan;
• Holding informational meetings to clarify roles and provide information to community members; and
• Integrating specific protocols into the Resettlement Action Plan to assist the parties to resolve potential deadlocks.

CAO's Ombudsman team continues to engage with the parties on how best to implement these actions within the current framework.

Status

A CAO Ombudsman assessment is ongoing.