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 raised 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. CAO found the complaint eligible in January 2010.

Since the CAO assessment report was publicly released in August 2010, CAO's Ombudsman/Dispute Resolution team held regular meetings in Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh with various stakeholders, including project affected households, local and national government representatives, SCA, Green Goal (government resettlement consultants), NGOs, and IFC. Through a combination of separate meetings and “shuttle diplomacy” CAO facilitated indirect and informal communication among the parties to clarify issues, explore topics of mutual concern, and reach a mutually satisfactory solution.

As a result of the process: information was made available to community members, 157 families received financial compensation, 34 affected households received compensation and were resettled, and programs to assist with resettlement and livelihood initiatives were undertaken by the Government of Cambodia with the assistance of NGOs. This included an NGO that had helped the communities to file the complaint with CAO. A detailed conclusion report with a summary of the dispute resolution process and all the outcomes achieved can be found via the "Case Document" section below this page.