Cambodia: Cambodia Airports-01/Preah Sihanoukville

Date Filed
11 Dec 2009
Status
Closed
Phase
Dispute Resolution (DR)
Country
Cambodia

Case Tracker

Eligibility
Eligibility
Assessment
Assessment
Dispute Resolution
Dispute Resolution
Monitoring
Closed
Compliance
CURRENT Status
Closed(DISPUTE RESOLUTION)

Complaint Overview

Concerns

Land acquisition and compensation, loss of livelihoods, noise pollution, environmental impact to a national park, categorization, community consultation, and disclosure of project information

Cross-Cutting Issues
Risk Management Labor Community Health and Safety Land Resettlement Biodiversity Indigenous Peoples Cultural Heritage Land Water Children Women Coercion Violence / Abuse Loss of Livelihoods Private / Personal Property Damage Access to Information Policy

Project Information

Region
East Asia & the Pacific
Institution
IFC
Name & Number
Cambodia Airport II 25332
Company
Societe Concessionaire de l'Aeroport
Sector
Infrastructure
Department
Infrastructure
Category
B
Commitment

$7.5 million

Synopsis

Project Overview

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.

Complaint

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.

Action

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.

Status

After monitoring the agreed actions, CAO released its conclusion report in May 2015. The case is now closed.

 

Status as of July 07, 2015

Case Documents

  • Complaint
    Letter of Complaint
    Dec 18, 2009
    English
    Letter of Complaint
    Assessment Report
    Assessment Report
    Aug 01, 2010
    English
    Assessment Report
    Assessment Report
    Aug 01, 2010
    Khmer
    Assessment Report
  • Dispute Resolution

    Conclusion Report
    Conclusion Report
    Jun 02, 2015
    English
    Conclusion Report
    Conclusion Report
    Jun 02, 2015
    Khmer
    Conclusion Report
  • Mailchimp Survey

     

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