From 1-4 October, the IRM co-hosted the 21st Independent Accountability Mechanisms network (IAMnet) Annual Meeting in Manila, Philippines, alongside the Accountability Mechanism of the Asian Development Bank.

The 2024 Annual Meeting brought together 23 IAMs to discuss challenges and opportunities in strengthening accountability for project affected communities.

The first day started with keynote addresses by Asian Development Bank President Masatsugu Asakawa and Green Climate Fund Executive Director Mafalda Duarte. Participants finished the morning with a session on IAM policy reviews. This year, six IAMs are ongoing a review of their policies. In the afternoon, two simultaneous break out sessions looked at remedy and responsible exit. Paco Gimenez-Salinas, Compliance and Dispute Resolution Specialist, participated in a panel discussion about the challenges in dispute resolution.

The second day focused on sessions around Indigenous Peoples, cases involving trauma, outreach, climate change and compliance review processes. Peter Carlson, Communications Officer, shared a case study looking at the IRM’s outreach strategy and Sonja Derkum, IRM Head, also spoke on a panel about climate change.

On the third day, IAMnet welcomed members from civil society who presented on IAM case outcomes. Discussions also looked into areas of improvement, policy reviews, processes, retaliation, remedy and other issues. Preksha Kumar, Registrar & Case Officer, facilitated a discussion around civil society research into IAM processes.

On the fourth and final day, IAMs discussed the challenges and opportunities of collaborating on cases as well as artificial intelligence and safeguarding issues.

The IRM would like to thank the Asian Development Bank Accountability Mechanism for co-hosting this year’s event as well as the World Bank Accountability Mechanism for serving as the IAMnet Secretariat for the last two years.

-----

About IAMnet

The Independent Accountability Mechanisms Network (IAMnet) is a partnership dedicated to building institutional capacity on accountability and compliance to improve corporate governance and development impact. Each year, members organise an Annual Meeting to identify and foster means for cooperation among IAMs within their respective mandates; contribute to the regular exchange of ideas and best practices; and share views on the role of the IAMs in enhancing institutional accountability as a key component of corporate governance.