NGO Forum doubts seriousness of ADB's communication policy review
MANILA, 16 June 10 -- NGO Forum on the ADB expressed its dissatisfaction with the ADB's draft Public Communication Policy (PCP). "We question the ADB's good faith coming into the series of national consultations on the PCP," said Forum Executive Director Dr Avilash Roul.
According to the bank watchdog, the multilateral bank did not give any indication whether it took into consideration Forum's recommendations in coming up with the draft policy which was released last 2 June. The draft policy served as basis for the first national consultation in Canada yesterday and will be used for the succeding consultations in the coming weeks.
"Unfortunately, the period of commenting to the existing PCP now appears to us as simply going through the motions of consultation. Save for minor clarificatory changes, the first draft revised PCP has failed to respond positively to any of the substantive recommendations we have made", said Souparna Lahiri of the Indian-based National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers.
In April 2010, the NGO Forum on the ADB, together with the Global Transparency Initiative (GTI), submitted its assessment of the bank's PCP, and recommended changes based on international standards on right to information as well as the results of three community consultations organized by the Forum in Cambodia, Indonesia and Nepal and its four years of directly monitoring experiences of ADB projects in Central Asia and Caucasus countries.
"The biggest issue that surfaced in our consultation is the failure of the PCP to provide people, who have been directly affected by ADB programs and projects , effective access to information," Conservation and Development on Cambodia (CDCam) Head Kay Leak said. "In practice, the ADB has not given affected people the PCP operational mechanism providing information through development communication plans," Kay said.
Forum pointed out that the failure of the ADB to implement this important mechanism shows the soft commitment of the PCP to providing effective, adequate, and timely information to affected people. "We recommended that the joint development of communication plans for ADB-assisted projects and programs be made mandatory, instead as discretionary as provided in the draft PCP," Sri Lankan Centre for Environmental Justice Executive Director Hemantha Withanage said.
In their April submission, Forum and GTI also called ADB's attention to a number of exceptions covering various categories of information that have no reference to any legitimate interest being protected by non-disclosure. There are also provisions that allow discretionary withholding of information.
Forum also called for the creation of an independent appeals mechanism. Anyone who believes that the ADB has failed to respect its access to information policy has the right to have the matter reviewed by an independent and authoritative body. The existing Public Disclosure Advisory Committee (PDAC), the principal appeals mechanism available to the public, lacks such independence given its composition.
None of the above issues have been addressed by the ongoing PCP review. "At this point, given the non-responsiveness of the draft revised PCP, we raise serious doubts over the ADB's sincerity and readiness to respond to peoples' concerns over the PCP," said lawyer Nepomuceno Malaluan of the Global Transparency Initiative and member of Forum's PCP Review Facilitation Team.
"Can we expect serious reform from the ADB PCP review, or will they only use us to give a sham review a semblance of participation, consultation and legitimacy?" Roul asked.
The next consultation will be held in the United States from 17-18 June 2010, while the last consultation will be held in Manila in 2 August.
Read the latest submissions of the Forum
Learn more about the PCP
MANILA, 16 June 10 -- NGO Forum on the ADB expressed its dissatisfaction with the ADB's draft Public Communication Policy (PCP). "We question the ADB's good faith coming into the series of national consultations on the PCP," said Forum Executive Director Dr Avilash Roul.
According to the bank watchdog, the multilateral bank did not give any indication whether it took into consideration Forum's recommendations in coming up with the draft policy which was released last 2 June. The draft policy served as basis for the first national consultation in Canada yesterday and will be used for the succeding consultations in the coming weeks.
"Unfortunately, the period of commenting to the existing PCP now appears to us as simply going through the motions of consultation. Save for minor clarificatory changes, the first draft revised PCP has failed to respond positively to any of the substantive recommendations we have made", said Souparna Lahiri of the Indian-based National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers.
In April 2010, the NGO Forum on the ADB, together with the Global Transparency Initiative (GTI), submitted its assessment of the bank's PCP, and recommended changes based on international standards on right to information as well as the results of three community consultations organized by the Forum in Cambodia, Indonesia and Nepal and its four years of directly monitoring experiences of ADB projects in Central Asia and Caucasus countries.
"The biggest issue that surfaced in our consultation is the failure of the PCP to provide people, who have been directly affected by ADB programs and projects , effective access to information," Conservation and Development on Cambodia (CDCam) Head Kay Leak said. "In practice, the ADB has not given affected people the PCP operational mechanism providing information through development communication plans," Kay said.
Forum pointed out that the failure of the ADB to implement this important mechanism shows the soft commitment of the PCP to providing effective, adequate, and timely information to affected people. "We recommended that the joint development of communication plans for ADB-assisted projects and programs be made mandatory, instead as discretionary as provided in the draft PCP," Sri Lankan Centre for Environmental Justice Executive Director Hemantha Withanage said.
In their April submission, Forum and GTI also called ADB's attention to a number of exceptions covering various categories of information that have no reference to any legitimate interest being protected by non-disclosure. There are also provisions that allow discretionary withholding of information.
Forum also called for the creation of an independent appeals mechanism. Anyone who believes that the ADB has failed to respect its access to information policy has the right to have the matter reviewed by an independent and authoritative body. The existing Public Disclosure Advisory Committee (PDAC), the principal appeals mechanism available to the public, lacks such independence given its composition.
None of the above issues have been addressed by the ongoing PCP review. "At this point, given the non-responsiveness of the draft revised PCP, we raise serious doubts over the ADB's sincerity and readiness to respond to peoples' concerns over the PCP," said lawyer Nepomuceno Malaluan of the Global Transparency Initiative and member of Forum's PCP Review Facilitation Team.
"Can we expect serious reform from the ADB PCP review, or will they only use us to give a sham review a semblance of participation, consultation and legitimacy?" Roul asked.
The next consultation will be held in the United States from 17-18 June 2010, while the last consultation will be held in Manila in 2 August.
Read the latest submissions of the Forum
Learn more about the PCP
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