Request for formal inclusion of key civil society topics in the 2026 AIIB Annual Meeting Agenda

December 11, 2025

Executive Directors and Senior ManagementAsian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)Beijing, People’s Republic of China

Subject: Request for formal inclusion of key civil society topics in the 2026 AIIB Annual Meeting Agenda

Dear Executive Directors and Members of Management,

On behalf of the NGO Forum on ADB and our network of partner civil society organisations (CSOs) engaged in critical monitoring of the AIIB through the AIIB Working Group, we respectfully request the formal inclusion of a set of priority topics in the official program of the 2026 AIIB Annual Meeting (AM).

Over the past years, AIIB has become a significant actor in Asia’s infrastructure and energy landscape, with growing influence over capital markets, country pipelines, and national development pathways. At the same time, affected communities, movements, and CSOs increasingly view the AIIB Annual Meeting as one of the few venues where lived experience, technical scrutiny, and public interest concerns can be communicated directly to the Bank. To meet this expectation, we believe the 2026 AM in Doha, Qatar, should move beyond being a showcase event and instead operate as a substantive forum where critical issues are aired openly and followed up through clear, accountable processes.

In this context, we put forward the following topics for formal inclusion as sessions, technical briefings, and CSO–AIIB dialogues in the 2026 agenda-

First, we request the inclusion of a technical session on capital markets. The AIIB’s private capital mobilisation through capital markets instruments—such as bonds and infrastructure asset-backed securities (IABS)—has significant implications for debt sustainability, transparency, and public accountability. As the Bank increases its use of these instruments, a clearer understanding of its capital-markets approach, risk appetite, and safeguards for social and environmental integrity is essential. A dedicated technical dialogue, involving AIIB Treasury and risk management staff together with external experts, would enhance public understanding of these operations. CSOs are particularly concerned that capital-markets activities may dilute project-level accountability, and seek clarity on what mechanisms AIIB will put in place to prevent such outcomes.

Second, we call for a dedicated session on AIIB’s energy finance. While the Bank presents its portfolio as “green” and “lean,” communities often face displacement, livelihood disruptions, and cumulative ecological impacts from large-scale solar, wind, and hydropower investments. A session that addresses concrete social and environmental harms, benefit-sharing, and grievance resolution in AIIB-financed energy projects would demonstrate serious engagement with just-transition principles. The session should also examine AIIB’s support for gas infrastructure and its compatibility with the Paris Agreement and 1.5°C pathways. Many CSOs remain deeply concerned that continued gas financing risks long-term fossil lock-in. A technical discussion grounded in AIIB’s energy strategy, pipeline, and transition scenarios is necessary to clarify how the Bank intends to phase down such exposure.

Third, we propose that AIIB and CEIU publish and explain an early advocacy plan and timeline for the Annual Meeting and relevant policy reviews. CSO engagement is frequently constrained by short consultation windows. A transparent calendar—covering draft policy releases, comment periods, CEIU learning events, and PPM-related outreach—would enable more meaningful participation from communities that require time to understand complex documents and prepare feedback.

Fourth, we request a substantive session on gender that goes beyond high-level commitments. CSOs and gender-justice advocates wish to raise technical questions on how the Gender Action Plan (GAP) is implemented, how gender analysis is conducted, how intersectional risks are assessed, how gender-based violence (GBV) risks are managed in infrastructure projects, and how gender indicators are monitored and independently verified. A detailed session with adequate time for questions would help shift gender policy from aspiration to practice.

Fifth, we urge the Bank to include a session on transparency in country and project selection and resource allocation. Communities and national CSOs often have no access to information on how countries are prioritized, how projects enter the pipeline, and how resources are distributed across regions and sectors. An open session in which AIIB explains its country engagement frameworks, pipeline development process, and allocation criteria—along with space for CSOs to ask questions and provide feedback—would be an important step toward improving meaningful public scrutiny.

We also strongly recommend that the 2026 AM improve CSO engagement by explicitly allowing CSO-led panels within the official program. CSOs should not be limited to side events. A clear process for reviewing and integrating CSO-led proposals—especially on themes such as energy transition, human rights, climate justice, and accountability—would align AIIB with emerging good practice across other multilateral development banks.

We believe that formally including these topics in the 2026 Annual Meeting agenda will strengthen AIIB’s credibility as a public institution subject to scrutiny and responsive to community concerns. NGO Forum on ADB and our partners will continue to provide independent evidence from project sites across Asia to support accountability in AIIB operations.

We respectfully request a written response from AIIB Management and the Board of Directors indicating how these proposals will be considered in planning the 2026 Annual Meeting, and through which channels CSOs may continue to engage on agenda-setting.

Thank you for your consideration. We hope the 2026 AIIB Annual Meeting reflects the principles of accountability, justice, and inclusive dialogue that affected communities and CSOs continue to call for.

Sincerely,

Rayyan HassanExecutive DirectorNGO Forum on ADB

ENDORSED BY:

350 Pilipinas, Philippines

AbibiNsroma Foundation, Ghana

Accountability Counsel, International

Adarsha Samajik Progoti Sangstha, Bangladesh

African Law Foundation (AFRILAW), Nigeria

Aksi! for gender, social, and ecological justice, Indonesia

Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), Philippines

Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Regional, Asia

Bank Climate Advocates, United States / International

Bantay Kita, Inc., Philippines

BRICS Feminist Watch, Global

Buliisa Initiative for Rural Development Organisation (BIRUDO), Uganda

Centre for Community Mobilization and Support, Armenia

Centre for Environmental Justice, Sri Lanka

Centre for Human Rights and Development (CHRD), Mongolia

Community Resource Centre (CRC), Thailand

COMPPART Foundation for Justice and Peacebuilding, Nigeria

Consumer NGO, Mongolia

Dawei Probono Lawyer Network, Dawei, Tanintharyi, Myanmar

debtWATCH Indonesia, Indonesia/Southeast Asia

Equitable Cambodia, Cambodia

Fundación CAUCE: Cultura Ambiental - Causa Ecologista, Argentina

Fundeps, Argentina

Growthwatch, India

Inisiasi Masyarakat Adat (IMA), Indonesia

International Accountability Project, Global

Jubilee Australia Research Centre, Australia

Latinoamérica Sustentable, Latin America

Lumière Synergie pour le Développement, Sénégal

Mangrove Action Project, USA

Mekong Watch, Japan

Nash Vek PF, Kyrgyzstan

Onnochitra Foundation, Mymensingh, Bangladesh

Oyu Tolgoi Watch, Mongolia

Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, Pakistan

Peace Point Development Foundation - PPDF, Nigeria

Programme on Women's Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (PWESCR), Global South

Recourse, The Netherlands

Rivers & Rights, Southeast Asia

Rivers without Boundaries International Coalition, International

Rivers without Boundaries Coalition, Mongolia

Sa Merdeka Foundation, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara - Indonesia

Society for Peace and Sustainable Development, PAKISTAN

Society of Development and Education for Small Households-SoDESH, Bangladesh

South Asia Just Transition Alliance (SAJTA), South Asia

Southern Initiatives, Dawei, Tanintharyi, Myanmar

Stiftung Asienhaus, Germany

Sustentarse, Chile

Urgewald, Germany

Uzbek Forum for Human Rights, Germany/Uzbekistan

Youth for Promotion of Development (YPD), Cameroon

2025-12-11_AIIB_Annual-Meeting-2026_CSO-Agenda-Priorities_Letter.pdf

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