Urgent call for inclusive engagement and accountability in AIIB annual meeting
- NGO Forum on ADB
- Apr 10
- 6 min read
9 April 2025
MR. JIN LIQUN
President
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)Beijing, China
Subject: Civil society advocacy organizations' engagement and issues of concern regarding meaningful participation in the AIIB 10th Annual Meeting, Beijing 2025
Dear President Jin,
NGO Forum on ADB Network is writing to express key concerns regarding the meaningful participation of civil society in the upcoming 10th Annual Meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to be held in Beijing, China.
As a network that has consistently participated in AIIB Annual Meetings since the Bank’s inaugural session in 2016, we have long advocated for stronger, more institutionalized civic engagement. However, due to the AIIB’s continued failure to meet basic conditions for inclusive participation—such as ensuring open, safe, and meaningful spaces for civil society—we made the difficult decision to boycott the 2024 Annual Meeting in Uzbekistan. This action reflected our collective disappointment with the Bank’s lack of responsiveness to civil society’s repeated calls for reform.
While the AIIB continues to rely heavily on inputs from technical consultants, government agencies, and private sector actors, we remain deeply concerned that this insular approach excludes the lived experiences and perspectives of project-affected communities. Such a narrow stakeholder base risks undermining the Bank’s development effectiveness. Genuine engagement with civil society organizations (CSOs) would not only enhance transparency and accountability but also significantly improve the design, implementation, and long-term sustainability of AIIB-financed projects.
Strengthening stakeholder engagement beyond internal consultation
At present, the Bank’s stakeholder engagement practices are largely confined to institutional actors within project finance structures. While these perspectives are important, they do not substitute for direct, inclusive consultation with external actors, particularly project-affected peoples and civil society. We urge the Bank to prioritize inclusive participation in policy and project decision-making, including meaningful inputs into updates to the Gender Action Plan, the Energy Strategy, other core institutional frameworks, and regional strategies/ country-specific plans.
Limitations in current engagement formats
The structure of the CSO engagement session during the Annual Meetings remains restrictive such that project-affected people’s and CSO perspectives are siloed without opportunities to inform the main agenda of the Annual Meeting. The current format does not allow for substantive discussion or effective feedback, often limiting the dialogue with affected peoples and CSOs to pre-scripted remarks and top-down presentations. A more open and co-designed structure is urgently needed to foster trust and encourage solutions-oriented conversations between bank officials, affected peoples, and CSOs.
Proposed topics for civil society-led dialogue at the 2025 annual meeting
In line with AIIB’s commitment to transparency, inclusion, and dialogue, we propose the following topics for CSO-led panel discussions during the 2025 Annual Meeting, where CSOs can share fieldwork findings from recent case studies and provide rights-based perspectives -
Just Transition and Renewable Energy Financing - Ensure that AIIB’s approach to energy transition is aligned with human rights, labor protections, and social inclusion—particularly for women and other vulnerable groups. The bank must also commit to a clear roadmap for phasing out fossil fuel financing.
Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) Implementation - With limited staff overseeing ESF compliance, the bank lacks adequate mechanisms to respond to social and environmental risks. Affected people’s and CSO engagement is essential in identifying community concerns and improving safeguard accountability.
AIIB Climate Commitments and Paris Alignment - The Bank’s climate financing strategy lacks transparency. We call for a public dialogue on AIIB’s actual alignment with the Paris Agreement, particularly in relation to its ongoing fossil fuel investments.
Gender and Infrastructure Financing - The lack of a consultative gender action plan and insufficient gender analysis in project planning raises serious concerns. We urge AIIB to adopt a gender-responsive lens in all policy and operational activities.
Institutionalizing Civil Society Engagement - Despite positive rhetoric, the AIIB still lacks a systematic, bank-wide approach to engaging CSOs and affected communities. Engagement must move beyond tokenism and toward real dialogue, particularly in fragile or restricted civic spaces.
Review of the Project-Affected People’s Mechanism Policy - As AIIB is in the advanced stages of reviewing its PPM Policy, a panel discussion that brings together civil society actors, PPM staff, Board members, and management would be a crucial step towards a transparent bank-wide discussion.
Dedicated and expanded CSO space at the annual meeting
In 2024, the inclusion of only two CSO sessions, announced with very short notice during a holiday period, limited our ability to organize meaningful contributions. For the 2025 AGM in Beijing, we request a clearly allocated and expanded space for CSO activities—both within and alongside the official meeting agenda. This includes participation in sessions organized by AIIB and partners where CSO perspectives would clearly deepen understanding of issues. For example, in 2024, there was a panel discussion on Financial Intermediaries, a topic CSOs have tremendous expertise in, and yet were not invited as speakers. This also includes sufficient notice, logistical support, online sessions, and interpretation services to ensure diverse and equitable participation.
Roundtable with AIIB executive directors
We further propose a formal roundtable session between CSOs and the AIIB Executive Directors during the Annual Meeting. Such direct engagement would enhance transparency, foster mutual understanding, and open new avenues for constructive collaboration.
Visa and accessibility concerns
We also urge the AIIB to assist with visa processing for civil society delegates. Past meetings have seen delays and difficulties in visa issuance, which have disproportionately impacted grassroots organizations. To ensure equitable access and inclusion, AIIB should facilitate faster processing and provide clear guidance to help delegates navigate the visa application process efficiently. This support will help ensure that all registered participants, regardless of their country of origin, can attend the meeting without undue barriers.
Ensuring a safe, inclusive, and transparent space for civil society
As this milestone annual meeting will be hosted in China, we are concerned about the closed civic space, as there are various documented cases of harassment, intimidation, detention, and other rights violations towards civil society. We are aware that China, as a country, has its own approach to civic space, rights-based advocacy, and civil rights protection. Considering this context, we wish to underscore the need for explicit assurances regarding the security and freedom of expression/right of opinion of participating civil society members during the AIIB Annual Meeting. Many CSOs have voiced concerns over the ability to engage safely and independently during the event. The AIIB must ensure that all participants—especially community-based organizations, grassroots advocates, and human rights defenders—can participate in the annual meeting without fear of surveillance, intimidation, or reprisal. This includes providing explicit guarantees of protection, adopting safety and security protocols to mitigate and adequately address reprisal risks before, during, and after the Annual Meeting, which also includes getting participants’ consent if their information can be shared or kept confidential and to be photographed and recorded and facilitating safe, independent spaces for dialogue both within and outside the formal AGM.
Alignment with best practices
Other multilateral development banks, including the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB), have institutionalized mechanisms for civil society engagement that AIIB can build upon. As the youngest, AIIB has the opportunity to establish a new gold standard in participatory development finance.
We hope these critical issues are addressed at the 10th Annual Meeting in Beijing. We stand ready to engage AIIB in advancing its commitments to environmental sustainability, social inclusion, and participatory development.
On behalf of the NGO Forum on ADB Network,
Rayyan Hassan
Executive Director
NGO Forum on ADB
Endorsed by the following organizations
350.org, Asia
350.org, Pilipinas
Accountability Counsel, Global
Aksi! for Gender, Social and Ecological Justice, Indonesia
Alternative Law Collective (ALC), Pakistan
Asia Indigenous Peoples Network on Extractive Industries and Energy (AIPNEE), Philippines
Asian Peoples' Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD), Philippines / Asia
Bangladesh Working Group on External Debt (BWGED), Bangladesh
Bantay Kita, Inc., Philippines
Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan
BRICS Feminist Watch, Global
Center for Environmental Justice (CEJ), Sri Lanka
Centre for Community Mobilization and Support NGO, Armenia
Centre for Environmental Justice, Sri Lanka
Centre for Human Rights and Development, Mongolia
CLEAN (Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network), Bangladesh
Community Empowerment and Social Justice Network (CEMSOJ), Nepal
Community Network Against Protected Areas, India
Community Resource Centre, Thailand
Eco Coalition Armenia, Armenia
Equitable Cambodia, Cambodia
Friends with Environment in Development, Uganda
Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Argentina
Fundación CAUCE: Cultura Ambiental - Causa Ecologista, Argentina
Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), Asia Pacific
Gender Action, Global
Growthwatch, India
Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF), India
Indigenous Women Legal Awareness Group (INWOLAG), NEPAL
Indus Consortium, Pakistan
International Accountability Project, Global
International Rivers, Global
Jamaa Resource Initiatives, Kenya
Jubilee Australia Research Centre, Australia
Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, Kazakhstan
KRuHA, Indonesia
Latinoamérica Sustentable, Regional - Latin America
Lumière Synergie pour le Développement, Senegal
Mekong Watch, Japan
Nash Vek PF, Kyrgyzstan
OT Watch Mongolia, Mongolia
Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, Pakistan
Participatory Research & Action Network- PRAAN, Bangladesh
Peace Point Development Foundation-PPDF, Nigeria
Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), Philippines
PWESCR (Programme on Women's Economic, Social, Cultural Rights), India
Recourse, Global
Rivers Without Boundaries, Mongolia
Rural Reconstruction Nepal, Nepal
RwB, Kazakhstan
South Asia Just Transition Alliance (SAJTA), Regional
Sustentarse, Chile
Urgewald, Germany
Uzbek Forum for Human Rights, Germany/Uzbekistan
Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (WALHI), Indonesia
Opmerkingen