# Is AIIB’s complaint mechanism failing affected communities?

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/is-aiibs-complaint-mechanism-failing-affected-communities/
- Published: 2026-11-11T15:12:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T15:21:54+00:00
- Original publisher: DW (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.dw.com/en/is-aiib-s-complaint-mechanism-failing-affected-communities/a-79919917?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Sasak residents have complained over land impacts from an AIIB-backed project.
- None of 45 listed complaints had passed eligibility assessment by mid-September.
- Critics cite access barriers and gaps in project information.

## Summary

Indigenous Sasak residents of Lombok say a tourism and infrastructure project co-financed by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) took their land and damaged their livelihoods. They filed a complaint with the bank in late September, but it is not yet clear whether it will qualify for an independent investigation. The case has renewed questions about whether communities can use the AIIB’s grievance process effectively.

The AIIB says people should first raise concerns with project teams locally, and reports that 12 complaints were resolved at project level and one through domestic courts. Critics say the Project Complaints Mechanism is difficult to access because complainants may have to identify standards allegedly breached, while project information can be late or incomplete. Urgewald found that 11 of 16 AIIB projects it examined for 2024 lacked complete environmental and social impact assessments; the bank says its complaint form is simpler, available in 12 languages, and can be submitted online, by phone or email.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.