FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Independent accountability mechanisms (IAMs) were born out of crises, such as major environmental disasters and large-scale resettlement gone awry on development projects. Starting in the 1990s, international financial institutions (IFIs) established mechanisms to allow people affected by their operations to directly bring their complaints relating to noncompliance by the IFIs with their environmental and social policies. While IAMs differ in nature and structure, collectively they share a common objective to independently assess people's environmental and social complaints and seek to address their concerns.

The Project-affected People's Mechanism (PPM) is AIIB's IAM or independent complaints-handling mechanism that helps to resolve complaints from Project-affected people who believe they have been or are likely to be adversely affected by AIIB's failure to implement the Environmental and Social Policy (ESP). The PPM is independent of the AIIB Management and directly reports to the Board.

The PPM is a core element of AIIB's accountability architecture, and promotes compliance with the ESP and minimizes the reputational risk to the Bank by providing an opportunity for an independent and impartial review of submissions by Project-affected People who believe they have been or are likely to be adversely affected by AIIB's failure to implement its ESP.

The Complaints-resolution, Evaluation and Integrity Unit (CEIU) is responsible for the proper functioning of the PPM through its Managing Director (MD-CEIU). The MD-CEIU represents the PPM in all matters before the Board of Directors and the President. The PPM is assisted by a Secretariat, which is managed by the Head of PPM Secretariat and Complaints Resolution.

A key consideration in designing the CEIU was to ensure it could exercise relevant functions, including the PPM's complaints-handling function, independent of AIIB Management. The MD-CEIU is therefore not part of AIIB Management and reports directly to AIIB's Board of Directors.

The PPM is guided by the Policy on the PPM, the Directive on the PPM, and the PPM Rules of Procedure.

The IAMnet is a partnership of dedicated practitioners who contribute to the regular exchange of ideas and assist with institutional capacity building in accountability and compliance as components of corporate governance. It includes the accountability mechanisms of multilateral development banks and bilateral financing institutions.

Yes. The PPM is a member of the IAMnet.

Project means the specific set of activities; program of activities; or program of policy and institutional reform actions for which the Financing is made.

In addition to handling submissions, the PPM performs outreach, learning and training functions. It collaborates with other IAMs and MDBs to capture and share lessons learned to enhance ESP implementation, and provides training for AIIB staff.

Every five years, or when the Board of Directors so decides, the MD-CEIU shall assess the implementation of this Policy and recommend to the Board such review of the Policy as may be considered necessary. The MD-CEIU shall initiate and guide the review. The review shall take into account the views gathered through public consultations, including with Project-affected communities, AIIB’s Members, Clients, and other stakeholders.

The PPM has three functions: 1) Early Problem Solving (EPS) for rapid resolution of simple matters; 2) Dispute Resolution (DR) to facilitate dialogue and agree on actions to mitigate impacts; 3) Compliance Review (CR) to investigate allegations of AIIB's failure to comply with the ESP.

Typical steps for all three PPM functions are summarized in the PPM Rules of Procedure. Indicative timelines for each step are also provided in the Rules of Procedure.

The PPM recommends the most suitable processing option based on submission content, timing and eligibility criteria, taking the Requestors' proposal into account. The Requestors' decision on which process they wish to pursue will, however, be final.

Indicative timelines for each step of the three PPM functions (Early Problem Solving, Dispute Resolution, Compliance Review) are provided in a table in the Rules of Procedure. The PPM may extend these timelines as needed for proper processing.

The Requestors' decision on which process they wish to pursue will be final. However, Requestors may terminate the Early Problem Solving process at any time and submit a request for Dispute Resolution or Compliance Review instead, subject to meeting the relevant time and eligibility criteria.

The PPM facilitates a constructive dialogue between AIIB Management, the Client, the Requestors and any other relevant parties to identify solutions to address the concerns raised. Early Problem Solving is handled as promptly as possible to facilitate resolution of concerns during Project preparation. The Early Problem Solving aims to enable Project-affected people to obtain rapid resolution of their concerns over simple matters that arise during AIIB’s environmental and social due diligence of a Project and that do not require dispute resolution.

The PPM facilitates a neutral, dialogue-based process to help the parties reach mutually agreed actions to address project-related concerns. It seeks consent from all parties, defines the agreed methodology and issues, and facilitates constructive dialogue. It may engage professional mediators or specialists and monitors the implementation of any Dispute Resolution Agreement.

The PPM encourages the parties to reach an agreement. However, if agreement is unlikely to be reached within a reasonable period of time (usually 90 days), the PPM may terminate the review of the submission after consultation with the parties.

Any party to the dispute may terminate the Dispute Resolution process at any stage. In such a case, or when there are unresolved issues, the Requestors may submit a request for Compliance Review for the unresolved issues, subject to the submission meeting the applicable requirements for a Compliance Review.

Based on its due diligence, the PPM determines whether the submission meets the eligibility criteria and decides whether to recommend that the Board of Directors approve the commencement of the Compliance Review. If the PPM recommends approval, the Board of Directors decides whether to sanction a Compliance Review.

If the Board approves the commencement of the Compliance Review, the PPM finalizes the terms of reference, forms a Project-specific task force appointed by the MD-CEIU, and carries out the review. All relevant parties are provided an equal opportunity to be heard.

If the PPM determines noncompliance, AIIB Management will prepare a proposed Management Action Plan (MAP) with time-bound actions, subject to Board approval. Management monitors and reports on MAP implementation, and the PPM reviews these reports and prepares status reports at least annually. In exceptional cases, the Board may approve an independent verification by the PPM.

If the PPM determines that the Bank was in compliance, the final Compliance Review report, together with Management's response, are circulated by the PPM to the Requestors and to the Board for information, and by Management to the Client. These documents are publicly disclosed by the PPM.

If at any point during the Compliance Review the PPM learns of arbitral or judicial proceedings relevant to the submission, the PPM shall consider their implications on processing of the submission.

it was filed before approval of the Financing, the MD-CEIU, with the consent of the Requestors, forwards the submission to Management. Management considers these submissions during Project preparation and informs the MD-CEIU of how it has addressed these matters.

However, before the approval of the financing, requestors can submit requests for Early Problem Solving or Dispute Resolution after AIIB has disclosed the Project Summary Information (PSI).

The PPM forms a Project-specific task force appointed by the MD-CEIU to carry out the Compliance Review. The Head of PPM Secretariat and Complaints Resolution (or such other person as may be designated by the MD-CEIU for the purpose) chairs this task force.

In exceptional cases, the Board of Directors may approve an independent verification by the PPM of the status of implementation of specific measures included in the MAP. The PPM prepares a report on its independent verification, which it circulates to relevant parties and then discloses. In carrying out the independent verification, PPM may undertake site visits as needed.

Detailed guidance on filing a submission is provided on the AIIB website (File Your Submission).

You can file your submission to PPM through the following channels:

1. Online Submission Form
2. Send it to us by email at ppm@aiib.org
3. Post it to us at the following address:
   The PPM Secretariat
   Complaints-resolution, Evaluation and Integrity Unit (CEIU)
   AIIB Headquarters, Tower A, Asia Financial Center
   No. 1 Tianchen East Road, Chaoyang District
   Beijing 100101, China.

If you need assistance in filing your submission, please call us at +86-10-8358-0111. For more information, please visit our website:
www.aiib.org/ppm

Requestors can file requests with the PPM which relate to environmental and social issues on AIIB-financed projects, specifically concerning AIIB's failure to implement the ESP.

Two or more Project-affected people (Requestors) may file a submission. In cases involving allegations of gender-based violence, sexual harassment, or sexual exploitation and abuse, a single Requestor may file a submission.

Yes. In principle, an individual or a CSO/NGO can represent the Project-affected people. Requestors may authorize an in-country representative to file a submission on their behalf. In exceptional situations, they may designate a representative outside of the country.

No. This is because the PPM needs sufficient detail to communicate with those who approach it.

A submission must include: 1) Requestors' name(s), address(es), contact details; 2) Authorized Representative's details and authorization (if any); 3) Any request for confidentiality and reasons; 4) Name and location of the AIIB Project; 5) Description of the direct and material adverse environmental or social issues.

A Request for Early Problem Solving may be submitted after the PSI has been disclosed by AIIB and before the approval of the financing.

Requests for Dispute Resolution or Compliance Review may be submitted (i) after the PSI has been disclosed by AIIB, in case of Dispute Resolution and (ii) after approval of the Financing, in case of Compliance Review, and before one of the following dates:

• For Sovereign-backed Financings¹: The Closing Date.² In exceptional circumstances where the Client continues to be bound by environmental and social undertakings beyond the Closing Date or when a Dispute Resolution has failed to lead to an agreement and the Requestors wish to file a request for a Compliance Review, the PPM may consider the request as timely if it is submitted during the 24 months following the Closing Date.
• For Nonsovereign-backed Financings:³ The date 24 months after the date of the last disbursement of AIIB’s funds or, in the case of guarantees, the date 24 months after the date of the last disbursement under the underlying obligation or, in the case of equity investments, prior to AIIB’s exit from its investment.

¹Sovereign-backed Financing means: (i) a loan to, or guaranteed by, a Member; or (ii) a guarantee that: (a) covers debt service defaults under a loan that are caused by a government’s failure to meet a specific obligation in relation to the Project or by a borrower’s failure to make a payment under the loan; and (b) is accompanied by a Member indemnity.

²Closing Date means: (a) for loans, the date specified in the Loan Agreement (or such later date as the Bank shall establish by notice to the Loan Parties) after which the Bank may, by notice to the Loan Parties, terminate the right of the Recipient to withdraw from the Loan Account (For details, see General Conditions for Sovereign-Backed Loans, Appendix, No. 8.); and (b) for guarantees, the date of completion of the Project.

³Nonsovereign-backed Financing means any financing extended by the Bank that is not a Sovereign-backed Financing; it includes any financing to or for the benefit of a private enterprise or a sub-sovereign entity (such as a political or administrative sub-division of a Member or a public sector entity) that is not backed by a guarantee or counter-guarantee and indemnity provided by the Member to the Bank.

A submission is ineligible if it does not meet the criteria set out in the PPM Policy, such as: not relating to an AIIB project, being anonymous, raising allegations of Prohibited Practices, being outside time limits, not demonstrating good-faith efforts, relates to any AIIB policy other than the ESP, relates to the adequacy of ESP, raising already-considered issues, or raises issues on a co-financed project on which AIIB is relying on the lead co-financier’s ESP and IAM to handle complaints. Additional criteria apply for Compliance Reviews.

Requestors may file submissions and subsequent communications in English or in any language of their country. The PPM will translate substantive parts. The English-language version prevails in case of discrepancy.

Yes, unless the Member in which the Project is located objects. Site visits help the PPM better understand submission issues. In the absence of such objection, the Client must allow the PPM to conduct such site visits.

In the spirit of AIIB's partnership with its Members, assistance from Members in facilitating timely PPM site visits is anticipated. In case the AIIB Member rejects a site visit request, the PPM informs the Board of Directors and conducts its review on the basis of available evidence.

Sovereign-backed Financing or SBF means: (i) a Loan to, or guaranteed by, a Member (Sovereign-backed Loan); or (ii) a Guarantee that: (A) covers debt service defaults under a loan that are caused by a Government’s failure to meet a specific obligation in relation to the Project or by a borrower’s failure to make a payment under the loan; and (B) is accompanied by a Member Counter-guarantee and Indemnity (Sovereign-backed Guarantee).

Non-sovereign-backed Financing or NSBF means any financing extended by the Bank that is not a sovereign-backed financing; it includes any financing to or for the benefit of a private enterprise or a subsovereign entity (such as a political or administrative subdivision of a Member or a public sector entity) that is not backed by a guarantee or counter-guarantee and indemnity provided by the Member to the Bank.

The Closing Date for a sovereign-backed loan is the date specified in the Loan Agreement after which AIIB may terminate the right to withdraw loan proceeds. For guarantees, it is the date of Project completion. It is disclosed in the Project Document.

For Sovereign-backed Financings, in exceptional circumstances where the Client continues to be bound by environmental and social undertakings beyond the Closing Date, or when a Dispute Resolution has failed, the PPM may consider a request for Compliance Review as timely if submitted within 24 months after the Closing Date.

The projected disbursement period of a non-sovereign-backed loan is disclosed in the Project Summary Information (PSI).

Good-faith efforts refer to "Requestors' efforts to resolve their grievances related to environmental and social issues under the Project through the Project-level grievance redress mechanism (GRM) and AIIB Management." The PPM will judge these efforts on a case-by-case basis.

The PPM Rules define Project-affected People as "People who may be beneficially or adversely affected by an AIIB-financed Project."

In your submission, you should describe "the direct and material adverse environmental or social issues to be addressed" and how you have been or are likely to be affected.

Upon receipt, the PPM acknowledges receipt to the Requestors and initiates communication directly with them about the submission. The PPM will then screen it for eligibility.

Yes. The PPM maintains confidentiality upon receipt of a submission, if requested to do so by the Requestors, and makes all reasonable efforts to safeguard this confidentiality throughout the submission process.

The PPM assesses the risk of retaliation through a desk review as part of submission assessment. If a risk is identified, the PPM notifies Management to discuss mitigation actions. The PPM also explores with Requestors if confidentiality of identity would mitigate risks.

The brochure on “AIIB’s Approach to Preventing and Addressing Risks of Retaliation to Project-affected People” also sets out Bank's approach to retaliation as reflected in its Environmental and Social (ESP), Statement on Retaliation, Project-affected People's Mechanism's (PPM) Policy, and PPM Rules of Procedure (RofP).

You can read and download the brochure from PPM webpage: https://www.aiib.org/en/about-aiib/who-we-are/project-affected-peoples-mechanism/_common/pdf/PPM-Br…

The PPM makes arrangements with cofinanciers' IAMs to address confidentiality. If a request for confidentiality is made, authorization from the concerned party is required before information is shared with cofinanciers' IAMs.

AIIB requires the Client to establish a suitable Project-level GRM to receive and facilitate resolution of the concerns and complaints of people who believe they have been adversely affected by the Project's environmental or social impacts, and to inform Project-affected people of its availability.

No. Project-level GRMs are established and implemented by the Client. However, if the PPM identifies that information about the GRM has not been adequately disclosed or that it is ineffective, it informs Management and can escalate to the President and Board.

You can send your request again and copy the AIIB Project team or Management and the PPM. You can also send your request directly to the Project team and copy the PPM. If your concerns remain unaddressed, you can directly make a submission to the PPM. Please contact PPM if you face any problem or need guidance in taking these actions.

The PPM process is available after making good-faith efforts to resolve issues with the Project-level GRM and Management. Acceptable reasons for not doing so include: nonexistent/nonfunctioning GRM; Management non-responsiveness; or a risk of retaliation.

Indicators may include: the GRM was never established; it requires internet access while affected people lack it; it has no accessible complaint mechanisms; grievances go unacknowledged; there is a history of retaliation; its replies are vague with no follow-up; it dismisses relevant concerns; or it refuses to provide information about AIIB or the PPM.

If AIIB has agreed to apply a cofinancier's environmental and social policies and rely on its IAM, submissions to the PPM are ineligible. Submissions can be made to the PPM if there is no such agreement, even if the cofinancier's policies are applied.

In cases where AIIB relies on the cofinancier's IAM and it makes a finding of noncompliance, Management prepares and submits to the Board a report on the implications for AIIB and opportunities for institutional learning. The PPM may submit comments.

If AIIB applies a cofinancier's policies but there is no agreement on using its IAM, the PPM considers submissions based on AIIB's due diligence against the agreed policies and coordinates closely with the cofinancier's IAM.

The PPM considers the submission on the basis of AIIB's due diligence and monitoring process against the policies and procedures agreed to be applied to the Project.

Yes. The PPM actively organizes a range of outreach, learning and training activities to raise awareness. This includes in-person and virtual activities with local communities, government authorities, CSOs, and other stakeholders.

Please send an email to ppm@aiib.org with your request and the PPM Secretariat will contact you.

The Bank requires all of its Clients to inform Project-affected people about the availability of the PPM in an accessible and understandable manner in locally appropriate language(s), including on the Client's Project-related website. Information is also on the AIIB website and project documents.

You can learn more about PPM here.

You can also take PPM E-Learning Course here.

AIIB provides information about its proposed and approved projects on its website. You can search projects by approval year, member, sector, financing type and status.

Search for Sovereign Projects here.
Search for Nonsovereign Projects here.

You can send your request to the Project team leader whose contact is provided in the relevant project sub-page on AIIB's website. You can also use the public information request form here.

No. Such complaints should be submitted to the Integrity function of CEIU here.

YNo. Such complaints should be submitted to AIIB’s Ethics Office here.

The revised PPM Policy entered into effect on Jan. 1, 2026.

The revised PPM Policy applies to all submissions made on or after Jan. 1, 2026.