The Unicamp Human Rights Observatory promoted a workshop this Wednesday (28) that brought together representatives of civil society organizations and the Independent Consultation and Investigation Mechanism (MICI), a segment of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). MICI is responsible for accepting complaints from communities affected by development projects financed by the IDB. The objective of the initiative was to open a space for discussions on the topic, in addition to generating information that can support the demands of social organizations.
According to Luís Renato Vedovato, professor at the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FCA) at Unicamp and member of the Observatory, this is the first time that a workshop with these characteristics has been held in Brazil. The underlying issue of the event, he explained, was to stimulate reflections that contribute to the strengthening and expansion of structures and tools to safeguard human rights. “At a later date, we hope that actions like this will stimulate, within the University, the development of research related to the topic of human rights,” he stated. On the occasion, the International Accountability Project (IAP) Early Warning System was presented, also aimed at protecting Human Rights.
Néri de Barros Almeida, professor at the Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences (IFCH) and coordinator of the Steering Committee of the National University Pact for the Promotion of Respect for Diversity and the Culture of Peace and Human Rights, said she was satisfied with the fact that Unicamp, as public institution, open space for representative groups of civil society to demonstrate. “It is also a valuable opportunity for us to learn about what is happening and to analyze these issues not only from a technical point of view, but also from a human point of view”, she analyzed.
Director of MICI, Victoria Márques-Mees considered the workshop very opportune to inform communities and social organizations about the functioning of this IDB instance. According to her, MICI acts independently, accepting complaints regarding projects financed by the bank that may have negative social or environmental impacts. Demands can be presented in the period between project approval and 24 months after the last disbursement.
Victoria said complaints typically go through one of two stages. One is consultation, in which MICI analyzes the issue and seeks to resolve the conflict in a conciliatory manner. The other stage is verification and compliance, in which an in-depth investigation of the case is carried out, including the analysis of independent experts who are hired for this task. “In the end, we forwarded an opinion to the IDB, which is responsible for the final decision”, she explained.
According to the director, MICI cannot promote changes or even cancel financing for a project when it is clear that there will be important social or environmental risks arising from a project. According to Victoria, there is no established deadline for resolving a complaint. "Each case is different. The more complex ones obviously require more time.”
