A Guide to Designing and Implementing Grievance Mechanisms for ...

Executive Summary
Grievance mechanisms provide a way to reduce risk
for projects, offer communities an effective avenue for
expressing concerns and achieving remedies, and promote a
mutually constructive relationship.
Local people need a trusted way to voice and resolve concerns linked to a development project,
and companies need an effective way to address community concerns. 1 A locally based
grievance resolution mechanism provides a promising avenue by offering a reliable structure and
set of approaches where local people and the company can find effective solutions together.
A well-functioning grievance mechanism:
• Provides a predictable, transparent, and credible process to all parties, resulting in
outcomes that are seen as fair, effective, and lasting
• Builds trust as an integral component of broader community relations activities
• Enables more systematic identification of emerging issues and trends, facilitating corrective
action and preemptive engagement.
Demand for effective grievance mechanisms is increasingly underpinned by investor policies—
such as those of the World Bank Group's International Finance Corporation (IFC)—and
international initiatives such as the United Nations Human Rights Council.
This Advisory Note offers practical guidance to assist in the design and implementation of
effective project-level grievance mechanisms. 2
The Four Phases of Designing and Implementing Grievance Mechanisms
Developing and implementing a grievance mechanism can be broken down into four phases,
each with its own set of activities.
• Phase 1. Define scope and determine goals. The design team develops the overarching
purpose and goals for the grievance mechanism and makes sure that design decisions flow
from its purpose.
• Phase 2. Design. The design team assembles a preliminary plan that outlines the purpose,
goals, scope, resolution approaches, structure, and specifics about how the grievance
mechanism will function. This preliminary plan is tested and refined through consultation
with employees and community members and presented to senior management for their
approval.
• Phase 3. Implement. The company and the community work together to introduce, refine,
and institutionalize the grievance mechanism.
• Phase 4. Monitor, report, and learn. Information is gathered on the effectiveness of the
mechanism in particular and, more generally, on the company’s ability to prevent and
address grievances. This information is used to refine the system.
These four phases are discussed in detail in chapters 4–7.
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