Taking your complaint seriously

Imagine you lost your home because a developer took it over for a project.  You were not paid enough compensation.  Nor were you given an opportunity to express your views on the project.  How would you feel about that situation?  You would probably feel sad or angry, or a combination of both. Sad because you would have lost the home that you built with all your effort.  Angry because you were not respected as a homeowner or paid adequately for the loss of your precious home.

For situations like this, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and other financial institutions have established Grievance Redress and Accountability Mechanisms (GRAMs).  If you have not been paid enough compensation or have been denied participation in developing the project, you can file a complaint with a GRAM.  The IRM of the GCF is such a GRAM.

Good management of your complaint is important, because you are entitled to have your complaint dealt with quickly, cheaply and justly.  You and others involved - like the GCF staff and the Accredited Entity handling the project - will also want information about the complaint, how it is proceeding and on the final outcomes.  For this purpose, the GCF IRM has two tools. First, we have put in place a modern computer-based case management system (CMS) which will record your complaint and track it all the way until it is resolved and closed.  It will also automatically get information from the GCF Secretariat’s project files and store all the information and evidence the IRM collects.  It will remind IRM staff of dates and deadlines they must meet to keep your complaint moving efficiently.  Furthermore, a CMS helps to gather and analyze information regarding complaints that will allow the IRM to better perform its advisory function. Second, the GCF IRM has a website in which you can see updates about the case and access basic documents! You can see this website at: https://irm.greenclimate.fund/.

Soon, the CMS and the website will be connected! The new website of the IRM will be an even better source of information for you, for researchers and other stakeholders.  At the touch of a button you will be able to get all the information you need about your complaint and about other cases the IRM is handling.