AIIB's urban strategy should promote the right to an adequate standard of living for the poor and marginalized

The AIIB’s draft urban sector strategy sets out a long-term vision that aims to support the New Urban Agenda and the SDGs. But it lacks the commitments and detail necessary to deliver results that will ultimately improve the lives of the marginalized and impoverished in Asia.

Our submission on the draft strategy discusses BIC's past experience with IFI-funded urban development projects, with a particular focus on the World Bank-funded Mumbai Urban Transport Project. We recommend that the AIIB take take this prior experience into account by committing to:

  • Incorporate an explicit and measurable objective of providing access to adequate housing for the poor and marginalized;
  • Ensure that in situ resettlement is the default option for project-affected people, particularly in the context of “integrated development” projects; and
  • Develop and publicly release the tools and guidance necessary for thorough assessments of the potential risks and impacts of urban projects on disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, including tools that specifically address the risks associated with resettlement.