ID: 1959
Presenting Author: Arzu Uraz Yavas
Session: 688 - Fair Resettlement: Managing Stakeholder Expectations and Misinformation
Status: pending
Clear, timely disclosure and robust cut-off date implementation are vital for credible, fair resettlement—protecting both projects and communities from misinformation, conflict, and delays.
Involuntary resettlement is often where project credibility is most tested. This paper explores how timely information disclosure and clear cut-off date implementation are critical for compliance with international lenders’ standards and for maintaining social trust. Drawing on experience from IFI-funded projects, it analyses how disclosure gaps and poorly communicated cut-off dates can fuel misinformation, opportunistic in-migration, and conflict among project-affected people.
IFC PS 5, World Bank ESS5, and EBRD ESR 5 all emphasize early disclosure and transparent eligibility frameworks, with a cut-off date dissemination to determine compensation eligibility. Yet, in practice, inconsistent timing, lack of dissemination and unclear messaging can undermine these safeguards. Through comparative case studies from projects in the Caucasus, Central Asia and South East Asia, this paper illustrates how improper cut-off date implementation has led to underrepresentation among PAPs, inflated asset claims, grievances, and delays in project.
The analysis highlights that cut-off dates are not only critical to protect project developers from opportunistic claims but also its transparent implementation and dissemination that establish fairness and legitimacy among the affected people. Cut-off date implementation strengthens the integrity of the resettlement process for both sides.
The paper concludes with recommendations and practical steps for consultants, lenders, and implementing agencies to improve cut-off date disclosure for a more credible and reliable resettlement planning.
Arzu is a senior social specialist at WSP UK with 17+ years’ experience in social sustainability and development advising for global clients.