Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement: A Joint Publication of the MFI Working Group on Environmental and Social Standards

The note summarizes core principles and elements of international good practice, but there may be cases where either national law or specific requirements of MFIs or other institutions have stricter or more specific requirements than the approach suggested in this note. In such cases, the formal requirements should be met.

The note’s primary intended audience are practitioners tasked with organizing consultations and stakeholder engagement as part of preparing and implementing projects. The emphasis in the note is on integrating stakeholder engagement into project design and implementation. In some projects, there may be one or more dedicated persons responsible for stakeholder engagement, while in other projects this function may be combined with the role of social and environmental specialists responsible for risk management or other project aspects. The note may also be of relevance for staff in financial institutions responsible for due diligence and advice to clients and borrowers; for licensing authorities; and for managers and others responsible for ensuring that the stakeholder engagement process is appropriately resourced and integrated into project decision-making.