PSMNR Grievance

Redress
Mechanism
Internal Training Session
 The Workshop Goal

To work with MINFOF/PSMNR staff, implementation

partners and target communities to further knowledge and

skills to:

• set-up and operate the PSMNR GRM

• appreciate the value of the GRM for enhancing the

performance of PSMNR.
 Intended Learning Outcomes

The objectives for the learners of this course are:

Learning about the:

• principles and core functions of the PSMNR GRM

• key steps in operating the GRM

• setting-up and operating the PSMNR GRM .

 Intended Learning Outcomes

The objectives for the learners of this course are:

Gaining skills to …

• operate the steps in the PSMNR GRM

• Train others to operate the PSMNR GRM

 Intended Learning Outcomes

The objectives for the learners of this course are:

Developing awareness and appreciation of the…

• value of the GRM for enhancing the performance of

PSMNR

Learners will learn the GRM process, but even more

importantly will practice the how-to guidelines

 Workshop Program - Agenda

Go through the paper in the folder of participants

 Participants GRM Knowledge

Administer questionnaire to participants – no names on the

questionnaires

Review responses in plenary

Collect corrected questionnaires for the training report

 What we will cover in this section:
 Key GRM concepts
 What is a Grievance Redress Mechanism
(GRM) and what purpose does it serve?
 What makes the PSMNR GRM effective?
 Principles of the PSMNR GRM
 Key elements in the design of the PSMNR
PART I: GRM
 Context and institutional arrangements
Introduction  The mandate of the PSMNR GRM
 Why PSMNR set-up a GRM?
 The scope of the PSMNR GRM
 Who can lodge a grievance and under what
circumstances?
 What kinds of grievances are included?
 What kinds of grievances are excluded?
Key GRM Concepts
 Reflection

Recall a time when you were very annoyed about the action
of an organization that you did not work for, and which
affected you.
1. What did the organization do that made you upset?
2. What did you do in response? If you contacted the
organization, how did it respond?
3. Were you satisfied with the process? With the outcome?
4. Valuing a GRM
 What is a GRM?

A system, process or procedure by which any

grievances, complaints or concerns of people
affected by a project or proposed project can be
brought to the attention of those who manage it,
with a view to resolving the issue effectively and
providing appropriate redress
 What is a GRM?
Feedback: Opinion on the performance of a project provided
to those who run it
Complaint: criticism, protest, objection, grumble, moan,
grievance
Concern: fear, anxiety, worry, uneasiness, apprehension,
distress
Grievance: Distress expressed in the form of a complaint
Redress: To set right, to remedy by removing the cause of a
grievance or making up for it
Dispute: Two or more people in a confrontation over goals
they perceive to be incompatible
 Reflection
Match each word with its correct definition
a. Dispute
b. Redress
c. Grievance
d. Feedback
i. Opinion on the performance of a project provided to those
who run it
ii. Distress expressed in the form of a complaint
iii.To set right, to remedy by removing the cause of a grievance
or making up for it
iv. Two or more people in a confrontation over goals they
perceive to be incompatible
Purposes and objectives of GRMs
Resolve problems early
• Identify and resolve problems/conflicts as early as
possible

Build trust
• Build trust between communities and project
managers/ implementers
Purposes and objectives of GRMs
Ensure accountability and responsiveness of
organization / program to its internal and external
stakeholders
• Ensure accountability for any grievances and
negotiate solutions together with those affected

Provide assistance
• Provide people affected by a project with the
assurance that they will be heard and assisted
effectively and in a timely manner
Purposes and objectives of GRMs

 Reduce organizational/program E&S risks and

improve its outcomes
 Identify issues in organizational/program policy and
operations that may need to be addressed to reduce
ongoing/future risk of harm
 Reflection

1. Why identify and resolve problems early on?

2. Why do you think you need things like trust and
accountability between different actors?
3. Why does timeliness play an important role in a GRM
process?
 Reflection: Facilitator Feedback
 Why identify and resolve problems early on?
(Early resolution avoids grievances becoming deep-rooted
conflicts; to be proactive and prevent further conflicts).
 Why do you think you need things like trust and
accountability between different actors?
(To build legitimacy)
 Why does timeliness play an important role? (to mitigate
potential harm caused ‘justice delayed is justice denied’)
What makes the PSMNR GRM as designed to be
effective?
Principles of the PSMNR GRM
Drawned from best practices, the following principles underly the
protocols and procedures of the PSMNR GRM:

Accessibility: GRM accessible to all parties likely to be affected by

the project.
 Being known to all stakeholder groups for whose use the GRM is
intended.
 Providing adequate assistance to those who may face particular
barriers to access, including those who face language or literacy
barriers.
 For those who may fear reprisal, procedures are in place to
protect the complainant from retaliation and minimize the risks
related thereto.
Legitimacy / Independence:
 Enabling trust from the stakeholder groups for whose use the
GRM is intended. Hence, the GRM is overseen or governed by a
body or person widely perceived to be sufficiently independent
from the parties to any particular grievance.
 Being accountable for the fair conduct of grievance processes
Predictability and effectiveness:
• Providing a clear and known procedure of the steps involved in
dealing with grievances and an indicative timeframe for each
stage
• Providing clarity on the types of processes and outcomes
available (types of results to be expected for each stage) and
means of monitoring their implementation
Transparency: Transparent procedures, outcomes, decisions.
Aggrieved parties kept informed. Adequate documentation and
records
 Keeping parties to a grievance informed about the status and
progress of their cases
 Providing sufficient information about the mechanism’s
performance to build confidence in its effectiveness and meet
any public interest at stake. Thus negotiations and agreements
are documented diligently, and records of cases and issues are
adequately maintained.
Fairness/Equity: Procedures widely perceived as fair and
equitable, allowing for meaningful participation and access to
information.
 - procedures give equal weight to the concerns of the
complainant and those of the PSMNR projects allegedly causing
the impact and the solutions that are developed respect the
rights of complainants and not in any way undermine them.
 - hence, seeking to ensure that aggrieved parties have
reasonable access to sources of information, advice, and
expertise necessary to engage in a grievance process on fair,
informed, and respectful terms
Rights compatibility:
• Always ensuring that outcomes and remedies are compatible
with national standards and internationally recognized human
rights,
• Does not restrict potential complainants from using other
redress mechanisms, such as existing judicial and administrative
remedies

Capacity and practicability:

• The GRM provides appropriate technical, human and financial
resources to be able to address the issues in question.
• It is cost-effective and practical to implement so as not to
create a disproportionate burden for the implementation of the
project.
 Reflection

1. Why do you think PSMNR adopted these GRM principles?

2. Which of these do you find particularly important and why?

 Reflection - feedback
1. Why do you think PSMNR adopted these GRM principles?
 If the GRM is effective in the ways discussed above, it will be seen
as legitimate by all the stakeholders.
Which of these principles do you find particularly important and why?
 Legitimacy
 Because if the GRM is seen to be constructive and is respected, it
will be a fast and effective way to deal with small and large
concerns, more cost effective, more time effective and more
rights-compatible in most cases than more adversary and other
processes can be.
 So your goal in designing and operating the GRM is to live up to
these principles.
 Handout# 2- Practical Exercise - Group work
Review the following webpage on Party A’s GRM and determine to which principle its content is most
relevant to:

Party A consistently supports the conservation of biodiversity based on best well-established

environmental and social safeguards. To demonstrate this commitment, Part A is opened for inputs,
suggestions and grievances from communities and stakeholders related to the environmental and social
performance of activities under Party A’s support. Party A will respond to the submitted grievances in
accordance with the validity of the information and its relevance to Party A’s activities, and clarity of
the grievance sender. Party A will guarantee the confidentiality of the grievance and its sender. The
grievance mechanism will refer to Party A’s guideline No-23/GRM-010 regarding the Guideline and
Procedure for the Management of Grievances from Affected Community and Observers.

Please deliver your inputs, suggestions, and grievances on environmental and social issues by writing a
message in the following form:

 Name:
 Institution:
 Email:
 Group Discussion
3. To which criteria does this webpage relate?
☐Accessible
☐Predictable
☐Transparent
☐Capacity
☐Equitable
☐Rights-compatible
☐Legitimate

4. Why did you select the above criteria?

 Group Discussion: Facilitator Feedback
Review the following webpage on Party A’s GRM and determine to which principle its content is
most relevant to:
 Accessible
The webpage attempts to make the grievance process of Party A accessible but only through
the internet
Other means of submitting grievances that do not rely on internet access and email for the
correspondence should be made available.
To make the window accessible to all stakeholders, it would be useful to include an option for
complainants to file in complaints in their local/common language (English/French?)

 Predictable
To better meet the criteria for predictability, the form should explain the possible timeframes
for processing a grievance and the possible outcomes from the process.

 Transparent
•To enhance transparency, this form should explain where in the organization the grievance will
be processed, a basic explanation of what process will be followed, and what policies will be
used to judge the validity of claims. Providing links to the policies in the form will be helpful.
Key elements in the design of the PSMNR GRM
  Builds on existing PSMNR institutional
arrangements and stakeholder engagement
Key elements 
structures.
A flexible mechanism, with adaptable
in the design institutional arrangements to make sure it can
adapt to the socio-political context in the
South-West region of Cameroon (e.g. when
of the PSMNR some areas are not accessible).
 Confidentiality is a key feature. The identity of
GRM anyone who lodges a grievance will be treated
with sensitivity and confidentiality to protect
them from possible repercussions.
 The institutional structure

 Important to have clarity about who is going to do what in response to a

grievance of complaint.

 It can happen that either nobody wants to be the one with the responsibility
for dealing with a complaint, or

 on the other hand, many people, many parts of PSMNR get very worried about
what to do and everybody wants to have a say and a role.

 Need to be clear and systematic in each case in figuring out a coherent

institutional arrangement for to support the GRM
  The GRM’s structure builds
as much as possible on
existing PSMNR
The institutional structures
institutional  Some positions have had to

structure be adapted to the GRM

 A new structure was
created to register and treat
grievances
 Institutional structure: Regional level
Level Role Who? Duties

Regional GRM
Unit
Coordination RDMINFOF/PSMNR Coordinator
and GFA TL
•Responsible for validating proposed resolutions and
evaluating review appeals made by aggrieved parties.
level
Regional GRM Environmental & Social Officer •Responsible for overseeing the functioning of the
Officer PSMNR GRM (supervising GRM, tracking grievances in
register, etc.)
•Chairing the Regional GRM Committee;
•Mediate and formulate proposed grievances
resolutions.

Regional GRM •Regional GRM Officer; •Responsible for reviewing documented grievances and
Committee Based on GRM considered: proposing resolutions.
•RCWPA;
•Head of relevant Unit;
•GFA relevant expert;
•PA Conservator or DDFOF;
•Relevant Conservation partner;
•Relevant Cluster executive;
•Relevant VFMC president;
•Relevant traditional chief;
•Relevant implementing partner LSO, Coop,
Contractor
 Institutional structure: Site level

Level Role Who? Duties

GRM Head of PA Co-management •Responsible for registering, and assessing

Site level Officer Unit eligibility of grievances;
(one per PA) •Field follow-up/documenting;
•Participating in the GRM Committee.

GRM •Cluster Facilitators; •Responsible for recording/documenting/

facilitators •VFMCs communicating grievances;
•LSOs •Participating in the PA GRM Committee as need
•Committees and be.
Cooperatives
 Village Forest Management
Committee: VFMC secretaries Cluster platform: The relevant
receive grievances and cluster executives (chairman, VP,
communicate decisions to secretary) will participate in the
aggrieved parties at the village GRM Committee.
level.

Other Cluster Facilitator: The relevant

CFs will receive grievances and

important communicate decisions to

aggrieved parties at the village
level. They may also play an
Local Support Organizations
(LSOs): They may play a role for
the field follow-up and

actors important role for the field

follow-up and documentation of
grievances.
documentation of grievances.

Committees and Cooperatives:

They may play a role in International NGOs WWF and
orientating aggrieved parties to WCS: They may play a role for the
the VFMC or CF to registering the field follow-up and documentation
complaint and doing follow-up and of grievances and sit on the GRM
documentation of grievances in Resolution Committee.
the field
 Reflection

Which of the following are key features of the PSMNR GRM design? Please select all that

apply.

1. Confidentiality – The identity of anyone who lodges a grievance will be treated with

sensitivity and confidentiality to protect them from possible repercussions.

2. A ‘one size fit all mechanism’ that is applicable to any context

3. Sets aside existing PSMNR institutional arrangements and stakeholder engagement

structures.
 Reflection

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of clarifying roles, responsibilities and

accountability when the GRM is established:
1. Ensures that there is procedural transparency
2. Ensures that complainants understand who their point of contact is
3. Ensures the reduction in the number of complaints received
4. Ensures that communication from stakeholders is acknowledged and handled
appropriately.
Recap of the different roles
Mandate of the PSMNR GRM
  Toensure there is an open
Why has and accessible mechanism
to lodge, assess and resolve
PSMNR Set- grievances linked to the
up a GRM? implementation of PSMNR
programme activities.
The PSMNR GRM aims to...
 Guide PSMNR in addressing grievances, questions, concerns and
suggestions from program-affected stakeholders in a fair, transparent,
and practical manner
 Identify
and address stakeholder concerns and thus support effective risk
management for the program
 Provide stakeholders, including the most vulnerable who may suffer
adverse impacts from the program with the assurance that they will be
heard and assisted in a systematic and timely manner
 Buildand maintain trust with all stakeholders thereby creating an
enabling environment in which to operate
 Ensure accountability for any grievances and negotiate solutions in a
transparent and effective way.
The PSMNR GRM:
 Complements national institutions, such as courts & the
formal legal options; it does not replace or preclude them
 Is not a substitute for proactive stakeholder
engagement and consultation on Program’s policies, projects
and activities
 Is the first line of response to stakeholder concerns that
have not been prevented by proactive stakeholder
engagement
The PSMNR GRM:
 Allow for investigation of the Program’s compliance with its
environmental and social (E&S) policies and procedures
 May address complaints that allege corruption, coercion, or
major and systematic violations of rights and/or policies
 Is meant to be predictable, transparent, accessible, fair,
and effective in resolving concerns through good faith
process
 Reflection
What are the three main reasons why PSMNR set-up the GRM?

Which of the following statements are correct

a. The PSMNR GRM is meant to be unpredictable, transparent, accessible, fair, and effective in
resolving concerns through good faith process.
b. The PSMNR GRM will process complaints from all MINFOF and partner activities in the SWR.
c. The PSMNR GRM will receive complaints only from villages adjacent to the PAs with which
PSMNR is directly working.
d. The KfW GRM has authority over PSMNR-related grievances.
e. The PSMNR GRM can serve as a substitute for proactive stakeholder engagement and
consultation on the program policies and projects.
f. The PSMNR GRM is the first line of response to stakeholder concerns that have not been
prevented by proactive stakeholder engagement
Scope of the PSMNR GRM
 Any community member,
Who can lodge a organization, project stakeholder or
grievance? affected group (consisting of two or
more individuals) who believes that
they have, or may be negatively
affected by PSMNR activities.
What does it Negative impacts include direct and
indirect impacts of project activities,
mean to be carried out by MINFOF and
'negatively PSMNR staff, contractors and project
partners (LSOs, NGOs) that are
affected'? financially or technically supported by
the PSMNR.
 Grievances must fall within
the scope and mandate of
the PSMNR GRM.
What kinds of
grievances? Complaints, comments,
questions or concerns about
the way a PSMNR-funded
activity is being implemented.
 What kinds of grievances are included?
• Complaints may be about impacts, damages or harm to people, or
their property caused by the activity

• Concerns may be about

• the stakeholder engagement process leading up to the
activity’s design or implementation, including how benefits are
distributed/allocated or
• how previously lodged concerns about project activities, or
perceived incidents or impacts, have been addressed
Major categories of grievances that may arise
May be linked to the following major categories:

• the implementation of PSMNR livelihood activities;

• the stakeholder engagement process to plan and implement PSMNR
activities (selection of IGAs, beneficiary selection, content of CCDA
particular focus on vulnerable community members (women, disabled
people, the elderly);
• law enforcement activities (eco-guards and informant approach) leading
to safety and security issues (including human rights violations);
• involuntary resettlement of in-park villages;
• corruption, abuse of power or elite capture during planning and
implementation of PSMNR activities;
• pollution of land or resources caused by PSMNR supported village
infrastructure or IGAs; over-use of natural resources;
• the implementation of Human Wildlife Conflict (HWC) management
activities.

This is not a restrictive list!

Grievance admissibility checklist template
• Annex 4 template & list of common grievances.

• The aim is to reduce the pressure and subjectivity of the eligibility judgments that need to be
made by the GRM Officer and avoid a floodgate of grievances relating to issues outside the
mandate and scope of influence of the program.

• Annex 4 - will return to this

template very shortly
Examples of admissibility grievances
• Non-payment of agreed upon allowances by PSMNR staff or LSOs to
community members in the framework of program activities

• Non-follow-up of proper procedures for payment of community members by

PSMNR staff or LSOs (corruption and abuse of power)

• Corruption, abuse of power and elite capture by community members during

implementation of PSMNR activities

• Non-granting of agreed upon access rights to Protected Areas including

trespass, collection of NTFPs, access to cultural sites/shrines

• Human right violations during law enforcement activities: (i) acts of torture
(ii) cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment (iii) illegal / unproportioned use of
force during patrols, arrests and interrogations. In general, non-respect of
“Eco Guard Guidelines for the appropriate use of force, conflict mediation
and resolution”
Examples of admissibility grievances
• Non-respect of security instructions during joint surveillance missions
leading to injury or other personal damage of community members
participating in the mission

• Non-respect of procedures to guarantee the security of informants and

which will lead to negative consequences to informants

• Non-implementation of agreed preventive measures in Human Elephant

Conflict (HEC) and non-implementation of elaborated HEC management
strategy

• Non-respect of communicated/agreed upon selection criteria for

beneficiaries out of forest user groups and/or selection of target villages in
the implementation of “targeted approach” which lead to tension between
community members or entire communities
Examples of admissibility grievances
• Non-respect of implementation of agreed upon project activities be it for individual, group
or community benefit to address livelihood issues

• Non-respect of agreed upon procedures and measures to manage different situations of

settlements inside Protected Areas

• Non-respect of procedures and measures agreed upon concerning the handling of farm
encroachment

• Insufficient consultation: non-respect of procedures which assure throughout consultation

of communities including vulnerable groups (women, elderly, disabled people

• False communication or gaps in communication by the cluster facilitator, LSO and PA staff
concerning implementation of program activities
 Inadmissibility Grievances
Reflection

What kind of challenges are likely to arise in the PSMNR

What kinds
GRM effort to engage with external, contractually involved
grievances are
parties? excluded?
 Inadmissibility Grievances
Reflection - feedback

 there is no prior contractual/legal commitment with the

external party to cooperate with the PSMNR GRM What kinds
 the external party has no role/staff position/function grievances are
similar to PSMNR GRM staff excluded?
 Inadmissibility Grievances

Grievances that fall out of the scope of PSMNR-SWR

What kinds
intervention as captured approved ToRs, contracts,
grievances are
agreements and plans cannot be considered as admissible. excluded?
 Inadmissibility Grievances
In addition:
× Anonymous grievances (but aggrieved parties’ identities
kept confidential upon their request)
× Grievances relating to actions / omissions that are the
responsibility of parties other than PSMNR or
partners/contractors under its authority
× Grievances filed after the date of official closure of What kinds
PSMNR; (or 6 months after the date of the official closure
of the project where the grievance addresses an impact grievances are
resulting from project activities that was not, and
reasonably could not have been, known prior to the date excluded?
of official closure)
× Grievances that relate to PSMNR non-project related
housekeeping matters, e.g. finance, human resources and
administration
× Grievances submitted by the same claimant on matters
they submitted to the GRM earlier (unless new evidence
is provided)
Annex 4: Grievances
checklist template?
 Use the Grievance Admissibility
Checklist to help guide you
 Includes list of examples of
common eligible
grievances (covered here and in
the GRM manual)
Grievance admissibility exercise:
example 1
 The Regional GRM Officer receives a grievance via email, from a community
member complaining that they have not received an allowance that was
agreed upon with PSMNR staff.
 The grievance is not signed and the name of the community member does not
appear anywhere in the email.
 Is the grievance admissible? Explain your answer.
Grievance admissibility exercise:
example 2

 Mr X of Community Y approaches the Cluster Facilitator to lodge a grievance.

 Mr X does not write his grievance down: he explains it verbally.
 He complains that PSMNR staff denied him access to the ABC Forest.
 ABC Forest falls within a Protected Area.
 Is the grievance admissible? Are there any additional facts you would need in
order to help you? Give your reasoning.
Grievance admissibility exercise:
example 3

 A group of residents of community X lodge a grievance complaining that they

do not agree with how the borders of the park that lies near their land were
and want the borders re-drawn.
 Does this grievance fall within the scope of the PSMNR's GRM? Explain why you
think it is admissible or not.
Grievance admissibility exercise:
example 4

 Mr B sends a WhatsApp message to the dedicated GRM number to complain

about an incident.
 He claims that he was hunting in the Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary when he
was stopped by an eco-guard, who beat repeatedly, eventually breaking his
arm and several ribs.
 He knows that poaching is not allowed in that area, but he feels that the eco-
guard was out of line. He now wants to lodge a grievance.
 Would this grievance be admissible under the GRM?
 If so, why? / If not, why not?
END PART I