Tunis — The Boards of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has appointed three experts to serve on the roster of the Bank Group's Independent Review Mechanism, a body which ensures that the Bank Group complies with its rules and procedures in the implementation of projects and programmes.

The three Experts are:

• Dr Madiodio Niasse, a Senegalese national, who has extensive experience on environmental issues and river basin resource management in Africa, was appointed chairperson for a non-renewable three-year term.

• Dr. Maartje van Putten of The Netherlands was a member of the European parliament for 10 years and served on the World Bank's Inspection Panel from 1999 to 2004. She has undertaken research on accountability mechanisms, and was appointed for a non-renewable term of four years

• Professor Daniel D. Bradlow, a citizen of the USA and South Africa, has an academic career in law, and has played a vital role in the establishment of accountability mechanisms of international financing institutions. His term on the Roster is for five years non-renewable.

The Independent Review Mechanism was established by the Bank Group in 2004 to provide people adversely affected by projects financed by the Bank Group with an independent mechanism through which they could request the Bank Group to comply with its own policies and procedures.

The newly-appointed Experts will be called upon when the Bank Group, through the Compliance Review and Mediation Unit, receives requests for compliance reviews. The Experts will establish review panels to investigate the Bank's compliance with its own policies and procedures, and determine whether there have been negative impacts on people as a result of non-compliance. The review panels will provide the Management and the Boards of Directors of the AfDB Group with findings and recommendations on remedial actions for improving the project(s) concerned, and on the Bank Group's policies and procedures in general.