The World Bank Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (P178077) Project Information Document (PID) Concept Stage | Date Prepared/Updated: 26-Jul-2022 | Report No: PIDC33437 Feb 19, 2022 Page 1 of 11 The World Bank Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (P178077) BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data OPS TABLE Country Project ID Parent Project ID (if any) Project Name Bangladesh P178077 Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET Youth (P178077) Region Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Practice Area (Lead) SOUTH ASIA Dec 26, 2022 Aug 29, 2023 Education Financing Instrument Borrower(s) Implementing Agency Investment Project Financing People's Republic of Ministry of Youth and Sports Bangladesh Proposed Development Objective(s) The project development objective is to reduce the share of NEET youth, especially for women, in selected rural areas through increasing access to employable skills and enhancing their employability. PROJECT FINANCING DATA (US$, Millions) SUMMARY-NewFin1 Total Project Cost 400.00 Total Financing 400.00 of which IBRD/IDA 300.00 Financing Gap 0.00 DETAILS -NewFinEnh1 World Bank Group Financing International Development Association (IDA) 300.00 IDA Credit 300.00 Non-World Bank Group Financing Counterpart Funding 100.00 Borrower/Recipient 100.00 Feb 19, 2022 Page 2 of 11 The World Bank Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (P178077) Environmental and Social Risk Classification Concept Review Decision Moderate Track II-The review did authorize the preparation to continue Other Decision (as needed) B. Introduction and Context A. Country Context 1. Bangladesh has made rapid social and economic progress in recent decades and reached lower middle-income status in 2015. Officially reported annual growth of gross domestic product (GDP) averaged close to 6 percent since 2000. Strong labor market gains contributed to a sharp decline in poverty, with the national poverty rate falling from 48.9 to 24.5 percent between 2000 and 2016, while extreme poverty declined from 34.3 to 13.0 percent.1 The progress on shared prosperity slowed between 2010 and 2016 after a decade of improvements, with annual consumption growth of the bottom 40 percent trailing that of the overall population (1.2 versus 1.6 percent). 2. The COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruptions to economic activity in FY20 and FY21. Real GDP growth decelerated to 3.4 percent in FY20. A recovery emerged in FY21, after movement restrictions were progressively lifted. The COVID-19 pandemic has also put the substantial poverty reduction gains of the past decade at risk, and vulnerability to economic shocks has risen. Estimated poverty increased from 12.1 percent in FY19 to 12.5 percent in FY20, using the international poverty rate ($1.9 in 2011 PPP). 3. The economy is expected to continue to recover gradually as Bangladesh navigates the persistent effects of COVID-19 on domestic and export markets. GDP growth is forecast to reach 6.4 percent in FY22, before accelerating to 6.9 percent in FY23 as exports and consumption continue to recover. Sustaining the economic recovery and further reducing poverty will depend in part on mitigating economic scarring through well-targeted support to vulnerable households and businesses, and on the speed of vaccination among the population. 4. Bangladesh is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The Global Climate Risk Index ranks Bangladesh as the world’s seventh most affected country over the period 2000-2019.2 Rising temperatures leading to more intense and unpredictable rainfalls during the monsoon season and a higher probability of catastrophic cyclones are expected to result in increased tidal inundation. Recent studies estimate that by 2050 Bangladesh could have 13.3 million internal climate migrants.3 Additional rural-urban migration would have significant consequences for air and water pollution and unsustainable consumption of natural resources, while putting additional pressure on urban labor markets. Addressing climate risks is increasingly urgent to ensure sustainable economic development of the country. 1 Household Income and Expenditure Surveys, 2000/01 and 2016/17. 2 Germanwatch (2021) Global Climate Risk Index 2021. 3 World Bank (2018) Groundswell: Preparing for Internal Climate Migration. Feb 19, 2022 Page 3 of 11 The World Bank Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (P178077) B. Sectoral and Institutional Context 5. A large share of underserved (economically disengaged) youth, particularly females, hinders Bangladesh from reaping the demographic dividend the country is experiencing. As of 2018, around 47 percent of Bangladesh’s population were below 24 years of age. The country will reach its lowest dependency ratio in two decades. An estimated 1.7 million new labor market entrants are expected every year until 2030, more than half of them are female.4 This large youth population and rapidly growing labor market can be the key to lift the country to its aspired upper-middle-income status. Substantial challenges, however, stand in the way of transforming this demographic advantage into a driver for economic growth. One major challenge is non-participation of a large share of youths, especially females, in economic activities. While overall unemployment rate is 3.1 percent in Bangladesh, youth (aged 15-29) unemployment rate is 8.9 percent. More concerning is that 27.1 percent of the youth population, around 12.6 million, are categorized as NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training), with female representing 89.6 percent (around 11.4 million). The main factors contributing to such a large population of NEET youths include barriers to access to and scarce supply of skill development opportunities, especially in remote areas and for low-educated youth, and causes related to ethnic background, disadvantaged groups, and social/gender norms. 6. The Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has made skill development of the NEET youth a national priority, with a special emphasis on women and the disadvantaged. The Government’s Eighth Five-Year Plan (8FYP – 2021-2025) sets an ambitious goal of reducing the share of NEET youth from 29 percent5 to 15 percent by 2025 and 5 percent by 2031 (goal set for 9th FYP). The skills development strategy of 8FYP calls for quality and diversified skills and livelihood training programs with greater participation of women and more active engagement of the private sector. The National Youth Policy 2017, aligned to Vision 2041, also recognizes the current constraints posed by the large share of the NEET youth for meeting the national targets on skills development as well as reaching upper-middle-income country status by 2031. 7. The COVID-19 pandemic has created multidimensional disruptions to the labor markets and income-generating opportunities, particularly for youths. Informal employment, usually a safety net to cushion the impact of economic crises, was not spared as people’s mobility was restricted for a long time. Adolescents and youths who had dropped out of education and lack relevant skills have been among the most affected. Many of them have lost their jobs, required to take on more household chores and are less likely to return to school.6 Young women are also at high risk of engaging in unsafe means of earning and subject to early marriage and domestic violence. The pandemic has also shifted short and medium-term demand for various occupations, while creating renewed occupations, such as caregivers, digital marketing specialists, and ICT professions. The shift in skills demand creates new opportunities to engage with NEET youth and connect them to gainful activities. 8. The stock of NEET youth, as well as the new entrants, face multiple barriers in accessing existing skills development opportunities as (i) most training facilities are located in urban areas (City, District and Upazila level) inaccessible to rural NEET youth, especially women, due to social norms, family restrictions, security concerns, and lack of living facilities; (ii) many NEET lack pre-qualification requirements for enrolment in formal vocational training institutes due to dropping out before completing secondary; (iii) training contents are seldom directly linked to rural livelihood and economic opportunities that NEET youth aspire to. Moreover, survey evidence demonstrates that NEET males are generally more depressed and lag behind their non-NEET peers in almost all aspects of locus of control.7 The prevalence of traditional social norms implies that needing to travel outside of the village/locality significantly drops willingness and 4 Study on Employment, Production and sectoral investment in Bangladesh, GED, Bangladesh Planning Commission (May 2019). 5 Based on HIES 2015/16 6 Gage 2021 7 Initial Findings, Telephonic NEET Survey, 2021 The World Bank Feb 19, 2022 Page 4 of 11 The World Bank Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (P178077) support for female youths to undertake trainings and participate in the labor force.8 Importantly, there are limited opportunities for the youth in Bangladesh to acquire Socio-Emotional and Behavioral (SEB) skills needed for finding and retaining a job.9 This opportunity is even more limited for the NEET youth, especially for those from the rural areas. 9. Promoting economic engagement of NEET youth requires a holistic approach that goes beyond expanding access to skills development opportunities to include complementary support for entry into the labor market. Beyond skills development, there is a need for seed financing and other supports for promoting entrepreneurship of the youth, as highlighted by the Impact Evaluation report of the Reaching Out of School Children project.10 Addressing rigid social norms about women’s roles is also needed for facilitating greater female labor force participation.11 Hence, in addition to providing accessible skill development opportunities, promoting economic engagement of NEET female requires a holistic approach that also helps to ease the social barriers, creates access to seed financing as startup capitals, and supports SEB skill development. 10. There are multiple initiatives of Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and national and international NGOs for skilling youth and creating employment opportunities for the unemployed youth; however, economic engagement of the NEET youth has remained largely unattended. First, cumulative coverage of all the initiatives is less than 1.5 million youths against the NEET youth population of 12 million. Second, no initiative takes a holistic approach to reach and support the NEET youth and ensure their economic engagement. Third, formal skills development is inaccessible to the uneducated or low-educated and hard-to-reach youths, especially rural females. Fourth, creating an enabling environment and supporting SEB skill development have remained largely absent. C. Relationship to CPF 11. Relevance to Country Partnership Framework and National Policies. The proposed project is fully aligned with the current (FY16-20) CPF’s Focus Area 2: Objective 2.1 - Improved Equity in Access and Quality of Education and Objective 2.4 - Enhanced Rural Income Opportunities for the Poor.12 It will directly contribute to IDA’s envisioned efforts under this focus area by adjusting skills and livelihood training development. The proposed project is also aligned with the findings of Bangladesh Systematic Country Diagnostic, which notes that half of the net increase in Bangladesh’s employment was due to increases in women’s employment. It is also aligned with the dimensions of the Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Development (GRID) approach13. Further, the proposed project is fully aligned with the Government’s Eighth Five-Year Plan (8FYP), National Youth Policy 2017, GoB’s Vision 2021 and Vision 2041, and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8.6. 12. Complementarity with existing project portfolio. The proposed project will complement the existing project portfolio in Bangladesh by identifying NEET youth and raising their awareness of and supporting their connection to relevant activities, such as helping the dropped-out youth to return to education and potentially access the quality training interventions provided by formal skill development interventions including ASSET (P167506) and opening seed financing and other opportunities for RAISE beneficiaries. Moreover, the project will also facilitate enrolment of eligible children of 8 Social Norms and Female Labor Force Participation in Bangladesh: The Role of Social Expectations and Reference Networks, The World Bank, 2022 9 Initial Findings, Employer Survey on Post COVID Employment, The World Bank, 2021 10 Impact Evaluation of the Second Reaching Out of School Children (ROSCII) Project, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, 2021 11 Reshaping Social Norm About Gender – A New Way Forward, The World Bank, 2022 12 As the project is expected to support the upcoming World Bank Group Country Partnership Framework (CPF), reference is made to (a) the current CPF for FY16–20 and the Program Learning Review (PLR). FY16-20 discussed by the Board on April 5, 2016 (CPF, Report number: 103723-BD) and extended by the Program Learning Review to FY21 (PLR, Report number: 141189-BD); (b) the GRID approach paper (https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/36322/Green- Resilient-and-Inclusive-Development.pdf); and (c) the IDA-20 Human Capital Special Theme paper. (https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/431801625067824892/pdf/IDA20-Special-Theme-Human-Capital.pdf). 13 GRID approach requires (i) supporting policies to produce the required skill mix; (ii) building social support solutions that sustain natural capital, create jobs, and do not undermine tomorrow’s growth; and (iii) supporting solutions that do not leave anyone behind and reduce disparities in opportunities and outcomes. Feb 19, 2022 Page 5 of 11 The World Bank Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (P178077) the beneficiary families in primary and secondary education though its awareness raising campaigns and beneficiary selection criteria. In this regard, the criteria for selection of target regions will also take into consideration the poorest districts where QLEAP AF (P174047) will fund additional preprimary access which is critical to reduce inflow of new NEET youth. PROPOSED PDO/RESULTS Proposed Project Development Objective(s) 13. The project development objective is to reduce the share of NEET youth, especially for women, in selected rural areas through increasing access to employable skills and enhancing their employability. B. Key Results 14. The PDO will be measured by the following outcome level indicators: - Share of NEET youth in the selected rural areas (gender disaggregated, %) - Share of NEET youth accessed skills development, education and training in selected rural areas (gender disaggregated, %); (measures reduced share of NEET youth with access to employable skills/alternative education). - Percentage of the selected beneficiaries remained engaged in employment in the selected rural areas, after 12 months of training received (periodic, gender disaggregated, %); (measures enhanced employability) During the preparation a robust set of Intermediate Results Indicators will be identified in support of the above result areas. 15. Beneficiaries. The project’s primary beneficiaries would include primary education completed rural NEET youth (15-29 years) who cannot access or are not eligible for skills development and income-generating opportunities for various reasons, such as, their location, gender, age, low level of education, ethnicity, and other factors. The project will concentrate on selected rural upazilas with the highest number of most vulnerable NEET youth. At least 70 percent of direct beneficiaries would be female. The project will include special areas such as hill-tracts, haor/chars, crises effected Cox’s Bazar. The project will also target vulnerable groups of population such as persons with disabilities and tea-garden communities. An estimated 700,000 youth will receive direct benefits (training, skills development, and employment support). Awareness campaigns, group activities, Socio-Emotional and Behavioral (SEB) skill development and psychosocial support, childcare support will benefit an additional 1 million youth in the selected areas. Target numbers will be further updated based on the feasibility study. Specific criteria for identification of beneficiaries for different types of supports (beneficiary profile) will be developed during project preparation. PROJECT CONTEXT A. Concept 16. Description: With a national target of reducing the share of NEET youth population in Bangladesh, the proposed project will help the GoB to establish a women-centric holistic system to enhance NEET youth’s access to skills development, education and labor market opportunities for wage and self-employment. First, the project will establish a mechanism for identifying eligible NEET youth from selected rural areas for different types of supports ; Second, the project will create and facilitate access to relevant skills development as well as continuing or second-chance education for the identified eligible rural NEET youth, especially women. The skills development facilities will be women-centric in Feb 19, 2022 Page 6 of 11 The World Bank Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (P178077) terms of their locations, safe and inclusive infrastructure and learning environment, flexible course timings, free choice of trades, child-care facilities/options and gender of instructors. Third, the beneficiaries will receive trainings in enterprise development and SEB skill development, as well as support in access to seed financing, linkages with employers and the labor market, and employment. And fourth, the project will create an enabling environment for socio-economic inclusion of youth, especially women, by helping to ease the social barriers; and enhance institutional capacity of state and non- state actors. The latter will result in informed policy formulations, design, management and delivery of youth development programs. Both easing social norms and enhanced institutional capacity will contribute to sustainability of the interventions beyond the project life. 17. Implementing Arrangements. The project will be implemented by an integrated Project Management Unit (PMU), under the leadership of the MoYS, and partner agencies from the Ministry of Education, and other relevant Ministries, supported by implementing partners such as Private Sector, NGOs and community-based organizations. MoYS has the agenda and best outreach to the rural youth through its upazila level offices and partners. The PMU, led by a project director, will have adequate number of experienced officials for looking after different components/activities, strong fiduciary management team (procurement and financial management) and a robust monitoring and evaluation team. During project preparation, extensive discussions will be held to determine project oversight committees, operation, monitoring and management at different levels, as well as their roles and responsibilities. For renovation works, MoYS will also explore possibility of partnering with agencies with good track record of carrying out renovation works and managing procurement and finance, such as, Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED). Component Design: The Project will include three components: 18. Component 1: Enhance access to relevant skills development and education and employment opportunities. This component aims to prepare the NEET youths for economic engagement through (i) innovative training programs on jobs and trades that have local labor market needs and require limited travel (or stay-home trades); (ii) provision of continuing / second-chance education programs; (iii) SEB skill development (iv) promotion of supports for wage- and self- employment, featuring collaboration, local partnerships, (iv) developing child-care facilities and professionals in selected locations, and (v) strengthening existing provision of seed financing to successful trainees and competitive innovation funds to key players. 19. Sub-component 1.1 – Promote access to skills development and continuing/second-chance education. This sub- component will support identification and profiling of potential beneficiaries for different types of supports and will comprise development of innovative training programs combining relevant technical and socioemotional skills (including skills for greener jobs) and their delivery through Union Centers and Mobile Training Centers14, blended training options (online training and offline assessment). Relevant skills will be identified through labor market surveys and structured consultations with employers to assess the actual and expected demand for skills. The sub-component would also allow the project to prioritize relevant training in the industries based in the actual needs within Economic Zones (EZs). To strengthen the existing or developing new training programs, this subcomponent will include provision of Institutional Development Grants to Technical Training Institutes under MoYS. The sub-component will also promote second-chance education programs for secondary school drop-out youth through facilitating access to existing online and offline distance learning platforms, and support stipends for eligible beneficiaries. To enhance SEB skills of the trained youth, this sub- component will also finance development of a locally adapted SEB curriculum and appropriate training materials and provide training to NEET youth via mobile training centers and group/club activities. 14Union Centers will be established at the Union Council Building. The centers will be used as training centers as well as , information and communication centers; Mobile Training Centers are temporary training centers setup within villages at rented places and/or unutilized premises (schools building in the evening etc..) Feb 19, 2022 Page 7 of 11 The World Bank Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (P178077) 20. Sub-component 1.2 – Promote support for wage- and self-employment. This sub-component will support project beneficiaries in (i) enterprise development and management skills training, (ii) shared-financing schemes for apprenticeship and internship programs, (iii) connecting them to labor intermediation services to help pursue wage employment, and (iv) strengthening the existing SEED financing mechanism of MoYS, through connecting the beneficiaries to relevant financial institutions for seed financing as start-up capital. This subcomponent will also support development of a child-care support facilities in selected localities which will include development of the facilities, preparing a guideline, training for child-care professionals. 21. Sub-component 1.3 – Promote participation of most vulnerable (hard to reach and special needs groups) in training and employment. This sub-component will provide innovation funds (competitively) to national and international organizations, social/youth clubs, self-help groups, universities, research organizations and registered youth organizations for promoting access to skills development and wage/self-employment opportunities for the eligible groups of population in eligible locations. Areas of supports to be included, eligibility and selection criteria will be developed during project preparation. 22. Component 2: Enabling Environment and Easing Social Barriers. This component aims at: creating a conducive and enabling environment for NEET youths to help them overcome the social barriers of accessing skill development and labor market opportunities and increasing resilience to obstacles. The component will also support raising awareness of services provided by other interventions to better leverage existing programs for youth and skill development. 23. Sub-component 2.1 - Promote awareness and motivation. This sub-component aims at increasing public awareness of NEET youth challenges and activities through providing information, education and communications on rights, benefits, opportunities, and risks (with focus on women), including campaigns to reinforce support of NEET youth interventions, as well as strengthening community engagement and ownership in these areas. The campaigns would particularly focus on (i) identifying strategies that NEET youth can use to overcome common challenges, including raising awareness of available services and destigmatizing the use of those services, (ii) role of youth in climate change prevention and mitigation, and (iii) opportunities to acquire skills for greener jobs. Activities would include focus group discussions at union, upazila and other levels, campaigns, communications through print, multimedia and social media, and annual and bi-annual events on success stories and opportunities. 24. Sub-component 2.2 - Promote community engagement and ownership. This sub-component aims to strengthen community-level capacity of identifying needs, challenges and solutions, managing and monitoring interventions, facilitating awareness raising campaigns through the establishment of Village, Union and Upazila level Community Groups (CGs), needs-based training, monthly community meetings on NEET Youth activities, and assistance to CGs by the MoYS and partners, including NGOs. CGs would facilitate connection of NEET youth to available services and interventions, including those provided by other Bank operations. This will also entail developing operations manual and pertinent documentation on sensitization of trainees and service providers. This sub-component has a direct linkage with implementation of Component 1. 25. Sub-component 2.3 – Support addressing social norms and promote youth programs. This sub-component will provide psychosocial support to adolescents and youths and implement targeted interventions to address the traditional social norms of other relevant stakeholders, including the family and community members who influence the decision of female labor force participation. In addition, the sub-component will promote youth participation in various programs, including sports and cultural activities, team building (self-help groups), and group/club activities. Activities would also include strengthening youth leadership training and registered youth organizations. Feb 19, 2022 Page 8 of 11 The World Bank Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (P178077) 26. Component 3: Enhance institutional capacity, management, and monitoring and evaluation (Results Area 3b). The aim of this sub-component is to: (a) strengthen institutional capacity, with a focus on the local level, for developing, operationalizing, supervising, and monitoring NEET youth interventions; (b) strengthen research capacity and informed policy planning for youth development at central and district level, (c) support the establishment of a Project Management Unit (PMU) to plan, manage, coordinate, and monitor project activities. 27. Sub-Component 3.1 – Support institutional capacity development for NEET youth Programs . This sub- component will support capacity enhancement of the central and local level agencies to improve and expand/scale up skill development and continuing education activities for NEET youth, as well as strengthen research to better inform policy planning, design of innovative interventions, implementation and monitoring and evaluation. The project will support the establishment of a dedicated research and planning cell at the ministry/central level, equipping the central and local offices with digital capabilities, selective upgradation of related physical facilities, and training for officials and technical staff. The project will also support regularizing publication of Annual Sector Performance Report (ASPR) based on information collected through the portal from the field. 28. Sub-Component 3.2 - Project Management, Communications, and Monitoring and Evaluation. This sub- component will support (i) the establishment and operation of the Project Management Unit (PMU); (ii) the development and update of a long-term Youth Development Plan; (iii) the preparation of Annual Sector Performance Report; and (iv) an effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system. The latter will also include upgradation of the existing Management Information Systems (MIS) to ensure their interoperability and provision of reliable data for policy planning, implementation, and reporting; and portal-based mechanisms for tracking youth participation in project activities. This sub-component will also support impact evaluation for key project interventions, and coordination across relevant Ministries, agencies and non-government implementation partners and communities. 29. Corporate Priorities: Citizen Engagement, Gender Tagging, Gender Based Violence (GBV), (CCB), SEA/H and related requirements will be addressed during preparation of the project. Female employment and economic engagement will be promoted through training and community engagement, which will address gender norms and stereotypes, provide gender-sensitive learning environment, and include protocols for GBV prevention and response. A specific indicator addressing barriers faced by female youth will also be included. Project preparation will be inclusive, engaging with communities and stakeholders of all groups and vulnerabilities including experts and advocacy organizations. Stakeholder engagement will start early on in project preparation and continued through the project cycle. 30. Climate: Steps are needed to enhance the capacity of vulnerable populations to mitigate the impacts of climate change impacts, to adopt behaviors that can minimize the adverse effects of climate change on livelihoods, and to build the skills needed for a green transition. The project will help develop such skills for vulnerable populations and help them mitigate the negative consequences of climate change, including displacement and loss of livelihoods, through incorporating knowledge on environmental protection for reducing adverse impacts, acquiring skills for greener jobs (under component 1 and 2) in training programs, orientations and awareness raising campaigns. Feb 19, 2022 Page 9 of 11 The World Bank Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (P178077) Legal Operational Policies Triggered? Projects on International Waterways OP 7.50 No Projects in Disputed Areas OP 7.60 No Summary of Screening of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts . 31. The environmental and social risks of the proposed project have been rated as Moderate, for both environmental and social requirements. The Ministry of Youths and Sports (MoYS) will implement the project partnering with the Bangladesh Open University and NGOs in coordination with the Directorate of Sports, National Sports Council, BKSP and the local government authorities at the Union, Upazila and Districts. The proposed project will only undertake minor civil works for renovation of training centers, study centers or offices avoiding any new construction and involuntary displacement of people. Environmental impacts will be related to small contracts, primarily in the form of worksites related health & safety issues, pollution, and waste management. However, these impacts are expected to be minimum and reversible. The project will target the NEET youths, majority of whom are female, particularly in rural areas to enhance their employability and entrepreneurial skills and enabling gender-friendly environment. Labor influx at construction sites will be low and so will be the associated risks of gender-based violence (GBV). Project’s GBV risks may be entailed for gender mix of beneficiaries and the project implementation teams with MoYS and their partners. The risk of GBV may include sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) and sexual harassment (SH) to be assessed during implementation. Social risk is also relevant as many of the households of the NEET youths will be poor and also from vulnerable and socially excluded groups including ethnic minorities. MoYS is also new to undertake any World Bank financed projects especially to the ESF requirements and processes. A preliminary SEAH screening of the project based on location, nature, scope of investments, beneficiaries and implementation approach, outlined in the concept note, suggests a moderate risk rating. The project focuses on NEET youths, largely female from hard-to-reach areas like the hill districts, Cox’s Bazar and tea gardens. Female beneficiaries and mix of men and women teachers/trainers and management staff of partner NGOs may pose the situation of GBV risk considering the negative social norms and attitude towards women’s’ mobility and participation in economic activity in Bangladesh. . CONTACT POINT World Bank Syed Rashed Al-Zayed, Mokhlesur Rahman, Sabah Moyeen Senior Economist Borrower/Client/Recipient People's Republic of Bangladesh Feb 19, 2022 Page 10 of 11 The World Bank Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (P178077) Implementing Agencies Ministry of Youth and Sports Mesbah Uddin Secretary secretary@moysports.gov.bd FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20433 Telephone: (202) 473-1000 Web: http://www.worldbank.org/projects APPROVAL Task Team Leader(s): Syed Rashed Al-Zayed, Mokhlesur Rahman, Sabah Moyeen Approved By APPROVALTBL Practice Manager/Manager: Country Director: Mercy Miyang Tembon 27-Jul-2022 Note to Task Teams: End of system generated content, document is editable from here. Please delete this note when finalizing the document. Feb 19, 2022 Page 11 of 11