The World Bank Evaluation Capacity Building in Francophone Africa - CLEAR FA (P178506) Concept Environmental and Social Review Summary Concept Stage (ESRS Concept Stage) Public Disclosure Date Prepared/Updated: 04/05/2022 | Report No: ESRSC02672 Jun 22, 2022 Page 1 of 8 The World Bank Evaluation Capacity Building in Francophone Africa - CLEAR FA (P178506) BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country Region Project ID Parent Project ID (if any) World OTHER P178506 Project Name Evaluation Capacity Building in Francophone Africa - CLEAR FA Practice Area (Lead) Financing Instrument Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Other Investment Project 6/30/2022 Financing Borrower(s) Implementing Agency(ies) CENTRE AFRICAIN CENTER FOR LEARNING ON D'ETUDES SUPERIEURES EVALUATION AND RESULTS EN GESTION (CESAG) (CLEAR), FRANCOPHONE AFRICA Public Disclosure Proposed Development Objective Financing (in USD Million) Amount Total Project Cost 2.01 B. Is the project being prepared in a Situation of Urgent Need of Assistance or Capacity Constraints, as per Bank IPF Policy, para. 12? No C. Summary Description of Proposed Project [including overview of Country, Sectoral & Institutional Contexts and Relationship to CPF] D. Environmental and Social Overview D.1. Detailed project location(s) and salient physical characteristics relevant to the E&S assessment [geographic, environmental, social] Jun 22, 2022 Page 2 of 8 The World Bank Evaluation Capacity Building in Francophone Africa - CLEAR FA (P178506) CLEAR FA is hosted by the Centre Africain d'Études Supérieures en Gestion (CESAG) in Dakar, Senegal. The project will provide assistance among Africa Francophone countries at regional level, and focus its national-level assistance in five countries with high impact potential, i.e., Côte d'Ivoire, Congo, Gabon, Madagascar, and Togo. This project will focus on strengthening national M&E systems, building local M&E capacity, generating and sharing M&E knowledge, and supporting the administrative and management capacity of the AF. The project activities will include facilitation of collaborations among regional and national stakeholders, advisory support in national capacity assessment, developing and implementing national evaluation policies, guidelines and capacity building plans, design and delivery of master and certificate programs as well as online courses in M&E, preparation and publication of knowledge pieces on good practices and lessons in M&E, organization of awareness-raising and knowledge dissemination events. The project will also support capacity building within the project implementing team, including staff training and designing of better monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. The environmental and social impacts and risks associated with the above project activities are rather limited. The project will be implemented by staff of CLEAR AF hosted in CESAG. There may be need of consultant experts on a short-term basis. There could be labor-related risks, such as gender, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse/Sexual Harassment (SEA / SH) and discrimination in the implementation of the project. There could also be public health risks associated with COVID-19, particularly in face-to-face interactions in providing advisory support and organizing public events. D. 2. Borrower’s Institutional Capacity CLEAR FA is hosted by the Centre Africain d'Études Supérieures en Gestion (CESAG) in Dakar, Senegal. CESAG is an Public Disclosure international public institution, that specialized in training, research and consulting. It was created by the Community of West African member states, pursuant to a decision taken by the Heads of State at the Bamako Conference in 1978. With the dissolution of the Community in March 1994, CESAG was taken over in 1995 by the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) on behalf of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), with the aim to preserve this tool for sub-regional integration and management capacity building. CESAG has in place policies and regulations on the management of human resources and labor-related issues. Key among these are the CESAG Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, CESAG Rule of Procedure, CESAG Administrative Procedures Manual. These policies have provisions and requirements against discrimination, sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, and prescribe a code of conduct and ethics in the workplace, as well as a complaint and grievance redress mechanism. CESAG has established operating procedures, a management structure, including designated responsible staff, and institutional mechanisms to monitor, deliberate and address reported cases and grievances. CESAG policies apply to CESAG staff, consultants, external contractors and service providers. Staff members are required to attend awareness-raising and training sessions upon entry. Consultants and contractors are required to follow these policies, which are referenced in their contracts. As shown above, even though CESAG does not have experience implementing World Bank ESF, it has quite a robust policy and system in place and experience in managing social risks as identified under this project. CESAG will continue to carry out awareness-raising and training activities for its staff on these risks and requirements to address them. II. SCREENING OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL (ES) RISKS AND IMPACTS A. Environmental and Social Risk Classification (ESRC) Low Jun 22, 2022 Page 3 of 8 The World Bank Evaluation Capacity Building in Francophone Africa - CLEAR FA (P178506) Environmental Risk Rating Low This project focuses on capacity building in monitoring and evaluation. The project activities are limited to facilitating stakeholder collaborations; providing advisory support in national capacity assessment; developing and implementing national evaluation policies, guidelines and capacity building plans; designing and delivering master and certificate programs as well as online courses in M&E; publishing knowledge pieces on good practices and lessons in M&E; and organizing awareness-raising and knowledge dissemination events. The project will not support the construction or rehabilitation of infrastructure. No environmental risk or potential impacts are expected on the biophysical environment, human health and safety, and/or valued environmental components from the project activities. The environmental risk from the grant activities is expected to be low. Social Risk Rating Low The project activities are not expected to incur significant adverse social impacts and risks. Nevertheless, there could be risks associated with labor, including sexual harassment and discrimination among the project delivery team and TA beneficiaries as a result of people’s interactions in an office environment. The risks will be reduced by the current COVID-19 context and are considered low, as interactions are anticipated to remain largely virtual for at least the initial phase of the grant’s implementation period. The key stakeholders involved here include CLEAR AF staff, potential partner organizations in the region, the expert trainers of virtual and possible future on-site workshops, as well as the potential beneficiary participants, including government staff, professional M&E experts in public and private sectors. The project is not expected to incur significant stakeholder risks. CLEAR AF will contribute to M&E studies and training on SDG-related themes. It will continue to promote gender-responsive in its M&E diagnostics, Public Disclosure training, and advisory services. The project will give priority consideration in their beneficiary selection to those who represent underserved demographics, geographies, and sectors, including vulnerable, disadvantaged groups and sub- Saharan African historically underserved traditional local communities. The project will ensure broad information dissemination of its TA activities and engagement to facilitate broad participation of potential beneficiaries, particularly the marginalized groups, NGOs and other institutions who may represent vulnerable segments of society for maximum project development benefits. B. Environment and Social Standards (ESSs) that Apply to the Activities Being Considered B.1. General Assessment ESS1 Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts Overview of the relevance of the Standard for the Project: This standard is relevant. The project is focusing on capacity building in monitoring and evaluation. The project activities are limited to design of M&E training materials, diagnostic and production of knowledge products, curriculum course development, advisory support in M&E policy, guideline and system development and strengthening, assistance in knowledge sharing and dissemination, delivery of online and possible onsite training as well as the organization of learning workshops and events. There are no civil works or equipment procurement involved. These activities are not expected to have significant adverse environmental and social impacts. The capacity-building efforts will have indirect positive environmental and social impacts by supporting the strengthening, monitoring and evaluation capacity in the beneficiary countries. Jun 22, 2022 Page 4 of 8 The World Bank Evaluation Capacity Building in Francophone Africa - CLEAR FA (P178506) CLEAR AF will continue to promote gender-responsive methodologies and social inclusion considerations in its M&E diagnostics, training, and services, and will encourage the professionalization of young evaluators through research and fellowship opportunities in line with GEI thematic focus and regional priorities. The project will give priority consideration in their beneficiary targeting and selection to those who represent underserved demographics, geographies, and sectors, including vulnerable, disadvantaged and indigenous groups. The project will ensure broad information dissemination to raise awareness on the engagement of the project activities to facilitate broad participation in the training and capacity-building program. This is particularly so with the marginalized groups, such as women, indigenous groups, other under-represented groups and sectors so that they can benefit equally from the project training activities. The project will be implemented by staff members of CLEAR AF and other possible partner institutions. There may be potential of labor-related issues for the project delivery staff such as SEA and SH. CLEAR AF will implement necessary interventions to mitigate and address such risks. Since no significant environmental social impacts and risks are expected from the grant activities, the recipient is not expected to prepare stand-alone environmental and social assessment documents/instruments beyond the ESCP. An appraisal stage ESRS is also not required. Areas where “Use of Borrower Framework” is being considered: Use of Borrower Framework is not considered. ESS10 Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure The standard is relevant. The key stakeholders involved in this project include staff members of CLEAR AF and Public Disclosure potential partner organizations to implement capacity-building activities, and the potential beneficiary institutions and individuals in both government ministries, departments and the private sector. The project will continue the past efforts of CLEAR AF in stakeholder engagement in the improvement and development of evaluation policies and guidelines, development and delivery of project assistance and training program, and tailor its design of delivery under the current pandemic situation. Such engagement would include feedback surveys from participants and internal engagement with the CLEAR AF delivery team, such as after-action reviews with workshop instructors and facilitators. The project will ensure broad information dissemination to raise awareness on the engagement of the project activities to facilitate broad participation in the training program. This is particularly so with the marginalized groups, such as women, people with disabilities, sub-Saharan African historically underserved traditional local communities, and other under-represented groups so that they can benefit equally from the project training and capacity-building activities. CLEAR AF will establish the following specific GRM mechanisms, to be aligned with ESS10 requirements, to address any grievances under the project and disclose the GRM within the timeframe defined in the project’s ESCP. • One member of the project management team will be assigned the responsibility to lead and manage grievance resolution under the project. • All grievances will be registered, and the project will keep a grievance log for the record. Grievances will be classified according to their type to ensure they are handled with their own specificity (i.e., labor complaints). • Maintain an updated list of service providers, which can be used to refer GBV-related complaints. • All grievances will be deliberated and addressed in a transparent and timely fashion. The complainants will be informed of the resolution response in a timely fashion. Jun 22, 2022 Page 5 of 8 The World Bank Evaluation Capacity Building in Francophone Africa - CLEAR FA (P178506) • If the complainant is not satisfied with the resolutions under the project, he or she can continue, at their own liberty, to appeal their cases under legal channels and means available under the laws of the respective participating countries or submit their appeals to the Bank’s Grievance Redress Service (GRS). • The project will maintain the GRM users’ identities as confidential and will also accept anonymous complaints. The above-planned actions will be reflected in the ESCP and a summary of the GRM will also be uploaded and disclosed at CLEAR AF’s website following clearance from the World Bank. B.2. Specific Risks and Impacts A brief description of the potential environmental and social risks and impacts relevant to the Project. ESS2 Labor and Working Conditions The standard is relevant. The capacity-building activities supported under the project will be provided through existing CLEAR AF staff and potential partner organizations and will be conducted in accordance with ESS1-10. The size and composition of the team specifically working on this project (direct workers) is to be determined later, during the grant’s execution stage. However, due to the size of the grant and the nature of the project, this team is expected to be small. There could be labor risks involved such as SEA, SH and discrimination issues among project staff members. CLEAR AF will implement the project activities in accordance with the labor-related laws of Senegal and participating countries, and ESF ESS2. The project workers will be subject to a code of conduct with provisions to prevent SEA and SH. The project team will assign one member to manage all labor-related issues, within the Public Disclosure timeframe specified in the ESCP. CLEAR AF will also conduct training for all its project staff to raise their awareness on possible labor risks and the relevant governing policies of the countries and ESF ESS2 and 10. CLEAR AF will follow its existing grievance redress policy and requirements in implementing the project. Additionally, CLEAR AF will establish additional specific mechanisms and/or measures to address any grievances under the project in total alignment with relevant ESS10 requirements. Labor-related grievances will be classified as such and addressed under the same project GRM, which will be incorporated as part of the ESCP. ESS3 Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management This standard is not relevant. ESS4 Community Health and Safety This standard is relevant. There could be SEA/SH risks among project staff members and beneficiary participants in face-to-face interactions, particularly those associated to the interactions between people in an office environment. The project will follow relevant laws of the participating countries and ESF in addressing such issues. There could also be public health risks associated with COVID-19 transmission, particularly in face-to-face interactions when providing advisory support and organizing public events. However, most of the project activities will be conducted virtually through online means. Where face-to-face interactions are planned, CLEAR AF will follow relevant policies of the Jun 22, 2022 Page 6 of 8 The World Bank Evaluation Capacity Building in Francophone Africa - CLEAR FA (P178506) participating country and technical advisory and guidelines issued by the World Health Organization for stakeholder engagement in the current COVID-19 pandemic situation. CLEAR AF will designate a qualified person to monitor that these provisions are implemented during project execution, in accordance with the timeframe specified in the ESCP. ESS5 Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement This standard is not relevant. ESS6 Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources This standard is not relevant. ESS7 Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities This standard is not relevant. However, project capacity-building activities are open to all eligible participants in the beneficiary countries and potential TA beneficiaries could include members from sub-Saharan African historically underserved traditional local communities and/or institutions who may work and represent their interests. Therefore, the project will ensure broad information dissemination on the design and engagement of the project activities to facilitate their participation in the capacity building programs, including the dissemination of information. Public Disclosure ESS8 Cultural Heritage This standard is not relevant. ESS9 Financial Intermediaries This standard is not relevant. C. Legal Operational Policies that Apply OP 7.50 Projects on International Waterways TBD OP 7.60 Projects in Disputed Areas III. WORLD BANK ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL DUE DILIGENCE A. Is a common approach being considered? No Financing Partners Jun 22, 2022 Page 7 of 8 The World Bank Evaluation Capacity Building in Francophone Africa - CLEAR FA (P178506) None B. Proposed Measures, Actions and Timing (Borrower’s commitments) Actions to be completed prior to Bank Board Approval: None Possible issues to be addressed in the Borrower Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP): The project will include in the ESCP agreed actions and commitments in compliance with ESS2 on Labor, ESS4 on Community Health and Safety, and ESS10 on stakeholder engagement and grievance redress. IV. CONTACT POINTS World Bank Contact: Fabio Pittaluga Title: Senior Social Development Specialist Telephone No: +1-202-458-9367 Email: fpittaluga@worldbank.org Contact: R Jason Thomas Mayfield Title: Senior Operations Officer Telephone No: +1-202-458-5995 Email: jmayfield@worldbank.org Public Disclosure Borrower/Client/Recipient Borrower: CENTRE AFRICAIN D'ETUDES SUPERIEURES EN GESTION (CESAG) Implementing Agency(ies) Implementing Agency: CENTER FOR LEARNING ON EVALUATION AND RESULTS (CLEAR), FRANCOPHONE AFRICA V. 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 VI. APPROVAL Task Team Leader(s): R Jason Thomas Mayfield, Fabio Pittaluga Practice Manager (ENR/Social) Maria Gonzalez de Asis Recommended on 18-Mar-2022 at 10:49:50 GMT-04:00 Jun 22, 2022 Page 8 of 8