The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin CAMP4ASB Additional Financing (P163542) Combined Project Information Documents / Integrated Safeguards Datasheet (PID/ISDS) Appraisal Stage | Date Prepared/Updated: 03-Sep-2019 | Report No: PIDISDSA23593 Feb 27, 2019 Page 1 of 18 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin CAMP4ASB Additional Financing (P163542) BASIC INFORMATION OPS_TABLE_BASIC_DATA A. Basic Project Data Country Project ID Project Name Parent Project ID (if any) Central Asia P163542 Climate Adaptation and P151363 Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin CAMP4ASB Additional Financing Parent Project Name Region Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Climate Adaptation and EUROPE AND CENTRAL 14-Aug-2019 15-Oct-2019 Mitigation Program for Aral Sea ASIA Basin CAMP4ASB Practice Area (Lead) Financing Instrument Borrower(s) Implementing Agency Environment, Natural Resources Investment Project Ministry of Finance of the Committee for & the Blue Economy Financing Republic of Tajikistan, Environmental Protection, Ministry of Finance of the Agro Industries and Food Republic of Uzbekistan, Security Agency Executive Committee for International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea Proposed Development Objective(s) Parent To enhance regionally coordinated access to improved climate change knowledge services for key stakeholders (e.g., policy makers, communities, and civil society) in participating Central Asian countries, as well as to increased investments and capacity building that, combined, will address climate challenges common to these countries. Components Regional Climate Knowledge Services Regional Climate Investment Facility Regional and National Coordination Unallocated Amount PROJECT FINANCING DATA (US$, Millions) SUMMARY -NewFin1 Total Project Cost 19.00 Total Financing 19.00 August 15, 2019 Page 2 of 18 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin CAMP4ASB Additional Financing (P163542) of which IBRD/IDA 0.00 Financing Gap 0.00 DETAILS -NewFinEnh1 Non-World Bank Group Financing Trust Funds 19.00 Green Climate Fund 19.00 Environmental Assessment Category B-Partial Assessment Decision Other Decision (as needed) B. Introduction and Context The countries of Central Asia are among the most recent independent nations in the world, where governments have focused on nation building, self-sufficiency, stability, and gradual opening to the global economy since their independence in 1991. The region overall is still in transition towards democracy and a market economy. It is a diverse region with a mix of upper middle and low income countries, of major strategic importance due to their geographic location and natural resource endowments. Significant challenges remain with transparency, citizen engagement, and business environment. Average annual growth in Central Asia has been variable since the early 2000’s, being dependent on external factors such as oil prices and remittances. While it is expected that the economic context will improve in 2019 with growth forecasts at 4.3 percent a year, the economy of the region remains vulnerable to the external environment and may face additional challenges. For growth and prosperity to continue durably, Central Asian countries will need to pursue their regional and international integration efforts, which will help them maximize the benefits from their endowments and reduce their vulnerability to external volatility. Central Asian countries rank among the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region’s most vulnerable to climate change and building resilience to its mounting impacts is a priority for poverty reduction and shared prosperity. Impacts are already being felt, from melting glaciers in upland areas (where glaciers have lost one-third of their volume since the 1900s) to droughts and floods in the lowlands (where weather-related disasters are estimated to cause economic losses from 0.4 to 1.3 percent of Gross Domestic Product per annum for Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Kyrgyz Republic, for instance). The most pressing climate change impacts are expected to include enhanced glacial melt, extreme weather events on the rise, as well as more prevalent land degradation and desertification. Climate variability and change pose significant risks to the agriculture sector, which is characterized by August 15, 2019 Page 3 of 18 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin CAMP4ASB Additional Financing (P163542) environmental degradation and unsustainable use of natural resources. Disruption of food production and increasing food prices can lead to social instability in the region. More importantly, the threats from climate change impacts are exacerbated by existing conditions of poverty, insufficient infrastructure and poor resources, especially in the remote rural areas. While the population is vulnerable as a whole, those pursuing subsistence agriculture and pastoralism will be particularly affected as they depend more directly on vulnerable and depleted land and water resources. Addressing the risks induced by climate change is important and calls for continued and proactive cooperation across countries. With almost 75 percent of Tajikistan's population and around 63 percent of Uzbekistan’s population living in rural areas with often high poverty rates, climate change threatens to keep, or further push them, into poverty. Central Asia could gain from enhanced regional collaboration on environmental security, to address current inefficiencies in the management of shared natural resources and increase resilience in the face of climate change. Central Asian countries struggle to maintain the progress of the past decade in the face of volatile economic growth and lack of economic diversification. Poverty is especially persistent in Tajikistan, while pockets of poverty remain in Uzbekistan. Many people who have been lifted out of poverty are still vulnerable to falling back, particularly in the event of unexpected shocks such as sudden health problems, job loss, or a natural disaster. Growing competition over access to natural resources may lead to conflict situations. For water, due to population growth and economic development amidst growing variability, there may be pressures on existing water governance arrangements, while impacts on energy production and transmission infrastructure from extreme weather events put supply chains and energy security at larger risk. Increasing frequency of climate- induced extreme weather events and disasters can aggravate political instability and place livelihoods at risk. C. Proposed Development Objective(s) Original PDO To enhance regionally coordinated access to improved climate change knowledge services for key stakeholders (e.g., policy makers, communities, and civil society) in participating Central Asian countries, as well as to increased investments and capacity building that, combined, will address climate challenges common to these countries. Current PDO No Change Key Results (i) number of additional direct project beneficiaries (disaggregated by gender) (205,000 in total, with at least 40 percent will be female); (ii) number of additional hectares under climate-resilient agricultural, land, and water management practices (35,000 hectares); and (iii) number of additional national/regional sectoral programs for scaled-up climate-smart development informed by the lessons from the climate-smart investments financed under the AF (3 plans and programs that draw on Project’s climate knowledge services). D. Project Description August 15, 2019 Page 4 of 18 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin CAMP4ASB Additional Financing (P163542) Component 1. Scaling up CAMP4ASB’s Climate Investment Assessment Mechanism (US$ 0.9 million in AF through GCF). This AF will support the in-depth evaluation of lessons learned from GCF-financed investments in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and the broad sharing of these lessons among the participating Central Asian countries. This fits into the broader first component of the Program (titled “Regional Climate Knowledge Services�), which seeks to i) strengthen the knowledge and capacity base for climate action of Central Asian stakeholders via improved data, knowledge (including lessons from climate investments), tools for climate assessment and decision making, and ii) facilitate regional dialogue and multi-stakeholder engagement for an effective climate response at scale. Subcomponent 1.1 Climate Investment Assessment Mechanism (US$0.4 million). This activity will support the systematic cross-country evaluation of climate investments financed under Component 2 (Climate Investment Activity). The mechanism has been set-up under the Parent Project and will be scaled up with AF, for the assessment of GCF-funded climate investments in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. A regional pool of experts (e.g., national experts with government agencies overseeing climate-sensitive sectors, representatives from regional institutions, academia and Non-Governmental Organizations) will be established. Several climate investments, at an advanced implementation stage, will be selected throughout project implementation following criteria such as use of an innovative climate-smart agriculture technology or practice, or addressing a climate risk specific to a particular agro-ecological zone, etc. For each of these selected investments, evaluations will be conducted, drawing lessons based on a pre-established assessment methodology and identify climate-smart agricultural practices and technologies. This mechanism will ensure that the knowledge spill overs from the Program accrue to all five Central Asian countries. In line with the GCF Paradigm-shift criteria, these evaluations, focusing also on affordable and least cost solutions and practices, will be available for public dissemination, including for presentation and discussion at events, ted talks, workshops, and will serve as inputs to knowledge products (e.g., strategy papers or sectoral policy papers) that will be shared widely to catalyze change and spur innovation and technology transfer. In the long term, this material will constitute a regional repository of solutions to provide continued information and foster climate-smart transformation. Additionally, these evaluations will also aim at determining existing barriers for practical dissemination in each country, spotting owners of respective experience and skills in the region; and defining type of technical support readily available in the countries. GCF funding will support the scaling-up of the mechanism for the specific assessment of GCF-financed climate investments in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, with approximately US$0.5 million in consulting services (e.g., consultant input to evaluation), operating costs (e.g., travel expenses of experts to the sites of the selected climate investments), and non- consulting services (e.g., printing, translation). Subcomponent 1.2 Outreach and Coalition Building (US$0.5 million GCF), including holding an annual CACCC (for engagement of Central Asia stakeholders around the project’s results and its future orientations) and fostering climate knowledge networks. This will also be supported by the design and implementation of an effective communications and public engagement strategy to support knowledge dissemination, public outreach, and coalition building (e.g. stakeholder mapping and public opinion research; developing protocols for external and internal communications, including ted-talks, providing communications support for the CACCC and workshops; and engaging with media and building their capacity). The AF will help in particular ensure rural communities in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan can benefit from the information, tools, and experience garnered under the CAMP4ASB program, by designing targeted activities and products (e.g., smart-lessons and knowledge products in formats that are actionable for these communities, encouraging community-to- community experience sharing, engaging Community-Based Organizations and Civil Society Organizations with August 15, 2019 Page 5 of 18 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin CAMP4ASB Additional Financing (P163542) strong rural presence in these activities, and ensuring participation of rural community representatives to the CACCC). This activity will also collect preliminary feedback from interested farmers to assess coverage of on-field support needed during launch phase of agricultural practices. This will complement capacity building and community support activities in Subcomponent 2.2, which will be, by design, focused on rural communities in select climate vulnerable areas. AF of around US$0.5 million will support these activities, via consulting services (e.g., development of knowledge products, knowledge transfer activities, on-field advisory support), operating costs (e.g., travel of participants in the CACCC, organization of community-to-community experience sharing), non-consulting services (e.g., printing, translation). Component 2. Regional Climate Investment Facility (US$17 million GCF and US$5 million in Beneficiary Contributions). This component will provide grant funding and technical assistance on a demand-driven basis to rural communities for piloting and scaling-up suitable technologies and practices for climate resilience, risk reduction, and mitigation that will, through Component 1, generate lessons and experience for scaled-up climate action in all Central Asian countries. Beneficiaries are expected to include: farmers and farmer groups, villages or village communities, and resource user groups (e.g., water, pasture). The majority of the AF will be directed towards this component, to scale-up funding for climate investments in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan focusing on sustainable livelihoods to reduce the potential longer-term impact of climate change. The AF will empower rural communities to decide which investments to implement and how to allocate financial resources, thus building their ownership. Proposals for these investments and plans will require that participants consider economic factors, climate change risks, environmental and social/institutional sustainability, working with existing community or resource-based institutions, to support long-term operations. Besides, the requirement of beneficiary contributions (10 percent investment match) will help build ownership and also contribute to the sustainability of these investments. The level of these contributions will be monitored during project implementation to ensure planned amount has been mobilized for the successful capitalization and implementation of the investments. Arrangements in the two countries differ, reflecting different experience with Community-Driven Development schemes. The following sub components are to be implemented within this component: Sub-component 2.1. Investment Financing (US$15 million GCF and US$5 million in Beneficiary Contributions). This sub-component aims to increase productivity and address climate change by promoting the adoption of rural production, land management, and other climate-resilient and mitigation investments, by providing grant financing at the village, community, and resource-user group levels to help rural livelihoods become more resilient to climate change in climate vulnerable regions. Project area: The selection of investment project areas made at the project’s outset, using a number of criteria and a process as set individually by each country. Independently of the selection process, project areas are located in climate-vulnerable areas of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, in parts of the country with the highest share of the bottom 40 percent of the population (e.g., with the largest share of the bottom two quintiles of the population with the lowest incomes), and cover major agro-ecological systems in Central Asia to maximize the learning potential among participating countries and serve as good complementarity to government- and/or donor-funded initiatives. August 15, 2019 Page 6 of 18 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin CAMP4ASB Additional Financing (P163542) Eligible activities: Eligible investments will include those that meet criteria agreed upon by all participating countries that reflect regional priority areas where climate action must be scaled-up. These investments are expected to primarily contribute to: a) crop diversification, climate-resilient seed varieties, and seed system support measures; b) on-farm water resource management and efficiency improvement measures; c) rehabilitation of degraded lands and land degradation control through agro-forestry and rangeland management measures; d) promotion of stability and sustainability of mountain ecosystems and livelihoods; e) conservation agriculture; f) livestock production improvements; g) agro-products processing; h) energy efficiency improvements (e.g., insulation, lighting, etc.); and i) expansion of renewable energy sources, particularly for those communities in remote rural areas. Investments in categories (a) to (g) will deliver adaptation benefits while investments in categories c, e, f, h, and i will deliver mitigation (co-)benefits Eligible investments1 will support the following types of agricultural activities albeit will be required to have a climate resilience element (for instance, climate-resilient seeds instead of standard seeds, energy-efficient pumps, fruit and nut-tree based agro-forestry on degraded mountain slopes): a) Improving productivity of field and horticultural crops, by crop diversification, climate-resilient seed/sapling variety and seed-system support measures adopting new and appropriate technologies (e.g. establishing low cost greenhouses, fodder seed (both pulses and grass) production, vineyards and orchards, improved cropping systems, such as crop diversification, improved crop and tree varieties (wood lots), improved seed varieties (more tolerant to drought, pest, disease and salinity, etc.)). b) On-farm water resource management and efficiency improvement measures (e.g. drip and plastic tube irrigation, land levelling, planting shelter belts, irrigation scheduling, alternate furrow irrigation, drainage rehabilitation and improvement). c) Land degradation control through agro-forestry and rangeland management measures (e.g. infrastructure to access and use remote pastures, small machinery to produce and harvest fodder, rehabilitation measures for degraded areas). d) Pest and disease control (e.g. biological controls, integrated pest management (with use of bio- pesticides only)). e) Support services for agriculture f) Soil and water conservation measures g) Livestock production improvements/ Pasture management/ Apiculture. h) Agricultural product processing i) Alternative and efficient use of energy (e.g., insulation, lighting, water pumps, etc.) Financing instruments: Under the Climate Investment Facility, matching grants will be available to rural communities for piloting and scaling-up suitable technologies and practices for climate resilience, risk 1 Technical advisors (such as ICARDA or similar experienced organizations such as government applied research institutes in agriculture) will be available – via Sub-component 2.2, to provide advice on how to make on-farm investments more climate-resilient. August 15, 2019 Page 7 of 18 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin CAMP4ASB Additional Financing (P163542) reduction, and mitigation. Project-financed grants for each subproject will not exceed US$200,000 and will require a match of at least 10% in beneficiary contributions which may be in cash or in-kind. Sub-component 2.2. Capacity Building and Community Support (US$2 million GCF). This sub-component includes financing for awareness raising, participatory planning, and implementation support of climate investment plans at the community level in each country. This “facilitation package� is expected to raise interest of potential beneficiary communities for climate investment opportunities under the Project, improve the quality of the funding proposals prepared by these communities, and enhance the likelihood of success for these investments. AF will support a larger effort than planned under the current project to expand and strengthen capacity building and community support among stakeholders to increase awareness and provide platforms for sharing and exchange, including through knowledge management activities, to sustainably improve their capacity and follow the procedures also beyond the project implementation period. FOs (e.g., adequately experienced and suitably qualified non-governmental organizations, national or international) will be contracted under the sub-component for: (i) public awareness campaigns (using females as potential interlocutors) on climate change impacts, different adaptation/mitigation technologies, (ii) support to beneficiaries in assessing and understanding climate threats and impacts for their area/locality/community/farm; (iii) support to community-level participatory appraisals and community action plans, including identifying and designing appropriate investment plans; (iv) building the technical and organizational capacities of communities to manage and implement their investments focusing on engaging stakeholders and beneficiaries. . Component 3: Regional and National Coordination (US$1.1 million GCF). This component builds the implementation capacity at the Regional and National levels, which will help position the countries to eventually seek Direct Access to the GCF or future resources that can be mobilized to continue the climate knowledge service functions post program implementation. Sub-component 3.1. Regional Coordination (US$0.1 million): This subcomponent will support the operating costs of the RCU. This includes regional level coordination, procurement, financial management, reporting, monitoring and evaluation. Sub-component 3.2. National Coordination (US$1 million): This sub-component will support the operating costs of the NCUs, responsible for national investment oversight, in each participating country (CEP in Tajikistan and AIASF in Uzbekistan). This support includes national-level coordination, procurement, financial management and reporting, safeguards oversight, and monitoring and evaluation. While the NCUs are being established (and funded) under the Parent Project, the AF will serve in particular to finance grant scheme management officers (as this function is otherwise performed by contracted Participating Financing Institutions, who provides sub-loans, under the WBG-financed Program) and to cover additional costs for the management of the grant-window of the Climate Investment Facility (e.g., additional safeguards oversight, and monitoring and evaluation). NCUs in each participating country are responsible for the implementation of Component 2 (Climate Investment Facility). A Regional Steering Committee, comprised of representatives from the national and regional coordination agencies and their respective coordination units, will meet every six months to review program progress and recommend program priorities, including the AF activities. Gender Dimensions. The Project will pay particular attention to gender dimensions. The Project will ensure that men and women benefit equally from its interventions by requiring a minimum percentage of women as August 15, 2019 Page 8 of 18 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin CAMP4ASB Additional Financing (P163542) beneficiaries. The results of these interventions will be monitored, using gender-disaggregated data based on capacity and participation intermediary indicators included in the Results Framework. In terms of voice, the Project will ensure that women are provided with an opportunity to have their voices heard and influence decision-making, by (i) requiring a minimum representation of women participants in consultations; (ii) undertaking outreach efforts that pay attention to different ways in which information is disseminated at the community level; and (iii) carrying out community mobilization activities using mechanisms that will help ensure active participation of women, e.g., women-only sessions, ensuring meetings are held at times of the day when women can participate, etc. Citizen Engagement. The Program explicitly seeks to support engagement of stakeholders and beneficiaries through the wider use of publicly available information, consultative processes, and feedback mechanisms to strengthen CAMP4ASB design, build ownership and thus contribute to sustainability and better project outcomes. GRMs have been established in both countries and CAREC. Feedback mechanisms have been developed in the project design to ensure transparency and a continuous dialogue with stakeholders and beneficiaries. Particular attention will be given during implementation to the capacity of the implementation partners to close the feedback loop and report on action taken in this regard. The specific elements of the framework for citizen engagement include: (a) access to climate information and exchange platforms (data, ICT, workshops, etc.) for Program stakeholders (institutions and communities) to be supported at both the regional and national levels. Percentage of users satisfied with the Program’s climate information platform will be monitored; (b) information campaigns on climate change and awareness-raising activities targeting national agencies, CSOs, academia, local governments, media and local communities, and consultations with program stakeholders through the Technical Working Group and the regional Climate Forum/Climate Change Conference involving CSOs; (c) community participation will be a core feature of the project investments as the Regional Climate investment Facility will support community engagement in determining local investment needs to ensure local communities participation and ownership in these climate investments; (d) a feedback mechanism will be designed to process complaints, concerns, and questions from stakeholders at different levels (regional to local), with a view to resolving 100% of these concerns and questions within stipulated service standards (to be monitored in the Results Framework); and (e) specific third-party monitoring of Program activities will be supported annually to ensure transparency and feedback on these activities. The protocol and mechanisms for elements of this citizen engagement framework will be detailed in the Project Operational Manual. Quality of its implementation and progress will be monitored both at regional and national levels through supervision and dialogue with the CSOs forum. E. Implementation The The Parent Project utilizes EC-IFAS as the implementing agency for the CAMP4ASB’s regional, cross-cutting activities. To provide a balance between effective regional and national cooperation, an RCU (hosted by the CAREC) will continue to support EC-IFAS in implementing Component 1 (Regional Climate Knowledge Services) and Sub-component 3.1. (Regional Coordination). . F. Project location and Salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) The project AF will be implemented in selected areas of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan that are vulnerable to climate change. These areas are expected to include each of the major agro-ecological systems (rangelands, mountains, irrigated and arid) of the participating countries, which will be further narrowed based on the August 15, 2019 Page 9 of 18 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin CAMP4ASB Additional Financing (P163542) criteria below. In Tajikistan, the GCF grant will cover eight districts among the identified 20 most vulnerable and poor regions in Tajikistan. The areas were selected following the prioritization methodology developed for the National Climate Adaptation Strategy with scoring process grounded on the criteria such as: i) exposure to extreme weather events caused by climate change (temperature, precipitation, floods, drought, etc.); ii) sensitivity to climate change (productivity, poverty, access to land resources, dependence on agricultural production, diseases, etc.); and iii) adaptive capacity (access to health care, education, drinking and irrigated water, cattle density, internal and external migration, etc.). The most vulnerable sites include: Darvaz and Ishkoshim districts in GBAO region, Lakhsh and Nurabad districts in RRS region; Kanibadam city and Devashtich district in Sughd region; Dangara and Vose districts in Khatlon region. In Uzbekistan, the Project area for AF will cover the same area as the Parent Project: Republic of Karakalpakstan, Bukhara, Khorezm and Navoi regions, with a few districts to be identified based on Government priorities, socio- economic indicators and climate conditions. All aforementioned territories with rural population representing 51-67 percent of population and relying on agriculture and livestock as their main source of income and livelihood while between 20 to 40 percent of the Gross Regional Product (GRP) in these regions are formed by the agricultural sector which is substantially vulnerable to impacts of climate variability. The selection process will encompass two core steps: identification of beneficiaries and selection and approval of sub-projects. G. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists on the Team Suryanarayana Satish, Social Specialist Arcadii Capcelea, Environmental Specialist SAFEGUARD POLICIES THAT MIGHT APPLY SAFEGUARD _TBL Safeguard Policies Triggered? Explanation (Optional) Environmental Assessment OP/BP 4.01 Yes Performance Standards for Private Sector No Activities OP/BP 4.03 Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 Yes Forests OP/BP 4.36 Yes Pest Management OP 4.09 Yes Physical Cultural Resources OP/BP 4.11 No Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 No Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP 4.12 No August 15, 2019 Page 10 of 18 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin CAMP4ASB Additional Financing (P163542) Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 No Projects on International Waterways Yes OP/BP 7.50 Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP 7.60 No KEY SAFEGUARD POLICY ISSUES AND THEIR MANAGEMENT OPS_SAFEGUARD_SUMMARY_TBL A. Summary of Key Safeguard Issues 1. Describe any safeguard issues and impacts associated with the proposed project. Identify and describe any potential large scale, significant and/or irreversible impacts: The investments to be supported under the project AF will be the same as within the initial project. Overall although limited in scope, they may generate various environmental and social impacts related to: soil degradation; water and air pollution; biodiversity conservation; labor safety issues and health impacts, etc. As the project might support afforestation and pasture improvement activities, it might have also effects on nature habitats and forests. Furthermore, while the project is not going to support purchasing pesticides, it might generate a need for their increased usage, in particular in the case of forestry nurseries development which can generate some health impacts and environmental pollution. It is also expected these potential impacts will be mostly temporary by nature and site specific. The project will also have positive impacts on the environment and natural resource base of the project area: prevention of soil degradation; increase of soil moisture and in biomass and organic matter of soils; a decrease of run- off and soil losses; increased climate resilience. This would result in a series of economic benefits: (a) increased soil productivity; (b) increased agricultural crops yields and farmer income; (c) improved farmer skills in climate resilience and land conservation; etc. Taking into account specified potential impacts the project triggers a series of WB environmental OPs and in particular: OP 4.01 on Environmental Assessment; OP 4.04 on Natural Habitats; OP 4.36 on Forests; and OP 4.09 on Pest Management. The project also triggers OP 7.50 (Projects on International Waterways), because project activities will use water from ‘international waterways’, and in particular, the two main river basins in Central Asia - the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya or their tributaries. However, the activities to be financed would be limited to rehabilitation, modifications and minor additions or alterations to existing schemes in ways which would not increase the amount of water abstracted or lead to appreciable impact on the water sources or local hydrological regime. The applicability of OP 7.50 was reviewed with the Legal Department of the World Bank, and a waiver on notifying riparian states was granted on May 13, 2019. The project will not finance activities that result in involuntary resettlement impacts as per OP 4.12 and therefore the policy on involuntary resettlement is not triggered. The AF activities will target those communities most vulnerable to climate change and strengthen their climate resilience by supporting the adoption of climate-smart rural production and landscape management investments in priority areas that aim to achieve multiple benefits (e.g., climate resilience, food security, increased well-being of beneficiaries, including gender and social inclusion) in the context of wider community development. The AF will help August 15, 2019 Page 11 of 18 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin CAMP4ASB Additional Financing (P163542) strengthening community resilience through enabling the participation of poor and vulnerable populations in identifying climate risk, and prioritizing measures to manage such risks. The AF support will reach (via sub-grants) the most vulnerable communities (e.g., farmers or farmer groups, villages or village communities, resource-user groups) in priority areas, including the poorest population residing on fringe/risk- prone areas and marginalized groups (who are thus not eligible for commercial lending, given lack of income and collateral) such as women, while the Parent Project will continue to support (via sub-loans) the market expansion of commercial lending, primarily the needs of commercial farmers, resource user groups and private companies, for green investments in climate vulnerable areas. In Uzbekistan, the project is subject to the Third Party Monitoring (TPM) and Feedback Mechanism (FBM), financed through a separate Trust Fund that focuses on child and forced labor issues. With an aim to address the issue of child and forced labor, the World Bank and Government of Uzbekistan have agreed on an initial list of projects which would be subject to TPM and FBM and CAMP4ASB is one of them. The TPM will focus on child and forced labor issues in connection with the Program activities or within the Program areas. Feedback will be collected from both Program beneficiaries and other credible stakeholders in connection with the Program activities or within the Program area. An independent FBM will be established, that is dedicated to collecting reports on potential evidence on matters of alleged occurrences or evidences of child and/or forced labor that might be related to the proposed Program. TPM/FBM will be carried out by an international organization with expertise in labor issues. The World Bank has been working in close collaboration with the International Labor Organization (ILO), a UN agency that specializes in labor issues. In October 2014, the ILO and WB signed a Memorandum of Understanding stipulating that the ILO will carry out TPM/FBM in the specific project areas during 2015-2016 (with the possibility of extension thereafter). The monitoring envisions the undertaking of the following three general activities: (i) capacity building; (ii) awareness raising; and (iii) monitoring of child and forced adult labor. The first two activities are expected to be accomplished through mainstreaming and tailoring them to the Program activities. In Tajikistan, close coordination with International Organization of Migration (IOM) will be established to ensure participating districts are monitored by IOM and awareness raising is promoted. 2. Describe any potential indirect and/or long term impacts due to anticipated future activities in the project area: The potential long term impacts are positive and relate to increase climate resilience and adaptation in participating countries. The project will also bring long term positive impacts in terms of soil conservation by improving land management practices. 3. Describe any project alternatives (if relevant) considered to help avoid or minimize adverse impacts. N/A 4. Describe measures taken by the borrower to address safeguard policy issues. Provide an assessment of borrower capacity to plan and implement the measures described. To address potential environmental and social impacts, the participating countries have updated the Environmental Management Framework documents for the initial project which specify the following: description of project activities; EA rules and procedures in participating countries and according WB Safeguards Policies as well as their comparison; expected potential environmental and social impacts of the proposed type of investments along with the Environmental Guidelines which describe the rules and procedures for environmental screening; guidance for preparing sub-projects EIA and/or simple EMPs as well as of EMP Checklist for identified small scale construction and August 15, 2019 Page 12 of 18 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin CAMP4ASB Additional Financing (P163542) reconstruction activities; possible mitigation measures for different types of sub-projects; requirements for monitoring and supervision of implementing of EIA/EMPs; and institutional arrangements for EMF implementation. They also contain a series of measures to raise awareness and educate potential beneficiaries regarding safe pesticide handling and use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and management and monitoring of the EA review and approval process. As for the initial project, the EMF will be integrated into the Project's Operational Manual and will be used as part of all contracts involving proposed activities and selected sub-projects. The Bank is expected to provide a additional training to the Safeguards Specialists to be appointed for each participating country, so they can promote compliance with the EMF and EMPs of selected sub-projects. The subproject EMPs will be also integrated into the contracts for approved activities, both into specifications and bills of quantities and the Contractors will be required to include the cost in their financial bids and grant proposals. The EMF specifies also implementing responsibilities and arrangements. The capacity of the Government’s involved agencies in both countries is adequate. In Uzbekistan, the RRA has implemented and is implementing a series of the WB projects (Horticulture Development Project; Livestock Development Project, CAMP4SA project) and its environmental performance has been always qualified as satisfactory, - based on the Bank supervision missions in 2016-2018, all subprojects under the HDP and under CAMP4SA projects have been subject to environmental screening and assessment and for Category B subprojects have been prepared Environmental Management Plans (EMPs), which overall are being implemented in satisfactory manner and there no outstanding environmental issues been identified. Similar, in Tajikistan, the CEP implemented and is implementing several WB projects, including the ELMARL project which has in a way similar activities, and its environmental performance has been also qualified as satisfactory. The project will support additional EA capacity building activities for the grant beneficiaries (local communities) which do not have necessary knowledge in implementing safeguards activities. Any activities that result in impacts as those anticipated under OP 4.12, including impacts on livelihoods will be screened out and not financed by the project. A screening checklist will be detailed in the operations manual. 5. Identify the key stakeholders and describe the mechanisms for consultation and disclosure on safeguard policies, with an emphasis on potentially affected people. The EMFs have been disclosed and largely consulted in both participating countries as well as the on the WB website. In Uzbekistan the draft updated document on December 5, 2017 was disclosed on the RRA website (http://www.rra.uz) and later - from December 23, 2017 - January 5, 2018 have been organized several public consultations in Karakalpakstan, Bukhara, Navoi and Horezms oblasts. Overall the draft document was accepted by participants without any major comments. In Tajikistan the draft document was posted on December 19, 2017 on the website (https://yec.k-box.net/klink/17fccdd4a3/preview/) and later - in second half of January, 2018 have been organized a series of public consultations in the participating in the project districts: Darvaz, Ishkashim, Kanibadam, Devashtich,Leahsh, Nurabod, Vosse and Dangara. The draft document was also fully supported by all participants at the meetings. August 15, 2019 Page 13 of 18 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin CAMP4ASB Additional Financing (P163542) OPS_SAFEGUARD_DISCLOSURE_TBL B. Disclosure Requirements (N.B. The sections below appear only if corresponding safeguard policy is triggered) OPS_EA_DISCLOSURE_TABLE Environmental Assessment/Audit/Management Plan/Other For category A projects, date of Date of receipt by the Bank Date of submission for disclosure distributing the Executive Summary of the EA to the Executive Directors 14-May-2015 14-May-2015 "In country" Disclosure Kyrgyz Republic 02-Apr-2015 Comments Tajikistan 04-May-2015 Comments Uzbekistan 04-May-2015 Comments OPS_ PM_D ISCLOSURE_TAB LE Pest Management Plan Was the document disclosed prior to appraisal? Date of receipt by the Bank Date of submission for disclosure "In country" Disclosure OPS_COMPLIANCE_INDICATOR_TBL C. Compliance Monitoring Indicators at the Corporate Level (to be filled in when the ISDS is finalized by the project decision meeting) (N.B. The sections below appear only if corresponding safeguard policy is triggered) OPS_EA_COMP_TABLE OP/BP/GP 4.01 - Environment Assessment Does the project require a stand-alone EA (including EMP) report? Yes August 15, 2019 Page 14 of 18 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin CAMP4ASB Additional Financing (P163542) If yes, then did the Regional Environment Unit or Sector Manager (SM) review and approve the EA report? Yes Are the cost and the accountabilities for the EMP incorporated in the credit/loan? Yes OPS_ NH_COM P_TABLE OP/BP 4.04 - Natural Habitats Would the project result in any significant conversion or degradation of critical natural habitats? Yes If the project would result in significant conversion or degradation of other (non-critical) natural habitats, does the project include mitigation measures acceptable to the Bank? Yes OPS_ PM_COM P_TABLE OP 4.09 - Pest Management Does the EA adequately address the pest management issues? Yes Is a separate PMP required? No If yes, has the PMP been reviewed and approved by a safeguards specialist or SM? Are PMP requirements included in project design? If yes, does the project team include a Pest Management Specialist? NA OPS_F O_COM P_TABLE OP/BP 4.36 - Forests Has the sector-wide analysis of policy and institutional issues and constraints been carried out? NA Does the project design include satisfactory measures to overcome these constraints? NA Does the project finance commercial harvesting, and if so, does it include provisions for certification system? NA OPS_ PIW_COMP_ TABLE OP 7.50 - Projects on International Waterways Have the other riparians been notified of the project? Yes If the project falls under one of the exceptions to the notification requirement, has this been cleared with the Legal Department, and the memo to the RVP prepared and sent? Yes Has the RVP approved such an exception? Yes OPS_ PDI_ COMP_TAB LE August 15, 2019 Page 15 of 18 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin CAMP4ASB Additional Financing (P163542) The World Bank Policy on Disclosure of Information Have relevant safeguard policies documents been sent to the World Bank's Infoshop? Yes Have relevant documents been disclosed in-country in a public place in a form and language that are understandable and accessible to project-affected groups and local NGOs? Yes OPS_ALL_COMP_TABLE All Safeguard Policies Have satisfactory calendar, budget and clear institutional responsibilities been prepared for the implementation of measures related to safeguard policies? Yes Have costs related to safeguard policy measures been included in the project cost? Yes Does the Monitoring and Evaluation system of the project include the monitoring of safeguard impacts and measures related to safeguard policies? Yes Have satisfactory implementation arrangements been agreed with the borrower and the same been adequately reflected in the project legal documents? Yes CONTACT POINT World Bank Gayane Minasyan Lead Environment Specialist Philippe Ambrosi Senior Environmental Economist Borrower/Client/Recipient Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Tajikistan Faiziddin Qahhorzoda Minister a.khuchakov@greenfinance.tj Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan Jamshid Kuchkarov First Deputy Prime Minister / Minister of Finance info@mf.uz August 15, 2019 Page 16 of 18 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin CAMP4ASB Additional Financing (P163542) Executive Committee for International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea Implementing Agencies Committee for Environmental Protection Khayrullo Ibodzoda Chairman Agro Industries and Food Security Agency Shokhrukh Shoakhmedov Director General camp@rra.uz 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 Gayane Minasyan Task Team Leader(s): Philippe Ambrosi Approved By Safeguards Advisor: Nina Chee 29-Aug-2019 Practice Manager/Manager: Kseniya Lvovsky 29-Aug-2019 Country Director: Sascha Djumena 06-Sep-2019 August 15, 2019 Page 17 of 18 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin CAMP4ASB Additional Financing (P163542) August 15, 2019 Page 18 of 18