-ZNLtbM6- -ML W""M.23122 __ __ _ _ __ U~~~~~~~~~crcup w X,,~~_ q the = =~~~~~~~_ _ _ _ ___ W cr Iud The monthly newsletter of the Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Network Vol 2no 3 March 1999 Rural Week 99 to spotlight the political dimension projects pose a risk to the Bank's corporate values of sustainable development, including identifying the proce- >;, Nobel laureate Norman E. Borlaug, UN dures necessary for remedial action. im6mi ) agency and nongovernmental organization * Strengthen training, particularly for task managers. W representatives, farmers, government * Disseminate knowledge to encourage learning, drawing on officials, academics, and private sector partners will join over experience from inside and outside the Bank Group. 400 Bank staff at the March 24-26 Rural Week, convened by A Technical Committee comprising ESSD and Regional staff the Rural Development Family at the Westfields, Va. will help guide the work of the Unit. The committee will report Conference Center. Participants will explore the political to the Director, ENV. A Quality Assurance Committee implications of strategies to alleviate poverty and hunger. comprising Regional Quality Assurance Coordinators will also Sessions will include natural disaster preparedness, access to be established. "I consider the functions of this Unit to have land and water, rural finance, agricultural education, climate high priority, and I would like all ESSD staff to give it their change, trade and protectionism, gender, biotechnology, and support," says Ian Johnson. Kathryn McPhail will coordinate food safety, plus an InfoFair. For the first time sessions will be the program with the help of Man ish Bapna (Young coverd by'Earh NeotiaionsBulltin, whih rechesProfessional). Colin Rees will be the Senior Technical Adviser, covered by "Earth Negotiations Bulletin," which reaches and Nick Van Praag will provide public information support 25,000 subscribers. For the full program see http:l/ and liaise with External Affairs. essd.worldbank.org/essd/rdv/rdvhome.nsf/ BulletinFrameHolder?OpenView Social Development QAG review team finds inconsistencies Quality assurance and compliance has high priority ESSD was recently invited by the Bank's Quality Assurance Group (QAG) to participate in the review of the "quality at The Bank's credibility rests on effective implementation of its entry" of 100 lending projects. SDV analysts ranked programs social and environmental "safeguard" policies. ESSD has in terms of stakeholder analysis and participation, social oversight responsibility for 8 of the 10 policies. The objective is disaggregation-and poverty targeting, social impact monitoring, to work with the Regions, which are fully accountable for and compliance with social safeguard policies. The reviews compliance with operational policies and procedures in Bank reveal innovations in social analysis and participation operations. Close coordination will be maintained with IFC and coexisting with persistent practices that undermine country MIGA. To enhance projects, the ESSD Compliance and Quality ownership and program effectiveness. The team will submit its Il Assurance Unit will provide support to the Regions aimed at: final report later this month. 0-00,1 * Proactive upstream involvement to build in-country capacity Heads of state to discuss fors in Yaounde - and ensure quality at entry for socially and environmentally sustainable operations The Central African Forest Summit will take place in Cameroon - Effective downstream monitoring and evaluation to assure on March 17. Initiated by President Paul Biya, the meeting will that policies are implemented and that lessons of experience be chaired by the Duke of Edinburgh. Its goals are to promote are incorporated in new operations. conservation of forests of the western Congo Basin and their E To support_these, the Unit will: biodiversity through (1) creation and maintenance of an 40" To support these, the Unit will: ecological representative network of protected areas and (2) 7J. Assess compliance and enhance quality through carefully sustainable use of forest resources. The summit will be selected desk reviews and field audits. This will involve preceded by an interministerial meeting to discuss technical working with the Quality Assurance Group (QAG) to issues. The resulting "Yaounde Declaration" will be presented conduct desk reviews of Bank projects. Field-based reviews at the summit. Ian Johnson will represent the Bank. =W< will also be undertaken. The Unit will liaise with OED to ensure that findings are used to enhance compliance and EDs discuss Prototype Carbon Fund quality assurance. On February 22, Executive Directors were updated on the * Improve institutional mechanisms to determine which status of the Prototype Carbon Fund. The EDs suggested "ESSentials" isthe monthly intemal newsletterof the Environmentallyand Socially Sustainable Development Network of the World Bank Group. ts purpose isto unify the 800 networkstaff, including lOin field offices, and share important news on sustainable developmentwith network staff and interested Bank colleagues. Please send ideas or articles to Alicia Hetzner, editor, MC44101, ext 33379. To obtain prior "ESSentials" or more information on ESSD, go to http:llessd. including a more meaningful role for host countries in the liability issues. This sixth round of negotiations was suspended governance structure, and improving transparency and outreach indefinitely, with a deadline to adopt a "Cartagena Protocol" by to the NGO community and public. Final documentation to May 2000. In the current text the Global Environment Facility establish the PCF will be presented to the Board later this year. would act as a facilitator for capacity building in biosafety in recipient countries. GEF already has a $2.74 million pilot Networks cooperate to develop social policy principles project in operation through the United Nations Environment A note on the principles of good social policy is being prepared Programme to develop norms for assistancet for capacity by an inter-network effort of HD, PREM, and ESSD's Social building. The project covers 18 recipient countries directly and Development Family. These principles will feed into the funds regional consultations on the subject Comprehensive Development Framework (CDF). In January the National Geographic initiates collaboration with ESSD Social Sector Board discussed other family contributions to CDF. These include taking stock of critical in-country inclusion National Geographic representatives met ws ith Bob Watson, Ken issues; developing targeting mechanisms; strengthening Newcombe, Maria Elena Matheus, and Francis Dobbs on institutional mechanisms, local governance, and participatory February 19 to explore collaboration. The Bank representatives approaches; and analyzing civil society dynamics. suggested that the magazine illustrate articles in its Millennium Series with Bank project success stories and recommended - . e - specific projects for use next year. They emphasized the Two faces of Bank work in Singrauli, India importance of communities as implementirg agents of projects The World Bank is initiating a project focused on social and and the relevance of cultural knowledge. environmental rehabilitation in Singrauli, a once pristine forest ACS Family begins work area south-east of Varanassi. Construction of a dam and a reservoir in the 1 950s plus exploitation of huge coal reserves- The Administrative and Client Support (ACS) Group in the both done with Bank assistance-resulted in the capacity to Operation Core Services (OCS) Network is up and running! Its produce 40 percent of India's thermal power as well as in the purposes are to provide ACS staff with resources that encourage growth of other industries. However, development was professional excellence and development to help the Bank accompanied by severe social dislocation and disillusionment, Group meet its goals and (2) to enable sharing of knowledge and natural resource degradation. These effects led to the and best practice among ACS staff. The Committee to EDI/LLC current project. (ACS Sub-committee on Training) and the Committee on Professional Development Grants (ACS Grants Administration) Chinese complete indicators handbook are operational. The ESSD (anchor) represertative to the ACS Board, Louise Shaw Barry, will work 25 percent of her time on With assistance of ENV staff a Chinese language handbook on ACS issue indicators for sustainable development will soon be published in Beijing by the State Environmental Protection Administration Bank presents environmental films March 23 and 24 (SEPA). SEPA officials expect the handbook to be widely used by provincial and municipal governments. Four Chinese The World Bank will present 2 films followe d by panel researchers were trained at the Bank, and ENV staff assisted discussions in this year's Washington, DC Environmental Film SEPA to organize two workshops in Beijing to discuss the Festival. On March 23 'No Place to Run' A ill be shown at framework and application of indicators, focusing on urban noon in J1-050. On the subject of epidemicsi, it looks at the environmental issues. plague in India, cholera in Peru, and Lyme disease in the United States. On March 24 'Nature's Pharmacy,' which looks World Water Day to be marked by events worldwide at efforts to preserve medicinal plants, will be shown at noon in T1-050. For the many environmental films and locations being To celebrate World Water Day on March 22, the first meeting sontruhu h iyMrh1-8 e fpI of the World Commission on Water for the 21st Century wil take place in Cairo. Formed in 1998, the commission is chaired www.capaccess.org/ane/eff by Ismail Serageldin. On March 15-19 the Seventh Nile 2002 New Publications Conference will convene all the riparian nations that share the Nile Basin to discuss comprehensive water resources Biotechnology and Biosafety 1. Serageldin and W. Collins Nile Basin to discuss comprehensive water resources Mainstreaming Gender and Development in the Wcrld Bank: Progress and development of the Basin for the 21st century. The Recommendations C. Moser, A. Torqvist, and B von Bronkhorst Organization of American States, the National Environmental Pollution Prevention and Abatement Handbook 19"~8 World Bank Authority, and the Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin Rural Infrastructure from a World Bank Perspective: A Knowledge America and the Caribbean invite pre-registration for the Third Management Framework L. Pouliquen Inter-American Dialogue on Water Management: Facing the Emerging Water Crisis in the 21st Century in Panama City, Calendar Panama, March 21-25. LAC is also participating. For details see AA a r c h http://iwrn.ces.fau.edu/mainenglish.html To register, go to 15-16 WTO High-ievel Symposium on Irade and Environment- http://www2.usma.ac.pa/ - cathalac/dialogue3.htm. Geneva. Ian Johnson speaking 3/15 15-18 Central African Forest Summit-Yaoun ie. Ian Johnson Biosafety negotiations reach temporary impasse speaking 3/17 A Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological 22 World Water Day-Multiple events. See story above. Conference of the Parties 18-28 Environmental Film Festival-Washington, DC Diversity (CBD) met in Cartagena, Colombia on February 22 to 23 "No Place to Run," film and panel-Ji-li50, noon adopt a Biosafety Protocol but reached an impasse on February 24 "Nature's Pharmacy," film and panel- 1-050, noon 24, mainly on trade in biotechnology products and damage Other locations: http://www.capaccess.org/aneleff 24-26 Rural Week-Westfields, Va. Theme: Rural Development: The Political Dimension Contributors include Aziz Bouzaher, John Dixon, Kerri Poore, Avani Vaish, and Jian Xie.