The World Bank iRAP Research and evaluation of road projects in meeting the Global Road Safety Performance Target 3 (P175399) Concept Environmental and Social Review Summary Concept Stage (ESRS Concept Stage) Public Disclosure Date Prepared/Updated: 04/26/2021 | Report No: ESRSC01804 Apr 27, 2021 Page 1 of 9 The World Bank iRAP Research and evaluation of road projects in meeting the Global Road Safety Performance Target 3 (P175399) BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country Region Project ID Parent Project ID (if any) World OTHER P175399 Project Name iRAP Research and evaluation of road projects in meeting the Global Road Safety Performance Target 3 Practice Area (Lead) Financing Instrument Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Transport Investment Project 12/23/2020 Financing Borrower(s) Implementing Agency(ies) International Road International Road Assessment Programme Assessment Programme (iRAP) (iRAP) Public Disclosure Proposed Development Objective The objective of this project is to evaluate progress towards achieving UN Global Road Safety Performance Target 3: that by 2030, all new roads achieve technical standards for all road users should take into account road safety, or meet a three-star rating or better. Financing (in USD Million) Amount Total Project Cost 0.20 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] The research outcomes will identify the skill and knowledge-based interventions that can support incremental progress towards the 2030 targets. Key results include: Identify successes and/or barriers to achieving the UN Target 3 on recently completed road projects. Apr 27, 2021 Page 2 of 9 The World Bank iRAP Research and evaluation of road projects in meeting the Global Road Safety Performance Target 3 (P175399) Develop guidance and training needs for local, national and super-national stakeholders to make further progress towards achieving UN Target 3. Demonstrate the safety benefit (in terms of economic impact and lives saved) of investment in delivering new road projects which meet UN Target 3. Increase awareness of, and capacity to undertake, safe road design for new road projects that meet UN Target 3. Enhance the SR4D web application and supporting training and accreditation to increase accessibility and usability for stakeholders at the local road design level. D. Environmental and Social Overview D.1. Detailed project location(s) and salient physical characteristics relevant to the E&S assessment [geographic, environmental, social] More than 90% of road traffic deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (WHO). Globally, death rates in low income countries (LIC) are 3 times higher than in high-income countries. LICs face widely-understood road safety issues: rapid urbanization, poor safety standards, lack of enforcement, and a failure to use safety equipment. In recent years, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) have implemented road safety safeguards in response to the challenges of ensuring minimum safety standards are met in new road projects. The Member State agreed Global Road Safety Performance Target 3 is that, by 2030, all new roads achieve technical standards for all road users that take into account road safety or meet a three-star rating or better. The iRAP Business Case for Safer Roads estimates that achieving >75% of travel on 3-star or better roads by 2030 (target 4) will save an estimated 467,000 lives every Public Disclosure year and 100 million lives and serious injuries over the 20-year life of the treatments. Targeted safe roads investment by all countries of 0.1-0.2% GDP per year through to 2030 will unlock this incredible outcome with $8 of benefits for every $1 invested. Achieving this requires safety awareness and prioritization from the inception stage of a road project through to the design, construction, quality control and operation of that road (particularly speed management). Some of these activities occur outside of the support of international agencies who seek to implement environmental and social safeguards and related road safety initiatives. Failure to include such requirements from the inception stage can result in challenges both in project development as well as negative outcomes related to community health and safety. The project seeks to contribute to the knowledge and evidence of how to ensure road projects effectively meet road safety standards for all road user groups. A review of recent road projects funded by MDBs will be carried out to inform the assessment in: Ethiopia, Nepal, Fiji, the Pacific Corridor (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama) with particular focus on Nicaragua. Further case study reviews of historical assessments will include projects in Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal and Tanzania. D. 2. Borrower’s Institutional Capacity The project will be implemented by International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) in partnership with selected accredited suppliers / Centre of Excellence partners; Promet I Prostor (PIP) and local / LMIC research partners. None of the entities are known to have experience in implementing the World Bank Environmental and Social Framework Apr 27, 2021 Page 3 of 9 The World Bank iRAP Research and evaluation of road projects in meeting the Global Road Safety Performance Target 3 (P175399) (ESF). However, this should not be critical given the minimal environmental and social impacts anticipated from the activities. If the scope of the project changes, the need and capacity to implement Bank’s ESSs will be assessed and an institutional strengthening plan will be developed, agreed upon accordingly and included in the design of the project. The selected Government agencies will be consulted and a representative sample of direct national financed projects and MDB/IFI financed projects will be identified for the study in the selected countries. As such, no assessment has been made of the capacity of the three countries to implement the Project. II. SCREENING OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL (ES) RISKS AND IMPACTS A. Environmental and Social Risk Classification (ESRC) Low Environmental Risk Rating Low The project will review a selection of up to 21 recently completed road projects to identify how successfully they have achieved UN Global Road Safety Performance 3. The selected roads will be a mix of national and internationally funded road projects, and the findings of the review will enable guidance or training needs for stakeholders to be identified and designed, and thereby increase capacity and develop awareness of the tools that can be used to improve safety in road design. The project will not undertake any physical works, and will involve mainly desk study reviews of documentation, but with some contracted personnel undertaking surveys of operational roads to review the as-built safety condition. Surveys of operational roads can be undertaken safely through the adoption of good Public Disclosure working practices that are normally associated with this type of work. Negligible environmental or health and safety risks are predicted during the implementation of the project. The project is expected to improve the safety designs of future national and internationally funded projects, and thereby result in long term health and safety benefits. Social Risk Rating Low The social risk classification for the project is low based on the nature of the activities which involves mainly desk based research on safety in road design. The Project will not include any civil works and any direct interaction with communities is limited; as such risks related to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse/Sexual Harassment are expected to be low. The project may have a positive social impact by contributing to an improvement in road safety standards and understanding barriers to achieving such improvements. Gaps in guidance, awareness, capacity and action will be identified and knowledge articles added to the iRAP Road Safety Toolkit and other forums. Due to the likely nature and scale of the workforce issues related to labor and working conditions are anticipated to be negligible but will be addressed through the requirement for national law and requirements for ESS2 to be met as part of the Environmental and Social Commitment Plan. Minimal or negligible social risks or impacts are expected as a result of the activities or from activities that will be supported by the project in the future. 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 Apr 27, 2021 Page 4 of 9 The World Bank iRAP Research and evaluation of road projects in meeting the Global Road Safety Performance Target 3 (P175399) Overview of the relevance of the Standard for the Project: The project includes standalone technical assistance activities funded by a small grant from a recipient executed trust fund. All studies that are conducted for this project as well as reports generated and training or capacity building provided will be developed to be consistent with requirements of the World Bank Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) and will be documented in the Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP). The Project is likely to result in beneficial outcomes associated with community health and safety (for road users) and occupational health and safety (for operations and maintenance teams, as well as road construction workers) through notably reduced fatalities and DALYs as a result of road traffic accidents; This is likely to result in associated socio-economic benefits, including the ability to remain in the workforce, reduced delays and costs during construction and maintenance activities, and a reduction in the burden of health care (costs and time). In addition, the research activities will include consideration of the application of World Bank environmental and social requirements and additional awareness raising on the same which is likely to improve the awareness of participating stakeholder’s knowledge of the Environmental and Social Framework. The audits of the recently completed projects will be undertaken through desk study and site visit of operational roads. The review will enable an assessment to be made of the success or challenges with integrating safety features (including GIIP as may be described in the EHSGs), and to influence design tools and guidance to improve the incorporation of safety features into future designs. The project is likely to bring benefits to managing safety risks on road projects in the long term, through increasing visibility of challenges associated with integrating GIIP safety measures into project design and implementation. Public Disclosure Areas where “Use of Borrower Framework” is being considered: Use of the borrower framework is not being considered for this project. ESS10 Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure The project is designed to determine progress in meeting the Global Road Safety Performance Target 3 in eligible LMICs. In order, to evaluate the progress and to support additional capacity building, engagement will be required with stakeholder groups such as government agencies, MDB representatives, NGOs and CSOs etc who have been involved in the design and implementation of the projects to be analyzed. Given this, aspects relevant to stakeholder engagement will be built into the ESCP. The ESCP will also present a Grievance Mechanism (GM), which will be proportionate to the potential risks and impacts of the project which will be managed by iRAP. Any engagement will be undertaken in a manner which is COVID-19 secure and in line with national requirements for gatherings at the time of engagement. is will be informed by WHO’s “COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan Operation Planning Guidelines to Support Country Preparedness and Response” (2020) and also the World Bank’s “Technical Note: Public Consultations and Stakeholder Engagement in WB- supported operations when there are constraints on conducting public meetings” (March 20, 2020). This may involve the use of virtual meetings, smaller meetings or other measures as relevant. Apr 27, 2021 Page 5 of 9 The World Bank iRAP Research and evaluation of road projects in meeting the Global Road Safety Performance Target 3 (P175399) 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 project will be implemented by iRAP in collaboration with selected partner organizations and local research partners. These workers will be classified as Direct Workers. Contracted Workers will undertake the surveys of operational roads. Given the nature of the project, the risk of labor abuses, in-migration and Sexual Exploitation and Abuse/Sexual Harassment risks are considered to be low. As part of the Environmental and Social Commitment Plan, iRAP will be required to demonstrate that they and the other participating partner organizations employ their staff in line with national law and the requirements of ESS2. This will include ensuring that all workers have contracts outlining the terms and conditions of their employment including hours of work, wages, overtime, rest periods, compensation and benefits; workers are subject to non-discrimination and equal opportunities, forced and child labor is prohibited and that workers have access to a Grievance Redress Mechanism. Given the nature of the works, iRAP will be also required to undertake a risk assessment and develop a safe system of work prior to undertaking site visits to operational roads. iRAP will ensure that all survey personnel are briefed on the safe system of work and have been provided with appropriate safety equipment (for example, flashing beacons on vehicles) as well as high visibility clothing for use during the survey. Public Disclosure ESS3 Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management The project will not significantly or directly affect emissions from road users, although some benefits could accrue from improvements to road surfaces and slower speeds of traffic, if these are the solutions that are identified. No hazardous materials or wastes are expected to be generated by the project; energy and raw material use will be only that associated with normal office working. ESS4 Community Health and Safety As no civil or infrastructure development activities are envisaged under the project, there is no potential health and safety risk or impact on communities as a result of direct activities. The study will identify and evaluate potential traffic and road safety challenges in the selected projects, and develop measures to be integrated in future projects to address these challenges, where appropriate. Depending upon findings of the research, recommendations could be made to improve processes for undertaking road safety assessments, including the phases of the projects when these are undertaken. Communities and workers will benefit from improved road safety as a result of the development and implementation of the Project. The research will assist future projects incorporate measures to improve safety into the structural elements of infrastructure design. Apr 27, 2021 Page 6 of 9 The World Bank iRAP Research and evaluation of road projects in meeting the Global Road Safety Performance Target 3 (P175399) ESS5 Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement The project activities will not require any land acquisition, restrictions on land use or involuntary resettlement. ESS6 Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources The project will not be undertaking any construction works and no activities are currently envisaged that could affect natural resources or impact biodiversity conservation. ESS7 Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities Despite the presence of communities that meet the criteria of ESS7 in some of the countries where the activities will be implemented, direct interactions with these communities are not anticipated. In the event of engagement with indigenous peoples appropriate measures to meet the needs of these groups would need to be determined and included in the ESCP. However, as the project aims to improve the capacity to design and construct roads that are safe for all road users, consideration will need to be given in the review of safety concerns, capacity development and identification of common safety measures to challenges affecting indigenous peoples (as well as other vulnerable groups such as pastoralists, hunter-gatherers etc) and how road safety measures and safety awareness can benefit these groups. These requirements will need to be documented in the ESCP developed for the project. Public Disclosure ESS8 Cultural Heritage Project activities do not involve any physical works so impacts to cultural heritage sites are not envisaged. The project also does not involve any components related to the use of cultural heritage. ESS9 Financial Intermediaries The use of financial intermediaries is not anticipated. C. Legal Operational Policies that Apply OP 7.50 Projects on International Waterways No OP 7.60 Projects in Disputed Areas No III. WORLD BANK ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL DUE DILIGENCE Apr 27, 2021 Page 7 of 9 The World Bank iRAP Research and evaluation of road projects in meeting the Global Road Safety Performance Target 3 (P175399) A. Is a common approach being considered? No Financing Partners There are no financing partners being considered for this project. B. Proposed Measures, Actions and Timing (Borrower’s commitments) Actions to be completed prior to Bank Board Approval: The following documents will need to be prepared prior to approval (no Appraisal ESRS is required as the project is a stand-alone recipient executed trust fund): 1) Development of the Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP) for the Project. Possible issues to be addressed in the Borrower Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP): 1) Requirements for monitoring and reporting on the management of environmental and social issues by iRAP 2) Commitments to ensure all project workers are employed in line with the requirements of national law and ESS2, including with respect to health and safety: a risk assessment; a safe system of work for undertaking surveys; commitments for providing safety equipment and PPE for use while undertaking the surveys. 3) Requirements for Stakeholder Engagement including management of the GRM by iRAP and partners. 4) iRAP to ensure that all studies associated with the project and all resultant deliverables will be developed consistent with the requirements of ESSs 1-10. 5) iRAP will ensure that the assessment of road safety concerns and associated road safety measures and awareness Public Disclosure includes consideration of all road users including indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups. IV. CONTACT POINTS World Bank Contact: Juan Miguel Velasquez Torres Title: Transport Specialist Telephone No: 5220+81374 Email: jvelasquez@worldbank.org Contact: Stephen Muzira Title: Senior Transport Specialist Telephone No: 5358+6082 / 251-115-176082 Email: smuzira@worldbank.org Borrower/Client/Recipient Borrower: International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) Implementing Agency(ies) Implementing Agency: International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) Apr 27, 2021 Page 8 of 9 The World Bank iRAP Research and evaluation of road projects in meeting the Global Road Safety Performance Target 3 (P175399) 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): Juan Miguel Velasquez Torres, Stephen Muzira Practice Manager (ENR/Social) Helene Monika Carlsson Rex Recommended on 13-Apr-2021 at 00:23:58 GMT-04:00 Public Disclosure Apr 27, 2021 Page 9 of 9