The World Bank Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation (P167506) Concept Environmental and Social Review Summary Concept Stage (ESRS Concept Stage) Public Disclosure Date Prepared/Updated: 02/09/2020 | Report No: ESRSC00894 Feb 09, 2020 Page 1 of 10 The World Bank Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation (P167506) BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country Region Project ID Parent Project ID (if any) Bangladesh SOUTH ASIA P167506 Project Name Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation Practice Area (Lead) Financing Instrument Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Education Investment Project 7/5/2020 9/30/2020 Financing Borrower(s) Implementing Agency(ies) People's Republic of Ministry of Education Bangladesh Proposed Development Objective(s) The Project Development Objective is to equip Bangladeshi youth and workers, including women and the Public Disclosure disadvantaged, with skills demanded for the future of work and improved employment prospects. Financing (in USD Million) Amount Total Project Cost 819.00 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 Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation (ASSET) project will promote employment- oriented job market relevant high-quality skills development for key productive sectors for Bangladeshi youth and workers including women and the disadvantaged. It will work with long-term and short-term training institutions, industry partners, non-governmental and governmental organizations to produce high-level skills for greater economic modernization and labor productivity. It also supports expanding equitable access to skills development opportunities for vulnerable population especially marginalized women, poor and people with disabilities, and enhance skills development and recognition of workers in the informal sector. The project also supports capacity development for market relevance and coordination at key agencies at the central level. Feb 09, 2020 Page 2 of 10 The World Bank Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation (P167506) D. Environmental and Social Overview D.1. Project location(s) and salient characteristics relevant to the ES assessment [geographic, environmental, social] The project is expected to be implemented nationwide but the exact project locations will be determined during the implementation stage only. However, some of the establishments and facilities under the previous phase of Northern Areas Reduction-of-Poverty Initiative (NARI) Project under MOLE and Skills and Training Enhancement Project (STEP) under MOE under ASSET and as well as Special Economic Zones (SEZs) under Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority (BEZA) are expected to be included. But the specific locations will be decided, as mentioned above, during implementation phase. It is expected that some of the project districts are likely to have a significant indigenous population, besides other marginalized and vulnerable communities. In any case, a considerable percentage of the students seeking admission in the various establishments, facilities and institutions supported by the project, are expected to be from indigenous and other marginalized and vulnerable communities. The proposed project activities are primarily technical assistance in nature and with some infrastructure development. The proposed project may finance among other things, establishment of special training and skills centers, refurbishment of existing training centers, establishment of a Model Skills Institution which would involve site development and infrastructure related work, construction of skills development centers within the premises of the Economic Zones, renovation and refurbishment of Recognition of Prior Learning Centers, updating of laboratories and workshops of public Technical Training Centers (TTCs), female dormitories and /or sanitation facilities at the polytechnics. However, no land acquisition is anticipated and all project civil works are expected to be carried out Public Disclosure within the existing infrastructure or on land that is already the property of the implementing agency. Squatters and/or encroachers are expected to be found in some land plots for civil works but given that the proposed interventions are small in scale and highly localized in nature, no large-scale, significant and/or irreversible impact is expected to be associated with ASSET. Only minor and localized impacts are expected from the proposed civil works. D. 2. Borrower’s Institutional Capacity The lead implementing agency will be the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) under the Technical and Madrasah Education Division (TMED) of Ministry of Education (MoE) and Department of Labour of Ministry of Labour and Employment. Co-implementing agencies will include Bangladesh Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) of Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEWOE), Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority (BEZA) under Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS), Ministry of Women and Children’s Affair (MoWCA); and ICT Division, Ministry of Industry (MoI). DTE and BMET were the lead and co-implementing agencies of STEP project. All other relevant ministries, except MoYS and MoWCA, have implemented or are implementing World Bank supported operations in their respective sectors and as such, they are expected to have a certain degree of institutional capacity on the Bank’s E&S safeguards. A detailed assessment of capacity of the implementing and partner agencies will be carried out during preparation. Given the multi-ministerial nature of the project, two options are currently being considered for the implementation arrangement, which will be further assessed and decided on during project preparation: Option 1 (multiple parallel PIUs): The implementing agencies will include (1) Ministry of Education (MoE), (2) Ministry of Labor and Emplyment (MoLE), (3) Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEWOE), (4) Feb 09, 2020 Page 3 of 10 The World Bank Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation (P167506) Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), (5) Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS), and possibly (6) Ministry of Industry (MoI). Each implementing agency will establish a separate PIU which will be responsible for implementing the activities related to their own ministries. These parallel PIUs will coordinate and share information among them through a Project Coordination Committee (PCC) which will meet on a regular basis. Option 2 (single integrated PIU): The lead implementing agency will be the MoE, while the co-lead implementing agencies will be MoLE, MoEWOE, MoHFW, MoYS, and possibly MoI. There will be a single PIU which will operate under a shared leadership structure where the Project Director (PD) will be from the lead agency while the co-lead agencies will appoint and depute Deputy Project Directors (DPDs) to join the PIU. This modality was proven successful under STEP. Currently, potential partnership and contributions from other Development Partners (DPs) such as European Union, Global Affairs Canada and JICA are being explored. However, in all such cases, it has been agreed that Bank’s ESF will be the accepted standard to be used in the project. During implementation, agencies from the private industry sector and NGOs such as Bangladesh Employers Federation (BEF), Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), Under-represented Children’s Education Programme, Bangladesh (UCEP, Bangladesh), Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) may be involved. Most of these potential implementation partners have previous experience of working with the World Bank funded projects. An Environment and Social Management Framework (ESMF) will be prepared and disclosed prior to appraisal. The ESMF will include specific section assessing the capacity of the implementing agencies and ministries as part of Borrower’s Capacity Assessment. The findings from this assessment will indicate the required environment and social Public Disclosure staffing and as well the E&S capacity building support for the proposed project. The Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP) will incorporate these requirements as part of the borrower’s commitment for the implementation of the project. II. SCREENING OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL (ES) RISKS AND IMPACTS A. Environmental and Social Risk Classification (ESRC) Moderate Environmental Risk Rating Moderate The Project does not envisage any significant or irreversible environmental impact as proposed project activities are largely technical assistance in nature with some infrastructure development within existing footprints and/or premises of existing institutions. Major tasks with environmental risks and impacts mainly during construction include (i) establishment of a Model Skills Institution (ii) rehabilitation/renovation/refurbishment of existing building, classrooms, workshops, and library, (iii) updating and enhancement of workshop and laboratory facilities of public Technical Training Centers (TTCs), and (iv) construction of female dormitories and /or sanitation facilities at the polytechnics. Most of the environmental impacts are construction-related such as generation of noise, vibration, air pollution, liquid and solid wastes and health & safety. Given that the nature of all the referenced activities are small to medium scale and that they will be implemented within existing footprints, impacts are expected to be localized, manageable and reversible. Furthermore, all institutes will be required to offer as part of the training, courses on occupational health and safety, pollution and resource efficiency and climate change as it pertains to the specific trades being covered by the institutes. Feb 09, 2020 Page 4 of 10 The World Bank Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation (P167506) Social Risk Rating Moderate No land acquisition will be required for the project. All infrastructure-related civil works such as site development, construction, upgradation and refurbishment are expected to be carried out within existing infrastructure or on land that is already the property of the ministry or agency concerned. However, there might be a presence of squatters and/or encroachers on some of the proposed sites who could be adversely affected from these civil works. In all cases, the anticipated risks and impacts will be largely localized, confined within the construction area and these will be mitigated through implementation of appropriate environmental and social management plans. The civil and infrastructure-related works will entail hiring of direct, contracted, community and primary workers. However, given the minor nature of the civil works there will be a limited flow of workers from other regions of the country to the project sites. The project’s Labor Management Procedures (LMP), including site-specific Labor Management Plans, will promote better labor management practices and sanction with penalties and other appropriate legal measures the use of child labor in all project activities. Similarly, the project’s potential impact on the health and safety of communities will also be limited due to the on-campus nature of project activities. Civil works are usually associated with increased gender-based violence and, therefore, a gender-based violence assessment will be carried out, with mitigation taking place using the appropriate social management plans. A considerable percentage of beneficiaries are expected to come from indigenous communities and also be representative of other marginalized and disadvantaged groups. The borrower will prepare a Small Ethnic Community and other Vulnerable and disadvantaged Peoples Development Framework (SECVDPF) that will provide the necessary guidelines in designing and delivering project benefits which are appropriate to the needs and cultural traditions of Public Disclosure the social groups involved. 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: The main anticipated E&S risks and impacts of the project, though of manageable scale given the scale of works within existing footprints, relate to construction-related impacts such as occupational and community health and safety, noise, vibration, dust pollution and waste generation and management. Other issues that will be addressed through the project will be to ensure that institutions that receive project financing have appropriate classroom and laboratory conditions (e.g., light, ventilation, temperature and noise), students have access to adequate protective gear (e.g., helmets, goggles, gloves, boots, etc.), proper sanitation (toilet and waste-management), and appropriate means of disposing waste materials generated through the training program. There might be limited displacement of squatters living within the existing premises, gender-based violence from laborers employed in the civil works sites and child labor–related impacts that need to be addressed. The project will adopt a frameworks approach given that the project’s locations are not yet identified. An Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) will thus be developed to provide guidelines and rules to screen subprojects for environmental and social risks and impacts and their management. The ESMF will also take into account the borrower’s E&S systems, carry out an institutional capacity assessment, and identify disadvantaged Feb 09, 2020 Page 5 of 10 The World Bank Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation (P167506) and vulnerable people in the context of the project. When the exact subproject sites and the nature of activities become clear they will be screened, and an ESIA and/or ESMP will be carried out and prepared, where needed. A Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP), proportional to the requirements of the project, will also be prepared and disclosed prior to appraisal. Finally, Bank’s ESF will be used in case of funding from other donor agencies, as mentioned above under the section D.2. Labor Management Procedures proportional to labor risk will also be prepared and disclosed prior to appraisal. Areas where “Use of Borrower Framework” is being considered: Not Applicable ESS10 Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure The project involves a broad range of stakeholders under both Option 1 and Option 2. This includes as many as six ministries directly involved in implementation: (1) Ministry of Education (MoE), (2) Ministry of Labor and Emplyment (MoLE), (3) Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEWOE), (4) Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), (5) Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS), and possibly (6) Ministry of Industry (MoI). Other ministries and agencies are also likely to be involved as partners, such as Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWCA), Information & Communication Technology (ICT) Division of the Ministry of ICT, and Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority (BEZA) under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Other stakeholders involved in the project may include private sector actors such as Bangladesh Garments Manufacturer and Exporters Association (BGMEA); non- governmental organizations such as BRAC, UCEP-Bangladesh and autonomous agencies under the government, such as, Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF). Media will also play an important role in the effective implementation of Public Disclosure the project. In addition, the project will closely collaborate with students, teachers and parents/guardians in establishing and building the skills development institutions included in the project. The borrower will develop a Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) proportional to the scale and complexity of the project and its associated risks and impacts. The client will engage in meaningful consultations with all stakeholders throughout the project life cycle, paying attention to the inclusion of women/girls and vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, the latter to include indigenous communities also. The SEP will include a detailed schedule of activities and information on the process for engaging the stakeholders. The draft SEP will be prepared as early as possible in the project cycle and will be disclosed prior to appraisal. The client will actively seek feedback from stakeholders on the project’s operation and takes measures to incorporate these inputs in the implementation of the activities. The borrower will also maintain records of the consultations and disclose these to the public through proper channels. Finally, the borrower will set up a project-specific Grievance Redress Mechanisms (GRM) to address cases of grievance in a timely manner and following due process. 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 Feb 09, 2020 Page 6 of 10 The World Bank Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation (P167506) The proposed project activities will include construction of special training centers and skills centers under MOLE, refurbishment of training centers, skills development centers within the premises of the Economic Zones, renovation and refurbishment of Recognition of Prior Learning Centers, female dormitories and /or sanitation facilities at the polytechnics. The project will essentially employ direct workers for the PIU, contracted workers for the works and possibly primary supply workers. Contracted workers will be from the project area. Labor Management Procedures (LMP) will be prepared and disclosed to provide guidance for managing the labor-related issues of the project. A specific GRM to deal with labor-related cases of grievance will be set up with the detailed procedures elaborated in the LMP. In addition, Occupational Health & Safety Plan (OHSP) following the World Bank Group Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Guidelines will be prepared by the contractors, which will be specified in the bidding documents and in the contracts. ESS3 Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management The project will adopt resource efficient design of the constructions and use of environment-friendly building materials. Attempt will also be made to make the institutes more resource efficient. Use of renewable energy will be encouraged during the operation phase and some tools will be devised so that there are controls over the use. Construction activities during operation phase will mostly generate noise, vibration and solid and liquid waste. Given Public Disclosure that all the constructions will be minor scale, the related activities are unlikely to generate any hazardous waste (such as hydrocarbon oils from construction machinery). But in all cases, site-specific Waste Management Plan will be prepared which will be included in the site specific ESIA/ESMP. Alternate brick materials can be used for building construction which may eventually reduce local air pollution indirectly. During the operation phase, laboratories and workshops will produce waste materials of different kinds, and it is expected that the institutions will manage them properly. GHG emissions from the project are expected to be minimal given that the project mainly will finance TA activities with some minor works. That said, the project will not calculate GHG emissions. ESS4 Community Health and Safety Construction activities may expose communities living close to the land or in the existing facilities under the project to health and safety risks, including issues related to noise, vibration, dust pollution and waste disposal/management. The transportation of construction materials may also lead to some temporary adverse impact on the communities. Adequate engineering, health and safety measures will be adopted to avoid any issue on community health. The ESIA and/or ESMP will lay down process for carrying out screening of gender-based violence related risks and measures to be taken in case such risks are anticipated. It’ll also require contractors to install a safety system around the Feb 09, 2020 Page 7 of 10 The World Bank Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation (P167506) construction sites and a Community Health & Safety Plan, including procedures on incident investigation and reporting, recording and reporting of non-conformances, emergency preparedness and community awareness raising activities. ESS5 Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement The proposed project is not expected to require any land acquisition as all the proposed interventions will be within the existing facilities and the lands needed are owned by the ministries or agencies concerned. However, construction, refurbishment and infrastructure- related civil works may affect squatters and/or disrupt livelihoods of people in the vicinity. A detailed assessment needs to be carried out of the existence of squatters on those lands and if it turns out that any physical or economic displacement is needed, the Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs) that will be developed during project preparation will address those impacts as required. The ESMPs will be reviewed, consulted upon, approved and disclosed both within the country and on the World Bank’s website prior to the commencement of the civil works. The social issues management sections of ESMPs will address the issues of inclusion, gender, GBV, consultation and communication strategy (as described in the SEP) and other issues identified in the ESIA and stakeholder consultation. ESS6 Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources ASSET is expected to be implemented nationwide and works will be implemented within existing footprints and/or premises. Thus impacts on biodiversity and living natural resources are not expected. Public Disclosure ESS7 Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities ASSET is expected to be implemented nationwide and it is likely that some of the project locations will fall within areas that have a considerable small ethnic community/tribal population. But in all cases, the establishments and facilities under the project are strongly likely to attract students for admission from the indigenous and other disadvantaged and vulnerable communities. The client will, thus, prepare a Small Ethnic Community and other Vulnerable and disadvantaged Peoples Development Framework (SECVDPF) that will detail the procedures for the active inclusion of students from small ethnic community/tribal backgrounds and otherwise specify project benefits which are appropriate to the needs and cultural traditions of the social groups involved. The client will also carry out due diligence as part of the ESIA process on whether small ethnic community/tribal peoples are adversely affected from civil works construction under the project and in case such impacts are anticipated, the client will incorporate the necessary mitigation measures into the ESMPs or into a separate Small Ethnic Community and other Vulnerable and disadvantaged Peoples Development Plan (SECVDPP) following the standard of free, prior and informed consent of the affected persons. ESS8 Cultural Heritage All constructions/renovations will take place within the existing campus of the institutions concerned, hence impacts on cultural heritage are not expected. However, as a standard practice, Chance Finds Procedures will be included in Feb 09, 2020 Page 8 of 10 The World Bank Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation (P167506) the ESMF and ESMPs, and a chance finds clause will be included in works contracts requiring contractors to stop construction if examples of cultural heritage are encountered during construction. The Borrower will also have to notify and closely coordinate with the relevant country authority for the salvaging and restoration of such cultural heritage. ESS9 Financial Intermediaries Not applicable 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 A. Is a common approach being considered? No Financing Partners Public Disclosure Currently, potential partnership and contributions from other Development Partners (DPs) such as European Union, Global Affairs Canada and JICA are being explored. However, in all such cases, it has been agreed that Bank’s ESF will be the accepted standard. B. Proposed Measures, Actions and Timing (Borrower’s commitments) Actions to be completed prior to Bank Board Approval: - Preparation, consultation and disclosure of an Environmental and Social Management Framework with E&S capacity assessment of the implementing agency. - ESIA/ESMP for construction work (based on screening of sub-projects) after sites have been identified. - Preparation, consultation and disclosure of the Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) - Preparation and disclosure of Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP) - Preparation and disclosure of Labor Management Procedures (LMP). - Preparation and disclosure of Small Ethnic Community and other Vulnerable Disadvantaged Peoples Development Framework (SECVDPF) Possible issues to be addressed in the Borrower Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP): (i) ESIA and/or ESMP AND SECVDPF/SECVDPP of subprojects. (ii) The engagement and timeline of E&S specialists (both environment and social) in the PMUs will be addressed. (iii) Training of PMU staff on E&S issues and risk management (iv) Implementation of ESMF, SECVDPF/SECVDPP, SEP, LMP, ESCP. The monitoring plan, including the scope and timing of report submission and disclosure will be mentioned in the ESCP. Feb 09, 2020 Page 9 of 10 The World Bank Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation (P167506) C. Timing Tentative target date for preparing the Appraisal Stage ESRS 30-Apr-2020 IV. CONTACT POINTS World Bank Contact: Sabah Moyeen Title: Senior Social Development Specialist Telephone No: 5764+4313 Email: smoyeen@worldbank.org Contact: Mokhlesur Rahman Title: Senior Operations Officer Telephone No: 5764+4351 Email: mrahman2@worldbank.org Borrower/Client/Recipient Borrower: People's Republic of Bangladesh Implementing Agency(ies) Implementing Agency: Ministry of Education Public Disclosure 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): Sabah Moyeen, Mokhlesur Rahman Practice Manager (ENR/Social) Magda Lovei Recommended on 13-Nov-2019 at 04:37:27 EST Safeguards Advisor ESSA Agi Kiss (SAESSA) Cleared on 09-Feb-2020 at 10:19:23 EST Feb 09, 2020 Page 10 of 10