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PROJECT INFORMATION DOCUMENT (PID)	
CONCEPT STAGE	
Report No.: 	84455	
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Project Name	Prevention and Mitigation of  SGBV in North and South Kivu, DRC	
Region	Africa	
Country	Democratic republic of Congo	
Sector(s)	Health	
Theme(s)	Conflict Prevention and Post Conflict Reconstruction, Gender	
Lending Instrument	IPF	
Project ID	P150651	
Recipient / Implementing Agency	International Rescue Committee	
Environmental Category	C	
Date PID Prepared/Updated	April 16, 2014	
Estimated Date of Appraisal Completion	N/A	
Estimated Date of Board Approval	N/A	
Concept Review Decision	April 30, 2014	
Other Decision (as needed)		
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I. Introduction and Context	
	Country Context	
	Gender inequalities are profound in DRC which ranks 148 of 157 countries in the Gender-Related Development Index. The high gender inequality, identified as one of the factors of war-time sexual and gender based violence, mirrors the existing challenges for women, including high maternal mortality, limited empowerment, and unequal access to economic opportunities. Renewed fighting in the context of the arrival of the UN intervention brigade based on UNSC resolution 2098 in eastern DRC again highlighted the brutality of violence being carried out against populations. There is also growing concern among the international community that sexual and gender based violence once associated primarily with fighting forces has metastasized into a wider social phenomenon.”

Reports in the press, peer-reviewed publications, multinational, and nongovernmental organizations converge on the understanding that the number of rape victims in DRC is very high. According to the 2010 Demographic and Health Survey, over 50 percent of women have experienced physical violence in DRC, and 32 percent have experienced sexual violence committed by their partner over the last 12 months. Recent research emphasizes the fact that both men and women are affected by SGBV. Data gathered by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) reveals the continuous increase of reported cases affecting minors in South Kivu, who represented 8 percent of reported cases between August and October 2010, 11 percent between August and October 2011, and 17 percent of reported cases between January and March 2012.

SGBV has devastating effects on physical and mental health. Survivors often lack access to basic health services that address the physical and mental consequences of violence and displacement, as emergencies cause a reduction in the number of qualified personnel, and disruption in medicines, diagnostic tests, and public services. Beyond the physical and psychological damage to individuals, gender violence also carries important social and economic costs.  The overall climate of fear impedes participation in economic, social and political life with survivors often facing stigma and rejection by spouses, families and communities. These factors undermine trust at all levels of society, and adversely affect social cohesion.   	
	Sectoral and Institutional Context	
	The project supports the Government’s strategy to address SGBV and gender inequality. Articles 14 and 15 of the 2006 Constitution affirm the equal rights of men and women and a law passed on July 20, 2006 criminalizes rape, sexual slavery, sexual harassment and forced pregnancy. Implementation of the law has however been challenging. A revised Family Code is pending approval in Parliament, which addresses several current constraints for gender equality, including for example removing the need for a married woman to have her husband's permission to sign a contract, take out a loan, open a bank account, register land or a business or go to court. The new Family Code also raises the minimum age of marriage for girls from 15 to 18. In addition, in 2009, the Ministry of Gender, Family and Children (MoGFC) adopted a national strategy to combat SGBV against women and girls. 

The project is also aligned with the goals and strategies of donors to prevent and mitigate the impact of SGBV in eastern DRC. The project supports the recently revised International Security and Stabilization Support Strategy (ISSSS or ‘I4S’), the international community’s main support strategy for the government’s stabilization plan (STAREC). The project will link closely to the I4S’s fifth pillar on the Fight against Sexual Violence. 

The present project will complement other planned WB interventions in eastern DRC and on addressing SGBV: (i) Great Lakes Women’s Health and Empowerment Project. The proposed project has been designed in close collaboration with the Task Team of the Great Lakes Women’s Health and Empowerment Project with the purpose of piloting and evaluating innovative approaches to prevent SGBV and provide tailored services to SGBV survivors. Findings from implementation of pilots such as: (i) provision of targeted services to children and men survivors, and (ii) prevention activities through sensitization activities, including Engaging Men in Accountable Practices (EMAP), will inform the Great Lakes Women’s Health and Empowerment Project. The EMAP pilot will in particular be assessed through an impact evaluation.; (ii) Strategic Initiative on Sexual and Gender Based Violence. The proposed project in DRC is the cornerstone of the Cross-regional Strategic Initiative on Sexual and Gender Based Violence that includes four other projects in addition to DRC, including PNG, Georgia, and an additional project in Latin America, among others. 	
	Relationship to CAS	
	The 2013-2016 DRC Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) identifies gender as a cross-cutting issue for all four strategic objectives, and points out the need to address gender issues in particular in conflict areas where women and men are negatively affected in different ways. In addition, the project would contribute to the CAS goal of addressing the development deficits contributing to fragility and conflict in eastern provinces by expanding access to economic empowerment opportunities for vulnerable groups. Working through CBOs will also be instrumental in building social cohesion and reducing stigma and discrimination against survivors of SGBV. 

The World Bank Regional Initiative for Peace, Stability, and Economic Development in the Great Lakes also emphasizes the importance of addressing SGBV in particular by responding to the needs of both women and men survivors through operations, including building upon the successful Addressing Gender Based Violence in South Kivu Project. In particular, the Regional Initiative for Peace, Stability, and Economic Development in the Great Lakes identifies the following priorities: (i) responding to the needs of survivors including physical and mental health, legal, economic empowerment, community development and prevention, (ii) addressing both female and male issues, including focusing on the various roles that men and boys play (as perpetrators, witnesses, and survivors), and (iii) developing operational knowledge, building on ongoing experience, and developing South-South learning. During the historical joint World Bank-United Nations May 2013 visit to the Great Lakes region in Africa, the World Bank President reiterated the importance of supporting survivors of SGBV. In July 2013, the World Bank participated in a regional conference on women, peace, and security organized by the UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region. Both organizations, along with numerous women leaders from the region, reiterated their commitment to work towards addressing SGBV.	
	
II. Proposed Development Objective(s) (Display Only - Pulled from PCN)	
	Proposed Development Objective(s) (From PCN)	
	The Project Development Objective is to achieve improved provision of services that promote treatment and prevention of SGBV in North and South Kivu.	
	Key Results (From PCN)	
	Proposed PDO indicators are: 
(i)	Community members who attended prevention/community education sessions (number)
(ii)	Survivors who received at least one service (number and percentage of reported cases – women, men, and children)
(iii)	CBOs working to promote the rights of women and girls (number)
(iv)	Local service providers evaluated (number and percentage of registered local service providers)
	
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III. Preliminary Description	
     Concept Description	
(v)		The DRC Prevention and Mitigation of SGBV in North and South Kivu Project will build upon lessons learnt from the previous project (Adressing GBV in South Kivu, 2010-2012) and will pilot innovative approaches that will inform the Great Lakes Women’s Health and Empowerment Project. The proposed project will focus on: (i) piloting innovative support to address the needs of children and adolescent survivors, (ii) piloting activities designed to target both men and women, empower men as agents of change (Engaging Men through Accountable Practice), and take the needs of men survivors into account, and (iii) contributing to increasing the capacity of local NGOs and CBOs intervening in the field of SGBV in North and South Kivu, and (iv) empowering Provincial authorities to monitor the quality of services, with a view of setting the grounds for a future accreditation mechanism.	
	
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IV. Safeguard Policies that Might Apply	
	Safeguard Policies Triggered by the Project	Yes	No	TBD	
	Environmental Assessment OP/BP 4.01		X		
	Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04		X		
	Forests OP/BP 4.36		X		
	Pest Management OP 4.09		X		
	Physical Cultural Resources OP/BP 4.11		X		
	Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10	X			
	Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP 4.12		X		
	Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37		X		
	Projects on International Waterways OP/BP 7.50		X		
	Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP 7.60		X		
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V. Financing (in USD Million)	
	Total Project Cost:	4	Total Bank Financing:	4	
	Total Cofinancing:	0	Financing Gap:	0	
	Financing Source	Amount	
	BORROWER/RECIPIENT	0	
	State and Peace Building Fund	4	
	Total	4	
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VI. Contact point	
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	World Bank	
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	Contact:	Natacha Lemasle	
	Title: 	Social Development Specialist	
	Tel:	202 473 5407	
	Email:	nlemasle@worldbank.org	
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	Recipient/Implementing Agency	
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	Name:	International Rescue Committee	
	Contact:	Monika Bakayoko-Topolska	
	Title: 	Director of Women's Protection & Empowerment Programs	
	Tel:	+243 995 200 058	
	Email:	Monika.Topolska@rescue.org	
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VII. For more information contact:	
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	The InfoShop	
	The World Bank	
	1818 H Street, NW	
	Washington, D.C. 20433	
	Telephone: (202) 458-4500	
	Fax: (202) 522-1500	
	Web: http://www.worldbank.org/infoshop