INTEGRATED SAFEGUARDS DATA SHEET CONCEPT STAGE Public Disclosure Copy Report No.: ISDSC2321 Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 25-Mar-2013 Date ISDS Approved/Disclosed: 27-Mar-2013 I. BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country: Africa Project ID: P125018 Project Name: West Africa Regional Disease Surveillance Capacity Development (P125018) Task Team Enias Baganizi Leader: Estimated 16-Apr-2013 Estimated 20-May-2013 Appraisal Date: Board Date: Managing Unit: AFTHW Lending Specific Investment Loan Instrument: Sector(s): Health (100%) Theme(s): Health system performance (100%) Financing (In USD Million) Total Project Cost: 10.75 Total Bank Financing: 0.00 Total Cofinancing: Financing Gap: 0.00 Public Disclosure Copy Financing Source Amount Borrower 0.75 Africa Catalytic Growth Fund (ACGF) 10.00 Total 10.75 Environmental C - Not Required Category: Is this a No Repeater project? B. Project Objectives The project development objective is to strengthen the capacity of WAHO and WHO to design a regional disease surveillance and response system for ECOWAS. C. Project Description The project will have two components: Component 1 (Regional Capacity Development) will support regional capacity development for technical and political leadership in multi-disease surveillance and response. This involves enhancing the institutional capacity of WAHO and supporting discrete activities and technical support functions of WHO-AFRO. The projec t will provide assistance in three main areas: (i) Public Disclosure Copy framework and costed operational strategy formulation; (ii) health information management strengthening; and (iii) resource mobilization. The specific objectives of Component 1 are: Framework and Operational Strategy Formulation • Establishment of frameworks for the expansion of inter-country/cross-border collaboration, partnership, donor coordination, cooperation, information/knowledge sharing, and specimen management with international networks and partners (Article 21 of IHR 2005 and WAHO Strategic Objective No 2) (WAHO/WHO-AFRO); • Preparation of a costed operational strategy endorsed by the 15 countries; • IHR core capacity country assessments and spatial mapping of laboratory and diagnostic capacity in the 15 member states of ECOWAS (WAHO/WHO-AFRO); • Support for the adaptation of the WHO accreditation process for quality assurance, laboratory procedures and specimen management (WHO-AFRO); • Revision of national strategies and plans in line with WHO's Technical Guidance for Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response in the African Region (WHO-AF RO);and • Identification and evaluation of potential centers of excellence to serve as hubs for diagnostic reference, training and technical assistance at the regional level for selected priority diseases such as malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS, onchocercias is, and epidemic prone diseases (WAHO/WHO-AFRO). Health Information Management Strengthening Public Disclosure Copy • Strengthening the capacity of WAHO and the WHO-AFRO to coordinate disease surveillance and response (WAHO strategic objective #9) through operational research and improved ICT capacity, building on WAHO's Integrated Health Information Management System (WAHO/ WHO-AFRO). Resource Mobilization Strategy • Estimation of resource requirements for the upgrading and expansion of facilities and services, including the IHIMS, operations research, which will contribute to the costed operational strategy (WAHO). Component 2 (Strengthening Human Resources) will support specialized training in disease surveillance and response in collaboration with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), WHO and USAID. The project will expand ECOWAS member state access to two types of applied epidemiology training programs: the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) and the Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (FELTP). The FELTP contains all the components of an FETP, but it also trains select laboratory scientists using a competency-based curriculum that supports laboratory-based surveillance and outbreak response. The programs allow MOHs to strengthen their disease surveillance, outbreak response, and program evaluation. They are modeled after the Epidemic Intelligence Service training of the CDC. The specific objective of Component 2 is: Public Disclosure Copy • Strengthening human resources for improved national integrated disease surveillance and response capacity through the introduction/strengthening of field epidemiology and laboratory training programs (FELTP), guidance, technical assistance and quality assurance. Training can be provided through in-service short courses in particular skills areas for field-based staff and through a two-year full-time training and service program for Ministry of Health employees who have medical or scientific training. Residents spend about 25% of their time taking courses and 75% performing duties in the field. This combination of classroom-based instruction and mentored practical work allows residents to receive hands-on multi-disciplinary training in public health surveillance, outbreak investigation, field laboratory management, program evaluation, and other aspects of epidemiologic research and methods. At present the first cohort of 12 Residents from 4 West African countries is being trained and there are approximately 100 graduates of FETP and FELTP short courses in the sub-region. The project will build on this achievement and provide funding for both short term and long term training. D. Project location and salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) Project activities, including trainings, will take place in Burkina Faso, where WAHO and the WHO- IST are located. E. Borrowers Institutional Capacity for Safeguard Policies N/A F. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists on the Team Svetlana Khvostova (AFTSG) Public Disclosure Copy II. SAFEGUARD POLICIES THAT MIGHT APPLY Safeguard Policies Triggered? Explanation (Optional) Environmental Assessment OP/ No Project activities will not include any BP 4.01 construction or procurement of equipment or medical supplies (drugs, vaccines, reagents). The project will have no adverse environmental or social impacts. No safeguards policies are triggered. Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 No Forests OP/BP 4.36 No Pest Management OP 4.09 No Physical Cultural Resources OP/ No BP 4.11 Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 No Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP No 4.12 Public Disclosure Copy Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 No Projects on International No Waterways OP/BP 7.50 Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP No 7.60 III. SAFEGUARD PREPARATION PLAN A. Tentative target date for preparing the PAD Stage ISDS: 25-Mar-2013 B. Time frame for launching and completing the safeguard-related studies that may be needed. The specific studies and their timing1 should be specified in the PAD-stage ISDS: N/A IV. APPROVALS Task Team Leader: Name: Enias Baganizi Approved By: Regional Safeguards Name: Cary Anne Cadman (RSA) Date: 27-Mar-2013 Coordinator: Sector Manager: Name: Trina S. Haque (SM) Date: 25-Mar-2013 Public Disclosure Copy 1 Reminder: The Bank's Disclosure Policy requires that safeguard-related documents be disclosed before appraisal (i) at the InfoShop and (ii) in country, at publicly accessible locations and in a form and language that are accessible to potentially affected persons.