INTEGRATED SAFEGUARDS DATA SHEET APPRAISAL STAGE . Report No.: 121944 Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 7-Dec-2017 I. BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country: Sudan Project ID: P152322 Project Name: Sudan - FCPF REDD Readiness Additional Finance (P152322) Task Team Leader(s): Tracy Hart, Dora Nsuwa Cudjoe Estimated Board Date: N/A Managing Unit: GEN01 Is this project processed under OP 8.50 (Emergency Recovery) or OP 8.00 No (Rapid Response to Crises and Emergencies)? Financing (in USD Million) Total Project Cost: 5.00 Total Bank Financing: 0.00 Financing Gap: 0.00 Financing Source Amount Borrower 0.00 Readiness Fund of the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) 5.00 Total 5.00 Environmental Category B - Partial Assessment Is this a Repeater project? No Is this a Transferred No project? . B. Project Objectives The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to strengthen Sudan’s capacity to design a socially and environmentally sound national Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus (REDD+) strategy. . C. Project Description This project paper details the proposed changes in project activities that will be supported with Additional Financing (AF). The structure and implementation arrangements of the AF activities will remain as planned under the original grant, and are accordingly budgeted into five components that correspond with Sudan’s Readiness Preparation Proposal (R-PP). The breakdown of the AF budget by R-PP component is summarized as follows: 1 Component 1: REDD+ Readiness Management & Institutional Arrangements (US$ 0.79M) The objective of this component is to continue supporting national level coordination and monitoring, and overall management of the REDD+ process. This support builds on structures and arrangements of the existing REDD+ processes involving the National REDD+ Management Unit (“REDD+ Unit”) within the Forest National Corporation (FNC) that assists national REDD+ coordination, supervision and stakeholder participation. Sudan intends to prepare its Readiness Package (R-Package) 1 for submission to the FCPF participants committee by March, 2019. Funding for this component will support the REDD+ Unit with staff and operational cost, information technology (IT) and vehicular connectivity with the state offices and local communities, and upgradation of office facilities This program will hire graduate students from Sudanese universities and support the REDD+ Unit with readiness tasks and assignments. This will facilitate the completion of readiness activities and also give students exposure to the REDD+ readiness process and institutionalize long term understanding and awareness of the REDD+ program for Sudan. Component 2: National REDD+ Strategy (US$ 1.05M) The objective of this component is to continue supporting the development process of the National REDD+ Strategy. The initial design of Sudan’s National REDD+ Strategy will be completed in December 2017. The National REDD+ Strategy is a living document and it is important that the lessons from the ongoing global, national and sub-national REDD+ processes continue to refine and develop the strategy. In support of the ongoing needs to refine and continuously enhance the REDD+ strategy, the AF will support the REDD+ Unit with Technical / Strategic Studies and Workshops for Critical Elements of the REDD+ Strategy covering (1) Forest Landscapes Restoration Assessment & National Restoration Strategy; (2) Mainstreaming REDD+ in National Development Policies & Legislation; (3) Gender Mainstreaming and consultations; (4) Private Sector Engagement in Reforestation Initiatives; (5) Study on Forced Deforestation; and effects of mining on the forest sector ; (6) National REDD+ Pilot Program Designs (for 3 jurisdictions); cross country knowledge sharing and training through South-South exchanges. Funds will enable the REDD+ Unit to hire specialized consultancies. These consultancy assignments include: the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Sudan Environmental Conservation Society (SECS). Component 3: Support for Stakeholder Engagement (US$0.60M) The objective of this component is to ensure that stakeholder engagement is an integral part of the REDD+ process in Sudan. The AF grant will support goods, workshops, training, services, and operational costs for: • R-Package Consultations: Consultations associated with preparation of the R-Package to be delivered to the participant’s committee of the FCPF. • Operationalization of Communications Strategy & REDD+ Awareness Program: This element 1 The Readiness Package (R-Package) is completed at the end of the readiness preparation phase, at a stage when activities proposed in the R-PP are well-advanced or completed. The R-Package consists of a national multi-stakeholder self-assessment by the country, using the Readiness Package Assessment Framework as guidelines. The Readiness Package Assessment Framework was formally endorsed (resolution PC/14/2013/1) by the FCPF Participants Committee (PC) at the 14th PC Meeting, March 19-21, 2013, Washington, DC. 2 will focus on funding the existing communications strategy and REDD+ awareness program that have been established as part of the readiness process. Stakeholder engagement and consultation support has been built into the budgeting of all other activities. All consultations will be well documented and available on the websites of both the client, as well as the World Bank. Component 4: Support for Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (US$2.06M) The FCPF grant will support goods, workshops, training, services, and operational costs to Strengthen Institutionalization of Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) Systems and the National Forest Monitoring System including Greenhouse Gas Inventory (GHGi) & Reporting Process 2 for AFOLU sector. • REDD+ Information Tracking System for REDD+; • GHGi & Reporting process for Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector; • Land Use Planning; • Desertification Monitoring Equipment & Training; • Fire Monitoring Equipment & Training; and • Institutionalization & deployment of MRV at Regional/zonal level. Component 5: National Reference Scenario and Inventory of Forest Resources (US$ 0.50M) The objective of this component is to define the National Reference Scenario / Forest Reference Emissions Level (FREL), most notably by undertaking analysis to better determine forest degradation levels as well as establish and institutionalize the National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS) as approved by the national REDD+ structures. It is expected that FAO, the consultancy currently supporting MRV work in Sudan, will be further engaged to support the Government in the implementation of activities under this component, under a Technical Assistance framework agreement. The project will support submission of the FREL to the UNFCCC. The FCPF grant will support goods, workshops, training, services, and operational costs for: • Development of FREL to ensure methodological alignment with UNFCCC; • Support development of FREL based on national circumstances and in line with UNFCCC guidance; and • Validation of the FREL. D. Project location and salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) The physical setting is not relevant for safeguard analysis as the REDD+ Readiness AF does not involve any capital investment or civil works. There will be no land acquisition or restriction of access under the proposed AF. Project activities are limited to analytical studies, capacity building, and consultation process at national and state levels and setting up environmental and social safeguards system. The REDD+ readiness AF activities are country wide, and its objective is to strengthen Sudan’s capacity to design a socially and environmentally sound national Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus (REDD+) strategy. 2 This will support Sudan in quantifying and justifying its NDC commitments. 3 E. Borrower's Institutional Capacity for Safeguard Policies Sudan has environmental policies, laws and regulations. Furthermore, there are existing legal and regulatory frameworks relating to forest and other sectors that provide good basis for the governance in relation to REDD+. The borrower’s capacity to implement World Bank environment and social safeguards is low. However, under the Readiness Funding safeguards support to the borrower was enhanced by hiring a safeguards specialist in the REDD+ Management Unit. Further, to address the capacity limitation, a Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) Working Group was established that will work closely with the FNC REDD+ Management Unit, the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and the SESA Consultants to mainstream social and environmental issues in the various activities that will be funded under REDD+ Readiness AF and lead the SESA preparation process. Furthermore, the World Bank Team will work closely with the SESA Working Group and the environmental and social specialists in the REDD+ Management Unit. . F. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists on the Team Tamene Tiruneh Matebe (GSP01) Samuel L. Demsash (GSU07) II. SAFEGUARD POLICIES THAT APPLY Seven World Bank, indicated in the Table below were triggered under the original REDD+ Readiness project. The AF will not trigger any new safeguards policies. These safeguards policies were triggered in the context of future support for REDD + activities which may involve civil works and capital investment. The grant will not finance at this stage any concrete investment activities on the ground and is thus not expected to have any direct environmental and social impact on the ground. However, grant financed activities might have indirect impacts since the findings from analytical work carried out under the grant may influence the design of the national REDD+ Strategy. Safeguards considerations of the overall REDD+ Readiness as financed by the main FCPF grant continue to be covered as part of the SESA. The FCPF is using a SESA to integrate key environmental and social considerations into REDD+ Readiness by combining analytical and participatory approaches. The SESA ensures (i) integration of social and environmental considerations into the REDD+ Readiness process, in particular into the REDD+ strategy; (ii) stakeholder participation in identifying and prioritizing key issues; (iii) assessment of policy, institutional and capacity gaps to manage these priorities and recommendations; and (iv) disclosure of findings in the REDD Country’s progress reports on Readiness preparation. The SESA process is financed with the original grant, and it will result in a SESA report, including an Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF), a Process Framework (PF), a Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) and an Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework (IPPF) which will guide the management of environmental and social issues in the implementation of future REDD+ sub-projects. Overall, the project will support establishment of a national environmental and social management system with adequate resources (staffing and operation resources at all levels), preparation of (a) a SESA and ESMF in compliance with OP 4.01, (b) a RPF and PF in compliance with OP 4.12, and (c) an IPPF 4 in compliance with OP 4.10. These safeguards instruments preparation will ensure adequate identification and coverage of the environmental and social risks and impacts. The REDD+ Readiness safeguard instruments will be contextualized and used by the strategic pilot jurisdictional programs that will be prepared as part of the AF. The design and elaboration of the National REDD+ Strategy includes a wide stakeholder consultation process (including local communities and private actors and taking into account gender considerations) which addresses the need of the key safeguards policies triggered. Safeguard Policies Triggered Explanation (Optional) Environmental Assessment OP/BP Yes The Safeguard Policy for Environment 4.01 Assessment is triggered in the context of future support for REDD + activities which may involve civil works and capital investment. An ESMF will be prepared to manage potential E&S impacts of these activities at local level. The SESA to be prepared by the project will serve as a key document providing guidance on addressing E&S issues in the REDD+ Strategy, and the preparation of the ESMF. The SESA will also influence the final national REDD+ strategy, by ensuring that social and environmental risks are factored in the preparation of the strategy. Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 Yes The application of this policy seeks to ensure that all options proposed in the National REDD+ Strategy take into account the conservation of biodiversity, as well as the numerous environmental services and products that natural habitats provide to human society. Overall, REDD+ activities are expected to have significant positive impacts on natural habitats, as the country puts in place an effective strategy to reduce loss of natural forests. The SESA will address issues related to natural habitats and potential impacts of the National REDD+ Strategy, which will later be included in the ESMF. Forests OP/BP 4.36 Yes Overall, REDD+ activities are expected to have significant positive impacts on forest, in that the main goal of the program is to reduce deforestation and forest degradation, while contributing to the well-being of forest-dependent communities. Potential impact of the National REDD+ Strategy on natural forests will be assessed through the SESA and included in the ESMF. The SESA 5 and associated ESMF will reflect the requirements of the Bank’s Operational Policy regarding forest management, in particular as these relate to the establishment of plantations. Pest Management OP 4.09 Yes This policy is triggered in the context of agricultural intensification and reforestation activities which could be part of future REDD+ activities. The ESMF will address critical issues related to pest management, as necessary, and the strategic issues related to pest management will be reflected in the SESA. Furthermore, the project will encourage Integrated Pest Management in future REDD+ activities. Physical Cultural Resources OP/BP Yes REDD+ activities are likely to be 4.11 implemented in areas containing sites deemed physical cultural resources by rural communities living there (e.g. holy/ sacred sites such as sacred groves, sacred forests, etc.). Though it is not anticipated that the project will have negative impacts on any such sites, the SESA will address issues related to physical cultural resources and potential impacts of the National REDD+ Strategy, which will later be included in the ESMF and a specific dedicated framework. Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 Yes This policy is triggered because there may be indigenous people in the areas where future REDD+ activities will be implemented. There will be a process of free, prior, and informed consultation with the affected Indigenous People’s particularly during sub-project preparation. As part of the SESA, a standalone IPPF will be prepared. Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP 4.12 Yes REDD+ activities will trigger Involuntary Resettlement in situations involving involuntary restrictions of access to legally designated parks, protected areas, or forest management/reforestation areas. The policy aims to avoid involuntary resettlement to the extent feasible, or to minimize and mitigate its adverse social and economic impacts in cases where resettlement or other involuntary restrictions cannot be avoided. Through the SESA process, any issues related to land acquisition or involuntary resettlement will be identified, and a RPF will be prepared. In terms of restriction to natural resources, a PF 6 will be prepared as well. Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 No This policy is not triggered because Dams will not be financed under the project which only supports analytical work, institutional strengthening and capacity building that are critical for Sudan’s progress towards Readiness. Projects on International Waterways No Not applicable OP/BP 7.50 Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP No This policy is not triggered because the 7.60 project will not be implemented in any disputed areas. . III. SAFEGUARD PREPARATION PLAN . A. Tentative target date for preparing the PAD Stage ISDS: N/A B. Time frame for launching and completing the safeguard-related studies that may be needed. The specific studies and their timing should be specified in the PAD-stage ISDS. SESA is under preparation. Several frameworks to be prepared as part of SESA will be finalized and reviewed by the Bank (expected mid-2018, during the AF implementation). The SESA preparation is financed with the original grant. The SESA process will run in parallel to the preparation of the REDD+ Strategy to ensure linkages between the two studies that are interdependent. Any social and environmental issues will be reflected in the revised REDD Strategy, and an ESMF, RPF, PF, and IPPF will be prepared as part of the SESA process. IV. APPROVALS Signed and submitted by: Date: Task Team Leader: Tracy Hart, Dora Nsuwa Cudjoe 11/29/2017 Approved by: Regional Safeguards Coordinator: Nathalie Munzberg 12/6/2017 Acting Practice Manager: Abdelaziz Lagnaoui 11/29/2017 Comments: Environment Safeguards Tamene Tiruneh Matebe 11/28/2017 Specialist: Comments: Social Safeguards Specialist: Samuel D. Demsash 11/28/2017 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. 7