The World Bank Enhancing Economic Opportunities for Rural Women (P171760) Appraisal Environmental and Social Review Summary Appraisal Stage (ESRS Appraisal Stage) Public Disclosure Date Prepared/Updated: 04/28/2021 | Report No: ESRSA01374 Apr 28, 2021 Page 1 of 12 The World Bank Enhancing Economic Opportunities for Rural Women (P171760) BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country Region Project ID Parent Project ID (if any) Uzbekistan EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA P171760 Project Name Enhancing Economic Opportunities for Rural Women Practice Area (Lead) Financing Instrument Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Social Sustainability and Investment Project 4/30/2021 Inclusion Financing Borrower(s) Implementing Agency(ies) Government of Ministry of Support to Uzbekistan Mahalla and Family Affairs (MMFA), Ministry of Support to Mahalla and Family Affairs Public Disclosure Proposed Development Objective The project’s development objective is to increase economic opportunities for rural women in the project areas through skills development and improved access to finance and markets. Financing (in USD Million) Amount Total Project Cost 2.73 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] Uzbekistan has accelerated the pace of its market-oriented reforms with a strong focus on building a competitive and liberalized economy and is in the midst of a significant transition from an inward oriented state led economic model to a more open, integrated and export driven economy. The Government of Uzbekistan (GoU) has adopted a five-year development strategy that significantly changes the role of the state in the economy to enable competitive markets, growth of the private sector, modernization of agriculture and investments in human capital. Improvements in Apr 28, 2021 Page 2 of 12 The World Bank Enhancing Economic Opportunities for Rural Women (P171760) financial inclusion, social protection and service delivery are also a focus of the reforms. The Government has recognized the need for new drivers of economic growth, income generation and job creation for long-term sustainability of socio- economic gains. To achieve its ambitious growth objectives, Uzbekistan will need to promote inclusive job growth at a much faster pace and more women and youth will need to join the labor force. The recent diagnostic on growth and job creation suggests that the GDP growth in Uzbekistan for the period of 1996-2016 was largely jobless and was fueled by an increase in productivity across sectors. However, some of these productivity gains were offset by falling employment rates. It is estimated that GDP grew at 12.5 percent less compared to the growth expected had the employment rates stayed constant. The job gap persists, and the latest data suggests that only 1.06 million jobs were added against an estimated need of more than 1.3 million jobs. This needs to be viewed in conjunction with significantly lower female labor force participation rates in Uzbekistan. About 56 percent of the population above 15 years was employed in 2017 (ILO) with a wide gender gap as the employment rate for men was 69 percent and 44 for women. The unemployment rate for women remains unchanged since 2007 at 8 percent which is almost equal to the unemployment rate for men of 8.5 percent[3]. Inactivity among women is more than double that for men at 48 percent for women and 22 percent for men. If female labor force participation in Uzbekistan equaled on average that of OECD countries, an additional 1.03 million women would be contributing to the economy. If parity were achieved with Russia, the figure would increase to 1.6 million. Rural women from low income households are at high risk of economic exclusion. The SCD has recognized that the economic exclusion of women is the largest social exclusion risk. There are structural barriers to women participation in the labor force and rural women from low income segments are particularly vulnerable. Women in the bottom 20 percent wealth quintile have the lowest employment rates amongst all Uzbek women. Only 37 percent of rural women attain education beyond secondary level as opposed to 49 percent of urban women which significantly affects the likelihood of as well as the Public Disclosure sectors of employment. Women with vocational or tertiary education are predominantly employed in public sector jobs with formal wages while women educated up to secondary level or lower work in informal, unregulated, part- time, low paying jobs. Few working-age women participate in the formal labor force. Of those in the labor force, a much higher share is looking for work It is estimated that for rural women from low income families, cotton picking may contribute up to 30 percent of annual income. The ongoing modernization of the cotton sector will put further pressure on income generating opportunities for such women. Rural women in Uzbekistan face multiple barriers to entrepreneurship and employment—from social and cultural norms to access to finance and markets. Gender disparities in Uzbekistan manifest most strongly in women’s positions in the labor force and employment with social stereotypes having a profound impact on women’s access to opportunities and resources. Rural women face several barriers to participation in the job market. These include less education and skills as on average rural women (56 percent) have only a secondary education. Overall 66 percent of women in Uzbekistan with secondary education are inactive. Further constraints include the burden of domestic responsibilities, the bulk of which are shouldered by women; an expectation of being the sole caregiver and breadwinner when men migrate for work; limited availability and access to financial and business resources; low mobility and adoption of ICT; and lack of access to business networks that can mentor budding entrepreneurs. Rural women spend 45.9 percent of their free time on unpaid domestic work, compared to the 16.6 percent of a rural men’s time occupied by such activities. As a result, rural women, especially those in the reproductive age, have limited time for productive economic activities. The large-scale migration from rural areas for work outside the country mostly to Russia and Kazakhstan by men places a heavy burden on female-headed households. Limited access to affordable and high-quality childcare and pre-school services adversely affects women’s participation in the labor force. Currently, 60 percent of all pre-school facilities in Uzbekistan are in urban areas. Half of the population however lives in rural areas, which account for only 30 percent of total pre-school enrollments indicating a higher burden of childcare in rural areas. Fertility rates in rural areas are high, and local traditions encourage families to have many children. As a result, women spend about three times as Apr 28, 2021 Page 3 of 12 The World Bank Enhancing Economic Opportunities for Rural Women (P171760) much time providing care as men. Rural households cannot often afford the fees for these establishments. In December 2016, the GoU approved the Program for Further Improvement of the Preschool Education System from 2017 through 2021. Under the program, GoU is expanding pre-school infrastructure across the country through state- led initiatives as well as public-private partnerships. The initiative presents an opportunity to offer community based affordable and quality childcare services to boost female economic participation. The rural women’s enterprises planned under this project could be both service providers as well as primary beneficiaries of such facilities. A study in Turkey by UN Women in 2018 showed that investments in care could generate 2.5 times more jobs than in construction and 73 percent of these would go to women. The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated the vulnerabilities facing rural communities and women from low-income rural households due to the loss of income from remittances, employment, and other sources; increased domestic care responsibilities; and increased risk of domestic violence. In addition, recent analysis of data from the GoU’s Listening to the Citizens of Uzbekistan (L2CU) project shows that one- fifth of Uzbekistan’s households are headed by women and these female-headed households (FHHs) face additional vulnerabilities. Approximately half of female heads of household report having a disability compared to 30 percent of male-headed households (MHHs). Members of FHHs earn less than MHHs, are less likely to have employed household members, and generally have fewer sources of income than MHHs. FHHs are also more vulnerable to income fluctuations and economic shocks. Therefore, compared to MHHs, FHHs are almost twice as likely to be unable to pay for utilities and are more likely to reduce food consumption to meet basic needs. Although FHHs are slightly more likely than male headed households to report receiving support from GoU/official sources since the start of the pandemic, FHHs are less likely than male headed households to be able to pay for an emergency expense. The innovative design of the project integrates participatory approaches to community outreach and capacity building with the provision of financial and non-financial services that are tailored to the needs of women from low-income Public Disclosure rural households. Working with local institutions and community resource persons, the project will facilitate participatory mobilization of less skilled and educated rural women from low income households into common interest groups and seek to link the women’s common interest groups with existing service providers, such as the Business Women’s Association, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations for entrepreneurship support and employment referral services. Where gaps exist, such as in local market diagnostics and access to non-credit-based financial services, the project will develop a model for providing such services directly. The project will also integrate usage of technology for creating a symbiotic network of women businesses that proactively learns and supports each other. ICT applications will be used to train women entrepreneurs and to monitor enterprise growth and emerging needs. The proposed project is consistent with the newly adjusted Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Uzbekistan and falls under the Focus Area 3: Investments in human capital and will support CPF’s higher level goals to support the growth of private sector and citizen engagement. The project directly addresses the CPF’s objective of gender inclusion to achieve Uzbekistan’s development objectives and focuses on rural women, recognized as highly vulnerable by the CPF. The new project will support development of necessary social infrastructure for entrepreneurship and will benefit several other ongoing bank projects by working on demand-side capacity building. The project is in line with the Bank’s gender engagement strategy that aims at intensifying efforts to provide alternative employment opportunities for rural women engaged in agriculture and supports initiatives that facilitate financing of innovations in micro-business, access to higher-value markets, credit, business support and training services. The project will consist of three components: Component 1: Community engagement, livelihoods group formation, skills development, market assessment, and participatory investment planning. This component will support the participatory community engagement and mobilization of low skilled and low-income rural women into Women's Livelihood Groups (WLGs), initial training and capacity building, orientation of local government institutions and CSOs, market diagnostics, and participatory investment planning. Component 2: Business development support, linkages, and livelihoods group investment grants Component 3: Apr 28, 2021 Page 4 of 12 The World Bank Enhancing Economic Opportunities for Rural Women (P171760) Project Management and Administration, Monitoring and Evaluation and Knowledge Management The project beneficiaries will primarily consist of low skilled, low educated rural women from the regions of Ferghana and Jizzakh. An assessment of secondary data will be carried out to select pilot Mahallas and the criteria may include administrative data on unemployment, number of female-headed households, and others. In addition to 3500 rural women as direct project beneficiaries, the project will indirectly benefit several other stakeholders. The project will also benefit local Mahalla representatives, CSO members, Ministry of Mahalla and Family Affairs members and other institutional stakeholders who will be provided training to build capacity around local economic diagnosis, identification and assessment of high potential enterprises investments. D. Environmental and Social Overview D.1. Detailed project location(s) and salient physical characteristics relevant to the E&S assessment [geographic, environmental, social] Uzbekistan is Central Asia's most populous country and its 31 million people, over one-third of whom are under the age of 14, comprise nearly half the region's total. With a land area of 447,000 km2, about the size of California or Spain, Uzbekistan is the only Central Asian country to border the other four Central Asian States and is one of only two double landlocked countries in the world. It also shares a short border with Afghanistan to the south and Turkmenistan to the south-west. It is 56th largest country in the world and 42nd by population. Republic of Uzbekistan has 13 regions / provinces and the current project will cover two regions: Ferghana and Jizzakh. The Ferghana region is located in the southeast of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the southern part of the Ferghana Valley. It borders with Tajikistan from the north-west, with Kyrgyzstan from the south. Main sources of surface water for the Ferghana Valley are the Naryn and Karadarya rivers, that form the Syrdarya river. This renders Ferghana Valley apt for Public Disclosure agriculture. Jizaakh region is located in the central part of Uzbekistan between the Syrdarya and Zarafshan rivers with some large reservoirs and lakes. Wildlife in Jizaakh is extremely rich; in spring and in summer, alpine meadows are with a multitude of colors: bright-red tulips and snow-white acacias. In autumn the hills are magnificently decorated with the gold-colored domes of the hazelnut trees, columns of birch-trees, towering plane trees, and green thickets. High in the mountains, in the upper part of the Garalashsay gorge, is a nesting-place of black storks. These rare birds are the pride and joy of Uzbekistan. They are written down in the "Redbooks" in many countries as an endangered species. Early in the spring when the Amasay depression is flooded, flocks of ducks, wild geese, pelicans and grey herons are found here. This territory serves as a nesting place for rose-coloured starlings, shrikes, and sandpipers. 3.752 million people live in the Ferghana region, 43% of them in rural areas. Jizaakh has 1.382 million people and 53% of them rural. The main sectors of agriculture in both the regions are grains, cotton, horticulture and viticulture, meat and dairy farming, poultry farming, and sericulture. The primary industries are electric power, machine building, building materials, fuel, (oil and gas), chemical, petrochemical, light and food industries. The main sectors of agriculture in the province are cotton growing, grain growing, vegetable growing, horticulture and viticulture, and meat and dairy farming. Traditionally, main pillars of the economy are agriculture and remittances. However, the COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated the vulnerabilities facing rural communities and women from low-income rural households due to the loss of income from remittances, employment, and sources; increased domestic care responsibilities; and increased risk of domestic violence. To support families and individuals in need during COVID, Government introduced so called “temir daftar” (iron notebook) to form lists of low-income households, families and individuals. Accordingly, the Apr 28, 2021 Page 5 of 12 The World Bank Enhancing Economic Opportunities for Rural Women (P171760) following categories are being assisted: low income families, disabled, elderly & those in need of social protection, constantly unemployed, job loss due to quarantine etc. This project focuses on one such category – women, in general, and In particular poor and vulnerable such as female headed households. D. 2. Borrower’s Institutional Capacity The proposed Implementing Agency is the Ministry of Mahalla and Family Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan (The Mahalla Ministry). The Mahalla Ministry was formed in February 2020, by the Resolutions of the President of Uzbekistan No 5938 and No 4602. The Mahalla Ministry is represented by National Office (99 staff) based in Tashkent city, regional offices (336 staff) and district offices (1624 staff). Research- scientific Institute “Mahalla va Oyla”, Prosperous and Safe Mahalla Fund, Fund for support women and families, regional centers for women entrepreneurship are also based in the structure of Mahalla Ministry. The First Deputy Minister coordinates activities to support women including raising their role in social-political life of the country, facilitating women’s entrepreneurship as well as providing social assistance to poor women and families. The Mahalla Ministry is an authorized government body for the development and implementation of a unified state policy in the field of supporting families, women and the elderly, protecting their rights and legitimate interests, as well as establishing cooperation with citizens' self-government bodies. The new Ministry also integrated the leadership, majority of staff and resources of the Women's Committee that operated in Uzbekistan since 1991 and was one of the biggest non-governmental organizations supporting rights and interests of women. The Women's Committee had played an important role in supporting women in employment, trainings, entrepreneurship activities Public Disclosure with resources from various state funds and donor support. The Women’s Committee also supported women and families in vulnerable situations, women with disabilities. The Women’s Committee has collaborated with UNDP, UNICEF, EU and several international NGOs including ACTED, Ebert Foundation. However, this will be the first time the Committee will be associated with a World Bank Assisted project. The institutional capacity of the Mahalla Ministry to perform environmental and social due diligence as per the Bank’s new ESF is expected to be limited and hence require supplementation. A Project Coordination Unit (PCU) will be placed in the Mahalla Ministry under the coordination and oversight of the First Deputy Minister, and will be responsible for fiduciary oversight of the grant, including environmental and social standards due diligence and reporting, and will assign and/or hire the staff required to fulfill these functions. The Mahalla Ministry will appoint a dedicated Environmental Specialist to ensure central oversight over environmental due diligence and a dedicated Social Specialist with extensive community outreach and engagement skills. The Department for Strengthening Family Values coordinates the work related to women’s entrepreneurship, and will be leading the PCU’s work in collaboration with Financial Department of the Ministry. The PCU will involve regional and district Departments of Ministry as well as contract NGOs and/or private firms for various tasks related to project implementation. The PCU will be financed under component 3: Project management, M&E, Knowledge dissemination of the grant. Apr 28, 2021 Page 6 of 12 The World Bank Enhancing Economic Opportunities for Rural Women (P171760) II. SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL (ES) RISKS AND IMPACTS A. Environmental and Social Risk Classification (ESRC) Moderate Environmental Risk Rating Moderate Environmental risk rating is assessed to be moderate. Potential adverse risks and impacts on human population and the environment are not expected to be significant. It's a relatively small grant project that will be implemented in 2 regions of Uzbekistan. Micro-entrepreneurship support financed activities under Component 2, Subcomponent 2a might lead to increased environmental pollution with wastes, dust, noise, air pollution, health hazards and labor safety issues, during installation and operation of new equipment purchased with grant funds. These risks will have diverse sources, but expected to be small-scale, site-specific, predictable, and controlled if appropriate precautionary measures are taken and monitoring is performed. Activities with substantial and high risk will not be eligible for financing under the project. Activities described in Project Concept Note may be further modified during preparation stage and discussion with project counterparts. If significant changes occur, proportionate risk re- assessment will take place during appraisal stage. Social Risk Rating Moderate Social risk rating is moderate. The only adverse impact / risk expected relates to : inclusion/ exclusion. However much effort will go into elaborating the eligibility conditions and due attention accorded in administering the same during implementation, as it is likely that some individuals/ households may feel excluded. Further, as revealed by WB assisted GoU’s Listening to the Citizens of Uzbekistan (L2CU), female-headed households, which constitute 20 Public Disclosure percent of all households in the country face a range of vulnerabilities relative to male-headed households, and are highly vulnerable to income shocks and economic shocks. The data also show that women more broadly face constraints in accessing labor market opportunities. Their participation in the rural labor market is mostly informal, unregulated, and part time. Few working-age women participate in the formal labor force. Of those in the labor force, a much higher share is looking for work. Lastly, the issue of exclusion gets compounded largely due to paucity of funds to support them. This issue of ‘exclusion’ can be mitigated by putting in institutional measures in the selection of beneficiaries. Rather than relying solely on MCA executive committees to identify women from low- income households, a mitigation measure will include the deployment of Community Mobilizers (CMs) tasked with community outreach and identification of women from low-income households using criteria established by the project to specifically focus on inclusion of vulnerable groups and women from the very poor households. In addition, stakeholder engagement, which includes transparency in the dissemination of project rules, and community-level discussions on project objectives and rules, will be implemented throughout the project implementation period. The project may have some land based activities, as identified by woman/ women, but, they are expected to be of small scale and highly localized, without the need to resort to ‘involuntary resettlement’. The project includes measures for addressing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse/Sexual Harassment (SEA/SH) risks, though they are not expected to be significant. Given these conditions, social risk is rated Moderate. 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 28, 2021 Page 7 of 12 The World Bank Enhancing Economic Opportunities for Rural Women (P171760) Overview of the relevance of the Standard for the Project: ESS1 is relevant. In addition, the project recognizes the following standards: ESS 2, ESS3, ESS4 and ESS10. The project aims to increase economic and market opportunities for women from low-income households in rural areas of Ferghana and Jizzakh regions. Specifically, activities will deliver community outreach and mobilization, livelihoods group formation, enterprise support, enhanced market knowledge sharing, skills development, trainings, etc. Simultaneously, micro-entrepreneurship support grants (Subcomponent 2a) will support various micro and small-scale women-led businesses such as poultry farming, backyard farming, handicrafts production, food processing, horticulture, apiculture, childcare, wellness or tourism services and others identified by women during project implementation. As a result, this is expected to result in huge positive social benefits. However, apart from exclusion related risks, some minor adverse environmental and social disturbances could occur : increased environmental pollution from wastes, dust, noise, air pollution, health hazards and OHS issues, during installation and operation of new equipment are expected from these grant-funded activities, but they are likely not to be significant. Impacts are expected to be small-scale, site-specific, predictable, and controlled if appropriate precautionary measures are taken. The grants will not finance civil works. Considering that these grants will range from only $5,000-$15,000 per business and limited total funds for the grant’s component, environmental risks and impacts would be managed through an abbreviated framework document on environmental and OHS management which will contain summary of relevant national legislation, relevant ESSs, environmental screening templates, ESMP checklist and other templates. World Bank ESF requirements will be integrated with the required local environmental documentation as appropriate to type and scale of funded activity. Combined, these environmental due-diligence and management tools will have covered the requirements set forth in the World Bank Public Disclosure Environmental and Social Framework and Uzbekistan national legislation on environmental impact assessment. Inclusion/ Exclusion will be addressed by developing, and adhering strictly to, eligibility criteria in the selection of the beneficiaries. Eligibility criteria as well as implementation mechanisms shall form a part of the overall project designing and made explicit in the POM. Further a labor management procedure (LMP) shall be developed as a part of the POM to ensure compliance with ESS 2. Environmental management procedure will also be spelled out in the POM and adhered to by the PCU. The PCU will train the future grantees on the use of appropriate environmental and OHS management instruments. ESS10 Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure The project recognizes the need for an effective and inclusive engagement with all of the relevant stakeholders. Meaningful consultations and disclosure of appropriate information assume huge significance to ensure that the development, and functioning of the system, proceeds such as to accomplish the larger development objectives. However, given the COVID-19 situation, it may not be possible to hold large face to face engagements and so reaching throughout the country-- especially the stakeholders in the rural areas -- will be a serious challenge to the project. In this backdrop, the project has prepared a SEP which serves the following purposes: (i) stakeholder identification and analysis; (ii) planning engagement modalities viz., effective communication tool for consultations and disclosure especially while a large gathering of people is not safe due to COVID-19 related risks; and (iii) enabling platforms for influencing decisions; (iv) defining roles and responsibilities of different actors in implementing the Plan; and (iv) a grievance mechanism (GM) for project activities, as well as outlining the broader communications the project will support as part of project design. A draft SEP has been prepared and implemented using tools that Apr 28, 2021 Page 8 of 12 The World Bank Enhancing Economic Opportunities for Rural Women (P171760) minimize COVID risks, such as emails, forms, phone calls, etc. The same will be updated over time, as required, and based on the results of the stakeholder engagement. 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 shall be carried out in accordance with the applicable requirements of ESS 2, in a manner acceptable to the World Bank, including through, inter alia, setting out requirements for employment and working conditions, implementing adequate occupational health and safety measures (including emergency preparedness and response measures), promoting equal opportunities for work, addressing SEA/SH risks, setting out grievance arrangements for project workers and incorporating labor requirements into the ESHS specifications. These measures will be documented in labor management procedures (LMP) that will be included in the POM. The Project is expected to encompass the following categories of workers: direct workers, contracted workers, and community workers. These apart, there could be government civil servants deployed by the borrower who will be governed by a set of civil services code. Direct workers will be those deployed as ‘technical consultants’ directly by the borrower as well as people engaged by the implementing agencies to work specifically in relation to the project. Direct workers will be enlisted through mutually agreed contracts. Contract workers could include contractors, sub- contractors, brokers, agents or intermediaries. Community workers will be family members helping grant recipients Public Disclosure in minor home-based works. No civil works are envisaged as the activities are expected to be individual/ multi household based activities in the rural areas with no need to resort to acquire lands. The LMP (as part of POM) will include measures to ensure their labor and working conditions are consistent with the ESS 2. And contract workers will be employed as deemed appropriate by contractors, sub-contractors, and other intermediaries, details of which will be known as and when activities' implementation begins. The risk of child/ forced labor is considered to be low. The abbreviated framework document on environmental and OHS management will include sections on Environment Health and Safety (EHS) based on the World Bank Group EHS Guidelines (EHS checklists for expected types of works, codes of conduct; safety training, procedures for dealing with and disposing of hazardous materials, from any minor rehabilitation financed, like asbestos and lead based paint, construction noise and dust, pesticide management for nurseries, etc.). The Bank’s screening indicates that Sexual Exploitation and Abuse/Sexual Harrassment (SEA/SH) risks are low in the project, given existing measures and women’s extensive involvement in project design and implementation. However, all project workers will be expected to adhere to standard Codes of Conduct that address measures to prevent Sexual Exploitation and Abuse/Sexual Harassment (SEA/SH). In light of the risks due to COVID-19, the Bank’s “ESF/Safeguards Interim Note: COVID-19 Considerations in Construction/Civil Works Projects” will be applied. Apr 28, 2021 Page 9 of 12 The World Bank Enhancing Economic Opportunities for Rural Women (P171760) ESS3 Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management ESS 3 is relevant. Under the micro-entrepreneurship grants component, small and medium rural businesses will purchase equipment and materials to support and develop their activities, in a variety of sectors, such as small-scale livestock/poultry farming, backyard farming, bakeries, handicrafts production, food processing, horticulture, apiculture, childcare wellness or tourism services. These activities are expected to generated small-scale, predictable pollution impacts such as solid and liquid wastes, packaging waste, dust, steam, noise and odour. Environmental Management Plan templated integrated within the national environmental impact assessment documentation, prepared following the harmonized requirements of national legislation and ESSs, will identify common risks and impacts and propose common mitigation measures, such as contracting appropriate waste removal services, respecting the boundaries of production areas, not allowing spillover of wastes, respecting noise limits, etc. ESS4 Community Health and Safety ESS4 is relevant. Project activities may increase communities exposure to specific risks and impacts, as the micro grants component will support diverse activities such as, for example, small-scale livestock/poultry farming activities which may pose dangers of spread of diseases and nuisance such as odors to nearby communities. To address related risks and impacts that might affect community Health and Safety, the ESMP checklist template will include efficient waste management guidelines to prevent inadvertent spread of animal diseases along with training requirements in this regard. Impacts and mitigation measures from pesticides use in agricultural activities will be addressed in ESMP Public Disclosure checklists as well, along with local environmental documentation. Given the COVID situation, a checklist and guidance note will be prepared (as a part of the LMP/POM) for governing the conduct of all workers to ensure health and safety of the workers and community. Given the scale of supported activities, external labor influx into the project communities is highly unlikely, as most families prefer to engage household members and local work force for their personal businesses. The project will not support any large-scale infrastructure, is not expected to endanger road safety and is not expected to lead to emergency situations or use of security. ESS5 Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement Since civil construction activities are, at the best, envisaged to be restricted to repair and/ or installation of goods and equipment only, no acquisition of land is expected. Nor will there be any restrictions on land use and accesses. Hence, ESS 5 is not relevant. ESS6 Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources ESS 6 is not relevant. ESS7 Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities Apr 28, 2021 Page 10 of 12 The World Bank Enhancing Economic Opportunities for Rural Women (P171760) ESS 7 is not relevant. ESS8 Cultural Heritage ESS8 is not relevant. ESS9 Financial Intermediaries ESS 9 is not relevant as Financial Intermediaries will not be involved. C. Legal Operational Policies that Apply OP 7.50 Projects on International Waterways No OP 7.60 Projects in Disputed Areas No B.3. Reliance on Borrower’s policy, legal and institutional framework, relevant to the Project risks and impacts Is this project being prepared for use of Borrower Framework? No Public Disclosure Areas where “Use of Borrower Framework” is being considered: The project will not use the Borrower Framework. IV. CONTACT POINTS World Bank Contact: Robert Wrobel Title: Senior Social Development Specialist Telephone No: +1-202-458-5103 Email: rwrobel@worldbank.org Contact: Melissa Brown Title: Senior Agriculture Economist Telephone No: +1-202-473-7452 Email: mbrown1@worldbank.org Borrower/Client/Recipient Borrower: Government of Uzbekistan Implementing Agency(ies) Apr 28, 2021 Page 11 of 12 The World Bank Enhancing Economic Opportunities for Rural Women (P171760) Implementing Agency: Ministry of Support to Mahalla and Family Affairs (MMFA) Implementing Agency: Ministry of Support to Mahalla and Family Affairs 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): Melissa Brown, Robert Wrobel Practice Manager (ENR/Social) Varalakshmi Vemuru Cleared on 24-Mar-2021 at 06:57:45 GMT-04:00 Public Disclosure Apr 28, 2021 Page 12 of 12