Document of The World Bank FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Report No: 79648-AFR PROJECT APPRAISAL DOCUMENT FOR A PROPOSED GRANT FROM THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY TRUST FUND IN THE AMOUNT OF US$4,629,630 CONSISTING OF US$2,002,305 TO THE INTERSTATE COMMITTEE FOR DROUGHT CONTROL IN THE SAHEL (CILSS), US$1,799,500 TO THE SAHARA AND SAHEL OBSERVATORY (OSS), AND US$827,825 TO THE INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE (IUCN) FOR A BUILDING RESILIENCE THROUGH INNOVATION, COMMUNICATION AND KNOWLEDGE SERVICES (BRICKS) PROJECT UNDER THE SAHEL AND WEST AFRICA PROGRAM IN SUPPORT OF THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE AUGUST 9, 2013 This document has a restricted distribution and may be used by recipients only in the performance of their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without World Bank authorization. CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS Currency Unit = US$ ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ACMAD African Centre for Meteorological Applications for Development AGRHYMET Agro-Hydro-Meteorological Center (of the CILSS) ASARECA Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa AU African Union AUC African Union Commission BRICKS Building Resilience through Innovation, Communication and Knowledge Services project CAADP Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program CAS Country Assistance Strategy CBO Community-based organization CEN-SAD Community of Sahel and Saharan States CIFE Circuit Integré des Financements Exterieurs CFIP Community and Private Forest Investment Project CGIAR Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research CIRAD French Agricultural Research Center CILSS Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel COMIFAC Central African Forests Commission CAADP Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program CORAF West Africa Council for Agricultural Research and Development CSIF Country SLM Investment Framework DA Designated Account DRM Disaster Risk Management EAAPP East Africa Agricultural Productivity Program EC European Commission ECCAS Economic Community of Central African States ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN FERSOL Programme de Capitalisation des Actions d'amélioration Durable de la Fertilité des Sols pour l’aide à la Décision au Burkina Faso FM Financial Management GEF Global Environment Facility GEO Global Environment Objective GGWI Great Green Wall Initiative GHG Greenhouse Gas Emissions GM-UNCCD Global Mechanism of the UNCCD ICRAF International Council for Research in Agroforestry IDA International Development Association IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development IGAD Intergovernmental Authority on Development i IITA International Institute of Tropical Agriculture INSA Sahel Institute (of the CILSS) IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature LADA Land Degradation Assessment LDCF Least Developed Country Fund MRV Measurement Reporting and Verification NBSAP National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan NEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s Development NEWMAP Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project NGO Nongovernmental organization NPCA NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency NRM Natural Resources Management NTFPs Non-Timber Forest Products OHADA Organisation pour l’Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires OSS Sahara and Sahel Observatory PAD Project Appraisal Document PES Payment for environmental services PIM Project Implementation Manual PIU Project Implementation Unit PDO Project Development Objective RECs Regional Economic Communities REDD Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation RIAS Regional Integration Assistance Strategy SAWAP Sahel and West Africa Program in support of the GGWI SIP Strategic Investment Program SCCF Special Climate Change Fund UNCBD United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity UNCCD United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNEP United Nations Environment Programme USD United States Dollar WAAPP West Africa Agriculture Productivity Project WMO World Meteorological Organization WOCAT World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies WRCC Water Resources Coordination Center (at ECOWAS) Regional Vice President: Makhtar Diop Country Director: Colin Bruce Sector Director: Jamal Saghir Sector Manager: Magda Lovei Task Team Leaders: Stephen Danyo / Emmanuel Nikiema ii Table of Contents I. Strategic Context .............................................................................................................. 1 A. Regional Context .............................................................................................................. 1 B. Sectoral and Institutional Context .................................................................................... 4 C. Higher Level Objectives to which the Project Contributes .............................................. 6 II. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE (PDO) ........................................................ 7 A. PDO .................................................................................................................................. 7 B. Project Beneficiaries ........................................................................................................ 8 C. PDO Level Results Indicators .......................................................................................... 8 III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION.............................................................................................. 8 A. Project Financing............................................................................................................ 10 B. Lessons Learned and Reflected in the Project Design ................................................... 11 IV. IMPLEMENTATION .................................................................................................... 13 A. Institutional and Implementation Arrangements ............................................................ 13 B. Results Monitoring and Evaluation ................................................................................ 14 C. Sustainability .................................................................................................................. 15 V. KEY RISKS AND MITIGATION MEASURES .......................................................... 16 VI. APPRAISAL SUMMARY ............................................................................................ 18 A. Economic Effectiveness ................................................................................................. 18 B. Technical ........................................................................................................................ 18 C. Financial Management ................................................................................................... 19 D. Procurement ................................................................................................................... 19 E. Social and Environment ................................................................................................. 20 Annex 1: Results Framework and Monitoring............................................................................. 21 Annex 2: Detailed Project Description ........................................................................................ 28 Annex 3: Implementation Arrangements ..................................................................................... 36 Annex 4: Operational Risk Assessment Framework (ORAF) ..................................................... 55 Annex 5: Implementation Support Plan....................................................................................... 61 Annex 6: Team Composition ....................................................................................................... 65 Annex 7: GEF Incremental Cost Analysis ................................................................................... 67 Annex 8: Summary of Successful Practices and Scaling Strategies ............................................ 85 Annex 9: Regional Stakeholder Analysis and Dialogues ............................................................ 92 Annex 10: Communication Strategy and Action Plan ..................................................................... Annex 11: Maps ......................................................................................................................... 105 iii PAD DATA SHEET Building Resilience Through Innovation, Communication And Knowledge Services (BRICKS) Project (P130888) PROJECT APPRAISAL DOCUMENT . Africa Regional Project . Basic Information Date: August 9, 2013 Sectors: General water, sanitation and flood protection sector: 50%, Agricultural extension and research: 20% General agriculture, fishing and forestry sector: 20% Irrigation and drainage: 10% Country Director: Colin Bruce Themes: Biodiversity: 20% Climate change: 20% Environmental policies and institutions: 20% Land administration and management: 20% Water resource management: 20% Sector Manager/Director: Magda EA Lovei/Jamal Category: C Saghir Project ID: P130888 Lending Instrument: IPF Team Leader(s): Stephen Danyo / Emmanuel Nikiema Joint IFC: No . Borrower: N/A Recipients: Interstate Committee for Drought Control In The Sahel (CILSS), Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS), and West and Central Africa Office of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Responsible Agencies: Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS), and West and Central Africa Office of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) CILSS Contact: Prof. Alhousseïni Bretaudeau Title: Executive Secretary Tel: +226 50 37 41 25 Email: alhousseini.bretaudeau@cilss.bf OSS Contact: Mr. Khatim Kherraz Title: Executive Secretary Tel: +216 71 206 633 Email: khatim.kherraz@oss.org.tn West and Central Africa Office of IUCN Contact: Mr. Aime Joseph Nianogo iv Title: Regional Director Tel: +226 50 364979 (Work) Email: aime.nianogo@iucn.org . Project Implementation Period: Start Sept 4, End Date: June 30, 2019 Date: 2013 Expected Effectiveness Date: September 30, 2013 Expected Closing Date: June 30, 2019 . Project Financing Data (in USD Million) [ ] Loan [X] Grant [ ] Other [ ] Credit [ ] Guarantee For Loans/Credits/Others Total Project Cost : US$4.63 Total Bank Financing: US$0.0 Total Co-financing: US$0.00 Financing Gap: US$0.0 . Financing Source Amount (in USD Million) BORROWER/RECIPIENT 0 GEF US$4.63 Financing Gap 0 Total US$4.63 . Expected Disbursements (in USD Million) Fiscal Year FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 Annual 0.80 1.24 1.16 0.96 0.31 0.16 Cumulative 0.80 2.04 3.20 4.16 4.47 4.63 . Project Development Objective(s) The Project Development Objective and Global Environment Objective is to improve accessibility of best practices and monitoring information within the Sahel and West Africa Program portfolio on sustainable land use and management. . Components Component Name Cost (US$ Million) Component 1 - Knowledge management 2.36 Component 2 - Program monitoring support 1.65 Component 3 - Project management 0.62 . . Compliance Policy Does the project depart from the CAS in content or in other significant respects? Yes [ ] No [X] v Does the project require any waivers of Bank policies? Yes [ ] No [X] Have these been approved by Bank management? Yes [ ] No [ ] Is approval for any policy waiver sought from the Board? Yes [ ] No [X] Does the project meet the Regional criteria for readiness for implementation? Yes [X] No [ ] Safeguard Policies Triggered by the Project Yes No 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 . Legal Covenants Name Recurrent Due Date Frequency Project Implementation Manual No Before Project - effectiveness CILSS Grant Agreement: Section I.A.1, Schedule 2 IUCN and OSS Grant Agreements: Section I.A.1, Schedule 2 Description of Covenant CILSS shall, in collaboration with OSS and IUCN, prepare the Project Implementation Manual (“PIM�) satisfactory to the World Bank, and take all necessary measures to implement the Project in accordance with the said PIM. Name Recurrent Due Date Frequency Project Implementation Unit No Maintain - throughout the CILSS Grant Agreement: Section I.B, Schedule 2 implementation of the Project IUCN and OSS Grant Agreements: Section I.B, Schedule 2 Description of Covenant CILSS shall establish and thereafter maintain throughout the implementation of the Project a Project Implementation Unit (“PIU�), with staffing, functions and resources satisfactory to the World Bank, vested with the responsibility of the Project’s oversight, monitoring and evaluation, financial management and procurement, as further described in the PIM. OSS and IUCN shall ensure that the Project’s oversight, monitoring and evaluation, financial management and procurement be carried out by the PIU. Name Recurrent Due Date Frequency vi Advisory Committee No No later than three - (3) months after CILSS Grant Agreement: Section I.C, Schedule 2 the Effective Date and thereafter IUCN and OSS Grant Agreements: Section I.C, Schedule 2 maintain throughout the implementation of the Project Description of Covenant CILSS shall establish the Advisory Committee (“BRICKS Advisory Committee�) with functions and resources satisfactory to the World Bank, vested with the responsibility of providing strategic guidance and advice for the implementation of the Project as further elaborated in the PIM. OSS and IUCN shall consult with the BRICKS Advisory Committee for strategic guidance and advice on the implementation of the Project, as further elaborated in the PIM. Name Recurrent Due Date Frequency Financial Management No Throughout - Project CILSS, IUCN and OSS Grant Agreements: Section II.B.1, Schedule 2 Implementation Description of Covenant CILSS, OSS and IUCN shall ensure that a financial management system is maintained in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.07 of the Standard Conditions. Name Recurrent Due Date Frequency Accountant No Within one (1) - month from the CILSS, IUCN and OSS Grant Agreements: Section II.B.4, Schedule 2 Effective Date Internal Auditor IUCN: Section II. B.4, Schedule 2 Description of Covenant CILSS, OSS and IUCN shall employ an accountant for the Project whose qualification and experience shall be satisfactory to the World Bank. IUCN shall employ an internal auditor for the Project whose qualification and experience shall be satisfactory to the World Bank. . Team Composition Bank Staff Name Title Specialization Unit UPI Stephen Danyo TTL, Senior Natural Resources Management Specialist Natural resources management AFTN1 269425 Emmanuel Nikiema Co-TTL, Senior Natural Resources Management Specialist Natural resources management AFTN1 95690 Ijeoma Emenanjo Natural Resources Management Specialist Sustainable land management AES/AFTN3 396396 Madjiguene Seck Communication Specialist Communication AFTN3 196156 Grazia Atanasio Communication Specialist Communication EXT 230925 Taoufiq Bennouna Senior Environment Specialist Natural resources management MNSEN 314228 Hrishi Patel GIS Specialist GIS AFTN1 37802 vii Gayatri Kanungo Environment Specialist Environment, GEF AFTN3 247465 Svetlana Khvostova Safeguards Specialist Safeguards ASPEN 256037 Paola Agostini Program Coordinator for GEF and TerrAfrica Environmental economist AFTN3 84421 Salimata D. Follea Natural Resources Management Specialist, TTL of Benin project Natural resources management AFTN1 72080 Flavio Chaves Natural Resources Management Specialist, TTL of Ghana project Natural resources management AFTN3 207332 Asferachew Abate Environment Specialist, TTL of Sudan project Natural resources management AFTN1 383531 Abebe Amos Abu Senior Environment Specialist Environment AFTN1 342505 Dahlia Lotayef Lead Environment Specialist, TTL of Ghana project Environment AFTN2 186870 Maman-Sani Issa Senior Environment Specialist, TTL of Mali project Environment AFTN2 220734 Amadou Alassane Senior Agriculture Specialist, TTL of Niger project Agriculture AFTA1 108847 Berengere Prince Senior Environmental Specialist Environment AFTN3 377057 Mamata Tiendrebeogo Senior Procurement Management Specialist (Burkina Faso Country Procurement AFTPW 305899 Office) Boubacar Diallo Procurement Management Specialist (STC, Burkina Faso Country Procurement AFTPW 368274 Office) Edith Tchoko Financial Management Specialist (Burkina Faso Country Office) Financial management AFTMW 413499 Walid Dhouibi Procurement Specialist (Tunisia Country Office) Procurement MNAPC 345994 S. Ben-Halima Procurement Specialist (STC, Tunisia Country Office) Procurement MNAPC 74226 Lamyae Hanafi Financial Management Specialist (Tunisia Country Office) Financial management MNAFM 377235 Benzakour Moez Makhlouf Financial Management Specialist (STC, Tunisia Country Office) Financial management MNAFM 165990 Claudia Perdinas Lawyer Law LEGAM 21456 Orcanas Mei Wang Lawyer Law LEGAM 229123 Alexandra Sperling Legal Analyst Law LEGAM 77120 Eunan Ugonna Disbursement Officer Disbursement CTRLN 352897 Onyenuma Beula Selvadurai Program Assistant Administration AFTN3 181879 Aurore Simbananiye Program Assistant Administration AFTN3 212157 Kirsten Spainhower Consultant Forest management, innovation AFTN3 176715 . Locations Country First Location Planned Actual Comments Administrative Division N/A - Regional technical assistance activities in support of a N/A N/A N/A N/A Regional technical US$1 billion portfolio of 12 country projects in Benin, Burkina assistance activities focus Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, on knowledge management Senegal, Sudan, and Togo. and portfolio monitoring, and dissemination of operational tools for natural resource management. . viii I. Strategic Context A. Regional Context 1. Economies and livelihoods in Sahelian and West African semi-arid and humid systems heavily depend on soil, water, and vegetation cover. More than 70% of the population derives livelihoods from natural resources, yet the region experiences a troubling combination of flat cereal yields, declining water availability and vegetation cover, historically high climate variability, recurrent droughts and floods, erosion, and annual population growth of 2.5%. Recognizing that these interconnected challenges directly affect poverty, Heads of State of 28 countries of the region have endorsed the development of the Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI), which advocates for investment in sustainable landscapes in participating Sahelian and Saharan countries. 1 The World Bank is supporting the GGWI in Sub-Saharan countries via its World Bank-GEF Sahel and West Africa Program (SAWAP), which is an investment umbrella framework approved in 2011 that includes 12 investment operations implemented by 12 countries that are accessing US$1 billion in new financing from International Development Association (IDA), Global Environment Facility (GEF), Least Developed Country Fund (LDCF), Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), and various other trust funds. An additional project – described in this Project Appraisal Document (PAD) – will network and reinforce these 12 country projects by providing operational services on innovation, knowledge communication, and monitoring. 2 Other international partners are also providing support to the Great Green Wall, which adds to the body of knowledge and experience from which stakeholders can draw. 2. Being so dependent on natural wealth, the fates of the participating countries are linked through weather, climate, trans-boundary rangeland ecosystems and watersheds, as well as human migration and trade. These aspects are in turn affected by land use decisions. The landscape is the unit that integrates all livelihoods that depend on farm, forest, range, wetlands, or water habitats. Land makes up 70% of the natural resource base, provides 70% of rural employment and 70% of energy use via fuel wood and charcoal (TerrAfrica 2010). The region’s natural wealth has been steadily deteriorating as a result of demand for more food, fodder, fuelwood, and freshwater and the attendant livelihoods disruption, insecurity, vulnerability, and reduced economic growth opportunities. The historic climate variability and projected climate change in the area add to these challenges, expanding the region’s adaptation deficit. 3. The natural resource dependency has been recognized by all governments in the region, as manifested by their signing and ratifying the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD), and the Ramsar 1 GGWI countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Chad, Togo, Tunisia. 2 Countries developing investment operations under the SAWAP umbrella include: Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, and Togo. Five of 12 projects have been approved by the Bank Board as of July 17, 2013: Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Nigeria, and Togo. See Annex 3, table 3.8. 1 Convention on wetlands of international importance. These countries have also developed natural resource management policies and programs and promulgated related laws which are at various stages of implementation. For example, over the last 50 years, more than 2 million hectares of protected areas have been gazetted, while a considerable number of reforestation and afforestation initiatives pursued for various objectives are at different stages of implementation. This includes new governance approaches for the decentralized management of forest and other natural resources. These developments constitute a potential for progress in the Sahel and drylands of sub-Saharan Africa. 4. Despite isolated progress, the Sahel – a vast, arid transitional landscape bordering the savannah to its south and the Sahara to its north – has been affected by poor land use decisions for decades. Expansion of cropped area and livestock into marginal lands and clearance of natural habitats such as forests and wetlands have been driving forces behind land degradation and poverty entrenchment. For a number of complex reasons, rural land users have resorted to unsustainable land management practices such as continuous cropping with reductions in fallow and rotations, repetitive tillage and soil nutrition mining, grazing mismanagement, bush burning, and over-use and clearance of woodlands and forest. 5. The impacts of such unsustainable practices have caused soil loss, changes in natural habitats and ecosystems, reduced ecosystem services such as water infiltration and the loss of agro-biodiversity and wild biodiversity, and reduced natural buffers to recurrent droughts and floods and other climate shocks. 6. In both arid and humid settings, the situation has brought greater food insecurity, greater vulnerability to floods, and reduced opportunities for economic growth and poverty alleviation. Outmigration is becoming more common as land users seek better pastures, leading to natural resource conflict over more productive savannah and humid zones. Meanwhile, urban residents in humid zones face economic costs from deteriorating infrastructure caused by gully erosion and poor land use planning that does not take natural flows into account, while their rural neighbors face humid forest loss that can affect rainfall patterns and agricultural potential in the inner dryland zones. 3 7. In the Sahel, 83% of the population lives in extreme poverty. The UN estimates that 15 million people in the Sahel are currently exposed to food insecurity from the 2011 drought. Of these, 1 million children are suffering from severe malnutrition and 2 million from moderate malnutrition. In some areas witnessing civil strife, large-scale out migration of humans and livestock can result in rangeland recovery and vegetation regeneration, while areas deemed as safe havens might experience overpopulation, leading to greater rates of degradation and destruction. Environmental security can improve food security, physical security, and economic security. 8. But there is cause for optimism. Macro level pessimism around a degrading natural resource base has been overshadowing micro-level gains in sustainable land 3 The model confirms an old theory, first developed 30 years ago at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Global Change, that vegetation loss on the edge of the Sahara Desert in the West African interior could reduce rainfall. But the authors concluded that this effect is much smaller than that of coastal deforestation. 2 management, 4 gains that can be scaled up. Economically valuable land management practices are being implemented right now that are reducing climate risks, raising yields and lowering yield variability, protecting valuable soil, strengthening natural buffers against disasters, recharging aquifers, protecting biodiversity, reducing sedimentation, storing carbon, and generating profits and livelihoods for the poor. For example: • In Maradi, Niger, farmers naturally regenerated tree density by 50% on over 50,000 square kilometers of marginal, degraded dryland. Total benefit per hectare (including wood sales, increased crop yield, increased livestock productivity, wild foods and medicines etc.) is an estimated US$200/hectare, compared to a labor investment of US$10-15. Annual income from selling wood alone is US$140 (from the 6th year after implementation); • Bunding and planting pits (zai) in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger have generated an economic rate of return of 20%, including incremental benefits of US$65/year per hectare compared with untreated fields; • In Ghana, shifting from slash-and-burn to a low tillage system generated higher crop yields of 200-300%, farm incomes of 150%, and reduced workload by 42%; • Lessons from outside West Africa and the Sahel can be imported, including from Zimbabwe, where 50,000 dryland farmers have quadrupled yields consistently and profitably over four years on marginal, semi-arid, untitled land, compared to conventional practices in the previous years. They achieved this by combining complementary technologies including low-tillage, moisture-holding planting pits with small amounts of mineral or organic fertilizer, improved seeds, and a water- holding mulch. This practice was profitable, generating US$3.5 for each dollar invested. Returns to labor were double that of conventional practices. Benefits were not limited to yields. The farmers saw increases in soil moisture and organic matter, on-farm species diversity, and resilience to drought; • In southern Burkina Faso in 1985, following the devastation of trees for fodder by transhumant pastoralists and fuel-wood cutters in Nazinon, coupled with climate change effects, communities came together to restore the Nazinon forest using Acacia species through enrichment by direct seeding. The 23,700 hectare restoration zone was repartitioned into 8 management plots following a 20-year cycle. Controlled grazing consisted of opening the forest to pastoral activities during the rainy season in July and August under conditions that already logged forest parcels were excluded from grazing for at least 18 months, while grazed parcels were rotated to reduce overgrazing risk. An assessment 15 years later found that 3500 kg of tree seed was collected annually by local populations (especially women) from indigenous tree species. The density of juvenile plants in logged parcels was relatively high at more than 2500 stems/hectare, even as fuel 4 The definition of SLM: the adoption of land use systems that, through appropriate management practices, enables land users to maximize the economic and social benefits from the land while maintaining or enhancing the ecological support functions of the land resources. This can include carbon accumulation in biomass, biodiversity protection, water filtering, and soil health among others. 3 wood sales rose to 500,000 stems/hectare over the period, valued at approximately US$400,000; • Prior to the year 2000, communities residing between the Kaboré-Tambi conservation area in Burkina Faso and the Gambaga forest reserve in Ghana constantly experienced crop destruction by large fauna i.e. elephants and low yields from wild collections due to poor community organization. With project support, 3000 community members willingly delocalized from the area in 2006 taking up residence in the Ziou and Akulmaso communities in Burkina Faso and Ghana respectively. The delocalized zone was eventually gazetted as a wildlife corridor linking the Kaboré-Tambi National Park to the Gambaga Reserve – constituting the only gazetted ecological corridor in West Africa. Reports 5 years later reveal that the dry forest of the corridor has regenerated along with several wildlife species. Community members can now collect various non-timber forest products including nuts, seeds, néré, shear butter, flowers, various forms of fibers and latex along with dead wood for local energy supply. These resources are now in plentiful supply due to an organized approach for their collection. Moreover communities are getting organized to pursue community ecotourism on a seasonal basis as a way of benefiting from the returning wildlife to the ecological corridor. B. Sectoral and Institutional Context 9. Improved institutional governance and evidence-based decision making is critical to scale up successes. Shifts in planning and managing adoption of improved land use practices are all highly knowledge intensive, yet countries are not fully equipped to respond to these interwoven challenges that compromise economic growth and equity. The management of natural resources is generally pursued in an isolationist, opportunistic and sporadic fashion, rarely benefiting from the experience gained on similar interventions either in the same country or in other countries with similar ecological and socioeconomic conditions. In particular, the many national institutions and sectors involved are not adequately prepared to (i) monitor natural resources or key management processes to improve management planning, including assessing adoption levels, (ii) generate or extend knowledge and data, including the capacity to effectively use knowledge on key environmental dimensions such as climate risk factors, changes in species composition, carbon pools, and the degradation of land and water resources, (iii) plan or budget strategically for scaling up proven technologies and approaches across relevant sectors, (iv) effectively respond to severe land degradation, recurring droughts and floods, and periods of food insecurity. 10. To address these issues, 12 countries are participating in the World Bank/GEF Sahel and West Africa Program (SAWAP), which is the Bank’s main support to the continent’s Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI). The SAWAP objective is to expand sustainable land and water management in targeted landscapes and in climate vulnerable areas in West African and Sahelian countries. Through the SAWAP, the Bank is supporting Sahelian and West African countries to secure more food, fiber, freshwater, and firewood while protecting natural assets in the face of climate variability and change. Five of 12 SAWAP projects have been approved by the Board of Directors of the World Bank (as of 4 23 July 2013). The approved projects include budget for participation in regional knowledge sharing and program level monitoring and evaluation (M&E) through the proposed regional hub project described in this PAD – the Building Resilience through Innovation, Communication and Knowledge Services (BRICKS) Project. 11. The SAWAP also contributes to the on-going TerrAfrica program founded and being implemented by the Bank and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development Planning and Coordination Agency (NPCA), an independent agency under the African Union (AU). TerrAfrica partners such as the International Fund for Agricultural development (IFAD), Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), UN Development Program (UNDP), and the UNCCD bodies, as well as bilateral partners such as the European Union, France, Norway, and the Netherlands, have worked in alliance to support countries to prepare multi-sector investment plans for sustainable land management action. SAWAP provides financing to help implement these investment plans, which were partly financed by earlier support from GEF, IDA, government budgets and other sources. 12. Regional institutions could play a much stronger role in reinforcing countries to monitor and benchmark their efforts, and to share knowledge on what works, and how to scale it up and sustain it. Regional institutions are critical for facilitating multi-country efforts, and can lower transaction costs for individual countries to access information and advisory services. There are a number of regional institutions addressing some of the land degradation challenges in the Sahel and Sub-Saharan Africa, each concerned with aspects of the broader, system-wide challenge faced. There is no single regional institution covering the many sectors or themes involved, nor is there a single regional institution that covers all Sahelian states on any of the issues involved. As a result, a networked approach to service delivery is required, building on existing operational partnerships. Knowledge will not be treated in isolation but purposefully embedded into communication, partnerships, and network activities. Arguably, the most technically relevant regional public African institution in Francophone West Africa is the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), a technical agency serving member states that roughly correspond to the current set of participating countries in the GGWI. Regional actors will need to work together to provide coherent, pragmatic knowledge and monitoring services to countries. In particular, the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are all active in monitoring and knowledge dissemination in the region. 13. Other regional institutions are current or potential partners of the above institutions and the Bank and should be within this network too. These include a range of political and advocacy organizations such as the Pan-African Agency of the GGWI, the AU, NPCA, as well as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Community of Sahel-Sahara States (CEN-SAD), and technical agencies such as the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). Global actors should also be networked to help backstop the regional institutions and deploy advanced services; these actors could include, for example, FAO, CGIAR centers, Global Mechanism of the UNCCD 5 (UNCCD-GM), European Union and European Commission (EU-Africa Partnership on Climate Change, etc.), the African Development Bank, the World Bank Institute, Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs), faith-based organizations, and academic institutions with on-the-ground presence such as the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT). In addition, the GEF program for Lake Chad, and the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP) and others will be able to participate in this networked approach. 14. Indeed most of these institutions and others are already working on the issues in the region, and are keen to link efforts to work with the Bank on the GGWI, using the existing TerrAfrica program (and in which the Bank is a founding partner), which has a Secretariat managed by NPCA. Also see the multi-partner open data initiative for risk management being carried out under the newly launched www.sahelresponse.org. 15. The BRICKS project is designed as a six-year regional knowledge and monitoring hub for a much larger US$1 billion regional program of 12 World Bank financed country operations plus related partner supported activities that together contribute to the region’s and clients’ Great Green Wall priorities. BRICKS will provide technical assistance to recognized regional centers of excellence: CILSS (which includes Agrhymet), OSS, and the West and Central Africa office of IUCN. These organizations will facilitate technical knowledge exchanges and monitoring services among the 12 country investment operations in the broader World Bank/GEF Sahel and West Africa Program. Each organization would be responsible for implementing discrete activities related to resilient and carbon-smart natural resources management in the Sahel and West Africa region, focusing on biodiversity, crop, range, forest, water resources, and disaster risk management in arid, sub-humid and humid landscapes in 12 Sahelian and West African countries. See Annex 3, Table 3.8, for the status of each of the 12 country operations. 16. No matter the local storyline, the need to protect and drive equitable economic growth requires careful management of natural wealth in an era of increasing risks associated with climate variability, land degradation and disasters. This need is one tie that binds together each project in the SAWAP portfolio, and as such the project will serve as the knowledge and results aggregation hub for the SAWAP portfolio. The proposed project would add value by indirectly brokering, facilitating, and promoting the innovative practices, communication tools, and knowledge management needed to bring successful on-the-ground interventions to scale. The project would in turn also support dialogues on evidence-based policies based on the knowledge and people to be further networked together, helping close the science-practice-policy loop. This renewed emphasis on natural capital can generate multiple wins that safeguard production landscapes and global public goods that should contribute to more secure livelihoods, economic growth, and less hunger and poverty. C. Higher Level Objectives to which the Project Contributes 17. The project contributes to the objectives of the Bank’s Africa Development Strategy, Africa’s Future and the World Bank’s Support to It. In particular the project helps 6 implement Pillar 2 (vulnerability and resilience) while also strengthening public sector capacity by supporting mutual learning among West African and Sahelian countries, key government teams implementing projects, and stakeholders. BRICKS also responds to the Bank’s Climate Change Strategy of the Africa Region by promoting improved land use and management for both adaptation and carbon benefits. 18. Each of the 12 relevant World Bank country assistance strategies supported by the BRICKS operation include targeted investments under the SAWAP umbrella that address management of land, water, biodiversity, forest, climate and natural disaster risks. 19. The project will contribute directly to the objectives of the Bank’s emerging Sahel Plan and to Pillar III (regional public goods) of the Bank’s Africa Regional Integration Assistance Strategy by coordinating knowledge dissemination related to interventions that provide regional public environmental goods. 20. In addition, the project supports the Bank’s new Environment Strategy which emphasizes green, clean and resilient growth. In particular, it focuses on better management of natural resources and climate risks in production landscapes. 21. The rationale for Bank and GEF involvement is to apply and leverage knowledge to help maintain environmental public goods as a fundamental strategy for securing economic growth, equity, and livelihoods opportunities during an era of increasing climate variability and change. An improved knowledge base is needed to underpin this agenda and promote evidence-based policymaking and investment. 22. The project also contributes to securing multiple global environmental benefits associated with the GEF focal areas and climate adaptation windows (Least Developed Country Fund and Special Climate Change Fund) that are financing SAWAP operations, although BRICKS is only accessing the land degradation and climate mitigation set-aside funds of the GEF. For more on this, see Annex 7. 23. Lastly, the project leverages large-scale regional partnerships such as TerrAfrica, the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP), and GGWI to help broker regional solutions that help achieve economies of scale in knowledge and monitoring which will inform a new generation of investments in sustainable landscapes. II. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE (PDO) A. PDO 24. The Project Development Objective (PDO) and Global Environment Objective (GEO) is to improve accessibility of best practices and monitoring information within the Sahel and West Africa Program portfolio on sustainable land use and management. 25. The BRICKS Project is the regional hub for the SAWAP project teams, including both client and Bank teams. SAWAP seeks to improve landscape sustainability in climate 7 vulnerable areas, through its portfolio of approximately US$1 billion in financing from IDA, GEF, and the climate funds managed by the GEF. See para 10 above for more on SAWAP. Through the SAWAP, the Bank is supporting Sahelian and West African countries to secure more food, fiber, freshwater, and firewood while protecting natural assets in the face of climate variability and change, and while storing terrestrial carbon and avoiding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from land use change and land management. The BRICKS project will provide M&E support and opportunities for sharing knowledge and good practices among the 12 Bank-financed projects while increasing the capacity of regional centers of excellence (CILSS including Agrhymet and the Sahel Institute; OSS; IUCN) to act in partnership with countries. This GEF support is envisioned as the first phase of a two-phase series, to ensure continuity in portfolio level knowledge management, communication, and monitoring, especially as the Bank assesses strategic options for scaling up its support to Sahelian countries. B. Project Beneficiaries 26. Direct beneficiaries of the financing from BRICKS include country project teams and key country stakeholders implementing each of the 12 SAWAP country projects, as well as regional staff of CILSS, OSS, and IUCN. 27. Indirect beneficiaries include the total number of beneficiaries reached by each of the 12 SAWAP country projects. C. PDO Level Results Indicators 28. The PDO level indicators are measurable and cost-effective, and include: 1. National team members in projects in the SAWAP umbrella reporting satisfaction with the effectiveness of services provided by the BRICKS project (%). 2. Establishment and maintenance of a regional program-level monitoring system capable of aggregating environmental change information from participating country projects (#). 3. Project beneficiaries (number), of which female (%) [core indicator]. III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION A. Project Components 29. There are three components organized thematically: (1) Knowledge management, (2) Program monitoring support, and (3) Project management. These are described below. 30. Component 1 - Knowledge management. The outcome of this component is: Operational knowledge inside and outside the SAWAP portfolio is regularly exchanged through a regional learning hub that networks institutions and individuals that are implementing 12 country investment operations. 8 31. Activities. This component finances goods, training, operating costs, non-consulting services, consultants’ services, and small-grants to support the following activities: a. Networking country project teams and key stakeholders for structured learning, which includes (CILSS leads 5, US$1,000,000): i. Establishing a regional decision support web portal (US$200,000), ii. Identifying and disseminating best practices (US$200,000), iii. Holding regular south-south learning events, training, and periodic study tours for the 12 SAWAP project teams (US$600,000), b. Providing competitive regional innovation small grants for technical assistance to develop information and communication tools (CILSS leads, US$200,000), c. Establishing an operations services facility for SAWAP projects on key implementation topics related to environmental public goods: i. Facilitation and brokering of expertise (CILSS leads, US$98,500), ii. A technical peer review panel (OSS leads, US$198,500), iii. An operations support pool (IUCN leads, US$185,500), d. Carrying out a series of regional environmental economic analyses (such as benefit-cost, ecosystem valuations) (CILSS leads but CILSS, OSS, and IUCN each have a research budget line of $100,000. Total: US$300,000). e. Strategic communication (IUCN leads, US$373,000). 32. Component 2 - Program monitoring support. There are two outcomes from this component. First, additional monitoring tools and training are deployed at regional and country levels to track processes and impacts from the portfolio of projects. Second, the SAWAP portfolio is regularly monitored against a set of thematic and process indicators. 33. Activities. This component finances goods, training, operating costs, non-consulting services, and consultants’ services to support the following activities: a. Aggregating and benchmarking results and M&E system development support in the SAWAP portfolio of 12 projects (OSS leads, US$280,000). b. Delivering participatory training and expert support on M&E to country project teams. Special emphasis will be placed on measuring biophysical change and carbon flux in land use and management systems in the portfolio, and providing support to country project teams on applying M&E tools (OSS leads, US$280,000). c. Monitoring, modeling and mapping land and water resources and land use change in the regional portfolio, including carbon modeling to help estimate the portfolio’s contribution to climate change mitigation. This includes carbon storage in biomass and soil, as well as changes in GHG emissions due to land use change and management, using existing monitoring and geospatial tools. This activity also includes establishing an inter-agency Geographic Information System (GIS) services team and opportunities for networking and capacity building for project teams and regional actors, development of a regional digital atlas on land and 5 WOCAT backstopping/contracted as required, networking other implementing agencies and partners. 9 water resources, greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes from land use and management, and climate risks, and development of a regional data platform to provide near real-time remote sensing data and analyses in appropriate formats to country project teams on the ground (OSS leads, US$850,000). d. Establish and promote an impact evaluation platform (CILSS leads US$240,000). 34. Component 3 - Project management. The outcome of this component is that the management of the regional BRICKS Project is carried out efficiently and effectively. 35. Activities. This component will finance goods, training, operating costs, non-consulting services, and consultants’ services for all three implementing agencies (CILSS, OSS, IUCN) to provide administrative functions including monitoring of BRICKS activities to ensure that the project remains focused on providing useful and demand-driven services to the project portfolio. The component will establish a Project Coordination Unit hosted by CILSS who will compile and aggregate project fiduciary and results reporting from all three agencies (Total US$489,630 GEF. This breaks down as US$363,805 to CILSS, US$91,000 to OSS, and US$169,325 to IUCN). B. Project Financing 36. Proposed instrument and scope. This Investment Project Financing (IPF) is financed through a US$4,629,630 GEF grant with a 6-year implementation period. See table 1 below for a breakdown of costs by component. The Project will also endeavor to become eligible for Additional Financing from the GEF and/or TerrAfrica Leveraging Fund or other sources during implementation. A decision will be made during mid-term review. 10 Table 1: Project Costs by Component Project Activity Agency GEF (US$) Components Component 1. (a) Networking country project teams for structured learning: CILSS 1,000,000 Knowledge • Establishing a regional decision support web portal Management • Identifying and disseminating best practices (US$2,355,500 • Holding regular south-south learning events GEF) (b) Competitive regional innovation grants for technical assistance CILSS 200,000 to develop information and communication tools (c) Establishing an operations services facility for SAWAP projects on key implementation topics on environmental public goods: CILSS 98,500 • Facilitation and brokering of expertise (CILSS leads) OSS 198,500 • Technical peer review panel (OSS leads) IUCN 185,500 • Operations support pool (IUCN leads) (d) Carrying out a series of regional economic analyses and CILSS 100,000 environmental assessments OSS 100,000 IUCN 100,000 (e) Strategic communication IUCN 373,000 Component 2. (a) Aggregating results from the SAWAP portfolio of 12 projects OSS 280,000 Program Monitoring (b) Delivering participatory training and expert support on M&E OSS 280,000 Support to country project teams (US$1,650,000 (c) Monitoring, modeling and mapping land and water resources OSS 850,000 GEF) and land use change; plus GIS capacity support (d) Impact evaluation platform CILSS 240,000 Component 3. Administration, overheads, project reporting at all three agencies; CILSS 363,805 Project plus PIU at CILSS OSS 91,000 Management IUCN 169,325 (US$624,130 GEF) Total Project 4,629,630 6 Costs C. Lessons Learned and Reflected in the Project Design 37. The design of the BRICKS project incorporates a number of lessons from prior interventions in the region in the areas of: (i) cross-country and cross-project knowledge exchange and how regional organizations can reinforce country level work, (ii) M&E and how regional support and benchmarking can reinforce mutual learning for investment design and adaptive management, and (iii) sustainability of service delivery. 38. Regional organizations serving as knowledge hubs can reinforce country level operations. BRICKS will play an important role in brokering knowledge that emerges from the SAWAP portfolio as well as from other parts of Africa and the rest of the world. Building 6 Breakdown by implementing agency: CILSS ($2,002,305), OSS ($1,799,500), IUCN ($827,825). 11 on the technical experience of CILSS, OSS and IUCN on sustainable landscapes, BRICKS will strengthen the capacity of these hubs as storehouses of evidence that will be leveraged to reinforce capacity of governments to implement their SAWAP projects. The hub approach builds on the strengths of the implementing agencies to accumulate specialized knowledge that is relevant nationally and regionally, such as planning and monitoring land use and management, natural resource policy, and integrated Natural Resource Management (NRM) practices. A regional organizational structure reflects the trans-boundary nature of some of the NRM and climate change challenges and the multi- sectoral interventions needed to address them. 39. Regional support and benchmarking can reinforce mutual learning for investment design and adaptive management. A well-functioning and well-budgeted regional M&E system is critical for providing useful insights into what works well and what does not according to a learning-by-doing approach. Given the overarching uncertainty and the trans- boundary nature of most environmental/developmental issues to be addressed, regional benchmarking will establish realistic and reliable standards of performance that consider both the region’s potential and the countries’ specificities. Regional support and coordination will thus enable “peer-reviews� and mutual learning among countries that share common socio-economic and environmental traits. Lessons learned and success stories derived from M&E at the national level will therefore feed the regional learning process with a view to feeding the resulting insights back into project design and planning. The shared pool of experience-based knowledge will also be instrumental in tackling uncertainty-- notably that stemming from climate change. The learning by doing approach based on M&E is conducive to adaptive management. 40. Economic valuation of best land management practices together with an efficient communication strategy has the potential of attracting increased public and private investments. Assisted Natural Regeneration in several Sahelian countries is a technology that has benefited from private investment following the Etude Sahel (Sahel Study) coordinated by CILSS. 41. Sustainability is enabled by south-south learning. The best model for service delivery for regional knowledge transfer will be accomplished through a menu of regionally and nationally adapted web-based tools, case studies, learning aids, policy briefs, maps, sharing of lessons learned from smallholders, and joint trainings. Joint trainings will be an efficient means of sharing experiences (peer learning), dissemination of new knowledge, and also as an arena for building trust and cross-border relations. The track record of good practices may also help project inform and help improve one another during their implementation. Services will be provided on a demand-driven basis. 42. The exchange of experiences between producers can scale up good practices in sustainable land management. The Zaï technique that contributed to the regreening of Niger, today considered as a success story, was spread across the region after study tours held in Burkina Faso. 12 IV. IMPLEMENTATION A. Institutional and Implementation Arrangements 43. The BRICKS project will not support or create any new institutions. The BRICKS project is implemented only at regional level by CILSS, OSS and IUCN to provide technical assistance and advisory services to the 12 country project teams implementing investment activities under the SAWAP umbrella, and to monitor portfolio results. The regional services include providing opportunities for knowledge exchange, geospatial services, M&E expertise, strategic communication, and regional portfolio monitoring that will reinforce benchmarking and can help improve investment design and execution. Because of its large scale and linkage to the GGWI and TerrAfrica, the SAWAP Portfolio and its BRICKS project involve numerous stakeholders at regional, national, and local level, with most SAWAP stakeholders involved in implementing specific projects on the ground at national and local levels through the 12-country SAWAP project portfolio. 44. Linking Regional and Country level. The proposed regional project is meant to backstop country project efforts with pragmatic knowledge and M&E tools, opportunities for south-south learning within and outside the SAWAP portfolio, and by benchmarking project performance on best practice. Each of the 12 projects in the SAWAP portfolio include significant resources devoted to international training and strengthening national and sub-national institutional capacities in knowledge, monitoring and implementation. Each country project financed under the SAWAP umbrella includes budget for participating in regional SAWAP knowledge exchange and capacity support. BRICKS will provide operational services of a technical assistance nature to country project teams on a cost-sharing basis. This approach is detailed in Annex 3 and in the Project Implementation Manual (PIM). 45. Regional level implementation. The three implementing agencies will form an inter- agency PIU housed at and coordinated by CILSS; each implementing agency will identify responsible individuals who will participate full time in the inter-agency BRICKS project team that will be coordinated by the PIU. Each implementing agency will take the lead on implementing specific BRICKS activities. To help carry out this responsibility cooperatively; each agency will also chair ad-hoc working groups on thematic areas. These working groups will prepare the annual BRICKS project workplans and provide support for implementing key activities to help ensure good coordination at activity level. The working groups can include committed external partners as needed. More broadly, a multi-partner BRICKS Advisory Committee will be responsible for providing strategic guidance and advice on BRICKS implementation, particularly on (i) implementation of project activities, (ii) coordination with other programs, projects, platforms and partnerships, and (iii) facilitating south-south learning. The BRICKS Advisory Committee will be composed of National Project Coordinators from the 12 country projects in SAWAP, plus key partners involved in the GGWI and TerrAfrica including the AU center (AUC), FAO, GM-UNCCD, NPCA-TerrAfrica, and the World Bank. See Annex 3. 46. Capacity of regional institutions. Both OSS and CILSS face capacity issues, partly due to the fact that natural resource based development in the region has historically been paid insufficient attention. This is now starting to change, requiring a special effort to ensure 13 that the region’s existing institutions can carry out their mandates in service to country programs that are increasingly prioritizing the role that environmental public goods play in creating economic growth and job opportunities for the poor. The participation of the implementing agencies reinforces the ownership of the agenda and underpins the ability to act technically at a regional level to better integrate country actions around the GGWI. Component implementation 47. The components of the BRICKS project are grouped thematically, not institutionally. Each of the three agencies will take the lead on implementing discrete tasks under the three components. Due to the feedback loop that binds together knowledge management, geospatial services, resource monitoring, portfolio level M&E, and region-wide communication, the thematic working groups mentioned above will be created as needed to develop and oversee annual project workplans and support implementation of key activities. 48. CILSS will be responsible for leading the regional knowledge management and dissemination component, in close collaboration with SAWAP project teams, OSS, IUCN, TerrAfrica partners, additional GGWI stakeholders such as North African countries, CGIAR centers such as the International Council for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), as well as WOCAT and national institutions. To facilitate this process, CILSS will lead the best practices working group. CILSS will also host the BRICKS inter-agency PIU. 49. OSS will be responsible for supporting countries and their project teams to apply M&E and geospatial tools for resource and results monitoring. Working closely with SAWAP project teams, OSS will also aggregate M&E project data from SAWAP projects to allow for portfolio level results M&E. OSS will also carry out stand-alone regional monitoring work such as on changes in biological productivity in the SAWAP area of intervention. The OSS will lead the M&E and GIS working group. 50. IUCN West and Central Africa Office would be responsible for supporting countries and their SAWAP project teams on biodiversity planning, and communication and networking. IUCN will lead the Strategic Communication working group and the Biodiversity Planning working group. 51. Component 3 will finance the PIU housed at and led by CILSS. The PIU will network the project administration staff of OSS and IUCN to form a cohesive multi-institutional project administration team. CILSS will lead the Project Management working group as part of the activities of this component. Lastly, project level results will be recorded by the PIU for the project-level M&E to gauge the BRICKS project performance. B. Results Monitoring and Evaluation 52. It is important to distinguish between two levels of M&E involving the BRICKS project. First, there is project level M&E, which includes the metrics for measuring the degree of successful implementation of the BRICKS project itself. Second, there is portfolio- level M&E, which is an activity financed by the BRICKS project to establish and 14 maintain a regional M&E system to gauge SAWAP portfolio performance. This activity includes associated capacity support on M&E to country project teams in the SAWAP umbrella, supplemented by selected regional monitoring work using remote sensing, etc. The summary below focuses on the project level M&E for gauging BRICKS project success. 53. The results monitoring matrix for project level M&E is in Annex 1 and includes indicators, definitions, and targets. The M&E system will address input-output, process and outcome monitoring. Detail on the approach and implementation arrangements is in Annex 3 (Implementation arrangements). 54. Data reliability. The project’s objectives and indicators were selected to (i) ensure an accurate attribution of the project’s success through its achievement of the PDO and (ii) gauge the ability of regional organizations and participating country projects to report on progress of national level projects in the SAWAP portfolio toward the collective goal of increasing area with sustainable land and water management (SLWM) practices. A special effort was made to ensure that the indicators selected are simple and have low- cost data requirements. 55. M&E implementation at project level. The project’s M&E implementation arrangements rest upon a shared set of M&E responsibilities coordinated by the PIU at CILSS. 56. M&E implementation at portfolio level. M&E at the SAWAP Portfolio level will help to reinforce knowledge exchange, and design and implementation of next-generation investments on the ground. This in turn reinforces alliances in countries, enhances coalitions around common objectives, and builds trust among SAWAP country operations. The portfolio level aggregation and comparison of country project results will add value via mutual learning and portfolio level reporting. C. Sustainability 57. The BRICKS project has a transformational role to play in cataloguing and confirming replicable best practice models for investment action on the ground, with evidence generated from the 12 country operations in the portfolio, and informed by experiences outside the portfolio. The project seeks to sustain its impact through the following actions: (i) mainstreaming and replication: working with each of the discrete project teams, document a track record of good practices that will serve as models for replication once the project closes, and that may also help individual SAWAP country projects inform and improve one another during their implementation; (ii) institutional and policy: emphasize good governance for relevant institutions responsible for data and monitoring, promoting impact evaluation and preparing operational support tools that contribute to the successful management of natural resources; (iii) financial/economic: stimulate demand among countries’ national project managers, and create dedicated budget within the regional organizations to continue to supply relevant knowledge and information services beyond the project completion – building on these three regional organizations’ long history and successful track records in providing knowledge and information services; (iv) technical: insist on high quality standardized data quality and materials for knowledge outreach and generation; (v) south-south learning: leverage project M&E and 15 impact evaluation to feed back into project implementation through the BRICKS project knowledge system linked to country systems and country operations in the SAWAP portfolio; and (vi) communication: emphasize outreach among country-level actors and regional institutions, decision makers and beneficiaries through formal and informal channels. 58. In addition, to reinforce sustainability, the project will raise the capacity of the regional organizations to collect, store, share and manage data at various scales from sub-national to regional and transform this data into usable information across stakeholders to underpin and plan their investment actions. This data is related to (i) the management of global public goods such as soils, biomass, carbon, climate risks, biodiversity, and trans- boundary aquifers, rivers and lakes, as well as (ii) management of development challenges with local/national public goods dimensions such as water resources, food security, and disaster preparedness and recovery. V. KEY RISKS AND MITIGATION MEASURES 59. The BRICKS Project is categorized as having moderate overall risk, yet has numerous upsides due to its innovative nature. The main risks are as follows and are summarized in table 2 below. 60. Post-project sustainability. This risk will be mitigated in three ways, all of which depend on leveraging or establishing robust operational partnerships horizontally and vertically. First, the BRICKS budget will strengthen the capacity of the implementing agencies by supporting staff and consultant costs to engage effectively with other regional and country stakeholders so as to provide good operational services to the SAWAP portfolio of country projects, and mainstream the knowledge and monitoring tools developed under the BRICKS project. CILSS's and partners' technical services developed under the BRICKS project would also be deployed as part of broader implementation of the GGWI by various partners and other country projects outside SAWAP. Second, the BRICKS project will continuously provide learning opportunities for SAWAP project staff thereby building a region-wide community of practice focused on investment action; this cohort will continue to apply their knowledge in their work in their respective institutions after the BRICKS project closes. Third, BRICKS will be implemented over 6 years. Due to budget constraints, most activities will implement during the first four years, which is when the SAWAP portfolio can benefit most from the application of harmonized tools and best practices. Years 5 and 6 will see the maintenance of portfolio level monitoring, communication of SAWAP results, and basic maintenance of the communities of practice – all of which should become mainstreamed into the broader GGWI coordination platform being set up by the AUC and by the existing regional TerrAfrica platform implemented by NPCA. 61. CILSS has emerging familiarity with World Bank financed projects. This is the first World Bank project implemented by CILSS in recent years and as such CILSS faces a learning curve with the Bank’s fiduciary requirements. This risk will be mitigated two main ways. First, the team would carry out the recommendations from the financial management and procurement capacity assessments, with careful attention being paid to 16 put in place strong accountability mechanisms and continuous training opportunities. Second, BRICKS relies on three agencies to implement activities, so as to help accelerate disbursement and link experienced partner agencies that can advise CILSS as a three- agency implementation team. The other two implementing agencies, OSS and IUCN’s West and Central Africa office, are both now implementing Bank-financed operations. 62. Limited budgets among countries and country project teams to participate in a regional project serving as a hub. This risk will be mitigated by involving country project teams, national program coordinators, and officers/advisors for M&E, communication, knowledge management of SAWAP's 12 country projects in the implementation of the proposed BRICKS project, both at working level and by including the National Project Coordinators in the BRICKS Advisory Committee. This will be set up as core team complemented by an extended project team based on interest and availability, but involving everyone to help build a strong portfolio-wide “community of action.� 63. Political and security risks. This presents a moderate risk to the regional project itself, as the risk could hinder generation of on-the-ground information from discrete projects and the reporting and aggregation of data up to regional level, if the security situation currently faced in Mali, northeastern Nigeria, and other locations persists or spreads. The risk associated with the political environment will be mitigated through the risk diversification inherent in BRICKS project design. First, BRICKS relies on three respected regional implementing agencies with footprints in a number of locations. CILSS has offices in Burkina, Mali and Niger. IUCN West and Central Africa Office has offices in Burkina Faso and Nigeria and the IUCN headquarters is located in Switzerland. OSS is located in Tunisia. Second, BRICKS links to 12 different country operations that go beyond the Sahel. Nonetheless, the Bank team will carefully monitor the situation closely with the three regional agencies and country project teams and counterparts. Table 2. Risk Ratings Summary Table Risk Category Rating Stakeholder Risk Moderate Implementing Agency Risk Capacity Moderate Governance Low Project Risk Design Low Social and Environmental Low Program and Donor Low Delivery Monitoring and Sustainability Moderate Overall Implementation Risk Moderate 17 VI. APPRAISAL SUMMARY A. Economic Effectiveness 64. The BRICKS project serves as a hub on knowledge, communication, and monitoring for the broader SAWAP, which addresses major environmental security challenges related to land degradation, biodiversity and forests, climate change mitigation and adaptation in 12 countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Benin, Togo, and Ghana. As planned in the SAWAP Program Document, the project will aggregate country level project performance indicators. 65. As a discrete project, the BRICKS project itself will reduce costs to the 12 country project teams to carry out and participate in key knowledge-intensive activities topics important for the 12 country investment operations, such as approaches for sequestering and monitoring carbon and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) in biomass and soil, impact monitoring of global and national environmental public goods (vegetation cover change, carbon, species diversity, ecosystem health), identification and quantification of best land management practices, GIS, impact evaluation, watershed and land use planning, analytics on the economics of land, and communication on the themes addressed by the program. With some upfront cost, largely borne by the regional BRICKS project budget, overall costs to each country and project will be reduced. B. Technical 66. As NRM, watershed management, and climate adaptation projects and programs proliferate and advance in many countries in the region, a wealth of knowledge is accumulating. Much of this knowledge, however, is tacit rather than systematic, explicit and codified. It is difficult to identify best practices in a coordinated manner that would make it useful for decision making and other processes. Over the years countries and international partners have produced a vast amount of information on the relevant themes, which could become a great resource if convened, organized, and made more easily available. All too often, one part of an organization repeats the work of another simply because it is unable to keep track and make use of all the knowledge it acquires. Due to institutional weaknesses, this knowledge can be lost or not used to its full capacity. As a direct result of this project institutional capacity will be strengthened to provide real-time data, analysis and best practices for the SAWAP and the broader GGWI to which it contributes, and will have a spillover effect on other country initiatives and regional programs such as the Bank-financed WAAPP, the emerging World Bank Group Sahel Plan and the TerrAfrica partnership. Countries and individual participants benefit from the regional program as it: (a) captures core knowledge for re-use, (b) provides mechanisms for faster transfer of best practices, (c) provides users and decision-makers with solutions to intractable problems, (d) saves time and resources spent trying to “reinvent� by leading participants to promising approaches quicker, and (e) helps locate critical expertise. 67. The benefits arising from knowledge management also include those further along the results change from the processes above. These benefits include increases in land productivity and improved income generation from better management of cropland, woodlands and grassland, as well as ecosystem services such as soil formation, 18 maintenance of habitats important for biodiversity, carbon accumulation and reduced GHG emissions, and improved watershed function and groundwater recharge together leading to greater water availability and quality. Furthermore, because of the trans- boundary nature of land and water resources in the region, significant externalities exist, with interventions and activities in one country likely to have effects on neighboring countries through micro-climates, migration, shared aquifers and surface water, and mobile pastoralism. C. Financial Management 68. In accordance with the Financial Management Manual for World Bank-Financed Investment Operations that became effective on March 1, 2010, Financial Management Assessments of IUCN West and Central Africa Office, OSS, and CILSS was carried out. CILSS has an adequate track record in managing projects financed by the European Investment Bank, European Union, USAID, and others. IUCN manages a World Bank financed project entitled Scaling up the impacts of good practices in linking poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation, and which is set to close in January 2014. OSS does not have previous experience in managing World Bank financed projects, except the new Desert Ecosystems and Livelihoods Knowledge Sharing and Coordination Project (DELP) for the Middle East and North Africa, which was approved on May 23, 2013. However, it has a strong experience in managing funds from many other international partners including from Canada and Switzerland. The yearly total budget amount managed by the OSS is approximately 3 million Euros. The latest financial management (FM) supervision found an adequate control environment as reflected in a moderately satisfactory FM performance rating. 69. The overall FM risk at preparation is considered as Moderate. The proposed financial management arrangements including the mitigation measures for this project are considered adequate to meet the Bank’s minimum fiduciary requirements. 70. Considering the financial management capacity constraints, the dated covenants include: (i) delivery of a draft Project Implementation Manual (PIM) by Effectiveness, (ii) within one month after effectiveness, each implementing agency shall appoint an accountant who is familiar with Bank FM procedures and (iii) within one month after effectiveness, IUCN shall appoint an internal auditor with adequate and relevant experience who is familiar with Bank FM procedures. 71. It is also recommended to train the FM staff within two months after effectiveness, and to purchase accounting software with all modules (general accounting, cost accounting, monitoring and evaluation, fixed assets management, preparation of withdrawal applications interim financial reports and annual financial statements) two months after effectiveness. 72. FM arrangements are included under Annex 3. D. Procurement 73. Procurement will be carried out in accordance with the Guidelines On Preventing and Combating Fraud and Corruption in Projects Financed by IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants, known as the “2011 Anti-Corruption Guidelines,� and the Guidelines: Procurement under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits, published by the Bank in January 19 2011, the Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants by World Bank Borrowers, dated January 2011, the Grant Agreements and the Procurement Plan approved by the Bank. Project activities will involve relatively small amounts of funds, with the possible exception of major studies (which will be submitted for bidding). A Project Implementation Manual (PIM) will clarify adequate procurement mechanisms and modalities. 74. The Bank conducted assessments of the procurement capacities of CILSS, IUCN West and Central Africa Office, and the OSS. The assessments conclude that the implementing agencies have the capacity to carry out and manage the procurement under this financing, provided that the recommended actions are taken before effectiveness. These actions should not pose any problem for the executing agencies, in particular OSS and IUCN West and Central Africa Office, which are already receiving World Bank financing for two small projects. 75. Given the current procurement capacity of the implementing agencies, the risk can be rated as Moderate, provided the implementation of the following recommendations: (i) The staff to be involved in procurement will attend, at the beginning of the project, the launch to be acquainted with applicable Bank procedures and particularly keep close contact with the Bank procurement staff assigned for the project, (ii) the CILSS, OSS, and IUCN will each update their draft Procurement Plans and CILSS will compile them as one Procurement Plan, which will then reviewed by the World Bank, (iii) The PIM will be prepared by the three Implementing Agencies in consultation with the Bank. 76. To help mitigate any procurement risks, CILSS will competitively recruit a qualified and experienced procurement consultant. A procurement assistant will also be assigned within CILSS and other implementing agencies and all staff will require continuous training. OSS and IUCN West and Central Africa Office will also assign dedicated procurement staff to the project, supplemented by consultants as needed. A Bank Procurement Specialist will also provide training as necessary and close supervision. E. Social and Environment 77. Given that this project includes no civil works, it has been classified as Category C, and triggers no World Bank safeguards. Safeguard Policies Triggered by the Project Yes No 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] 20 Annex 1: Results Framework and Monitoring Country: Africa Project Name: Building Resilience through Innovation, Communication and Knowledge Services (P130888) Project Development Objective (PDO) / Global Environment Objective (GEO) PDO Statement To improve accessibility of best practices and monitoring information within the Sahel and West Africa Program portfolio on sustainable land use and management. These results are at project level PDO/GEO Indicators Indicator name Core Unit of Base- Cumulative Target Values Frequen- Data Responsibility for Data Measure line cy Source / Collection Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 End Method- Target ology (Year 6) National team members in % 0 70 80 80 80 80 80 Annual Survey BRICKS PIU at CILSS projects in the SAWAP (responsible for project-level umbrella reporting M&E), working with OSS satisfaction with the and IUCN effectiveness of services provided by the BRICKS project Establishment and # 0 0 1 2 11 11 11 Annual Project BRICKS PIU at CILSS, maintenance of a regional records working with OSS and program-level monitoring IUCN system capable of aggregating environmental change information from participating country projects Direct Project beneficiaries # 0 600 1000 1200 1200 1200 1200 Annual Project BRICKS PIU at CILSS, records working with OSS and 21 IUCN Female beneficiaries % 0 40% 40% 40% 40% 40% 40% Annual Project BRICKS PIU at CILSS, Sub-type records working with OSS and Supple- IUCN mental Intermediate Results Indicators Indicator name Core Unit of Base- Cumulative Target Values Frequen- Data Responsibility for Data Measure line cy Source / Collection Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 End Method- Target ology (Year 6) Team members for each of # 0 600 1000 1200 1200 1200 1200 Annual Project BRICKS PIU at CILSS, the SAWAP projects records working with OSS and participating in regional IUCN knowledge exchanges per year (not cumulatively) Learning products on best # 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Annual Project BRICKS PIU at CILSS, practices developed and records working with OSS and disseminated IUCN Regional # 0 0 1 2 3 3 3 Annual Project BRICKS PIU at CILSS, economic/ecosystem analyses records working with OSS and completed IUCN South-South learning events # 0 0 4 8 12 12 12 Annual Project BRICKS PIU at CILSS, held records working with OSS and IUCN SAWAP communication Y/N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Annual Project BRICKS PIU at CILSS, strategy developed and records working with OSS and updated annually with the IUCN communication teams for the 12 country projects 22 Activities in the BRICKS % 0 30 60 70 80 80 80 Annual Project BRICKS PIU at CILSS, communication strategy’s records working with OSS and action plan that have begun IUCN implementation Regional on-line decision Y/N N N Y Y Y Y Y Annual Project BRICKS PIU at CILSS, support portal established records working with OSS and IUCN Regional atlas of land Y/N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Annual Project BRICKS PIU at CILSS, degradation, climate change records working with OSS and mitigation and adaptation, IUCN and disaster risks is prepared, integrated into portal, and updated annually SAWAP projects reached # 0 4 7 10 11 11 11 Annual Project BRICKS PIU at CILSS, with training on GIS tools records working with OSS and and approaches IUCN SAWAP projects reached # 0 4 9 11 11 11 11 Annual Project BRICKS PIU at CILSS, with training on M&E tools records working with OSS and and approaches IUCN Guidelines developed and Y/N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Annual Project BRICKS PIU at CILSS, disseminated on data records working with OSS and standardization and reporting IUCN procedures for SAWAP project M&E teams Country projects providing # 0 3 6 10 11 11 11 Annual Project BRICKS PIU at CILSS, timely M&E reports to records working with OSS and regional level M&E system IUCN SAWAP portfolio monitoring Y/N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Annual Project BRICKS PIU at CILSS, and reporting system records working with OSS and functional and providing IUCN information on SAWAP portfolio progress 23 Activities in agreed BRICKS % 0 50 60 70 80 80 80 Annual Project BRICKS PIU at CILSS, joint annual work program records working with OSS and that have begun IUCN implementation BRICKS monitoring and Y/N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Annual Project BRICKS PIU at CILSS, reporting system functional records working with OSS and and providing information on IUCN BRICKS progress 24 . PDO / GEO Indicators Indicator Name Description (indicator definition etc.) National team members in projects in the SAWAP umbrella Using a survey instrument, this indicator tracks the extent to which SAWAP members of reporting satisfaction with the effectiveness of services national project teams and other participating country project stakeholders who are provided by the BRICKS project participating in BRICKS activities are satisfied with the knowledge and monitoring services provided or facilitated by the BRICKS project to the participating country projects. This includes knowledge services such as cross-project and cross-country learning opportunities and dissemination of best practices, which will be part of the satisfaction survey. Establishment and maintenance of a regional program-level This indicator measures the degree to which the regional program-level monitoring system is monitoring system capable of aggregating environmental operational and being maintained via a proxy of the number of the 12 SAWAP country projects change information from participating country projects that are reporting on environmental change indicators. These indicators may include: carbon storage in biomass and soil, GHG emissions from changes in land use and management, changes in land degradation patterns, land cover changes, net primary productivity, biodiversity enhancements, and water resources availability or quality. Where possible, BRICKS Component 2 will finance an activity to aggregate compatible environmental change indicators among the projects in the SAWAP umbrella that are already tracking environmental metrics. Note: Under Component 2, BRICKS will also provide support to project teams to help operationalize these indicators, as needed and demanded by the country project teams. Direct project beneficiaries Direct beneficiaries are people or groups who directly derive benefits from an intervention (i.e., children who benefit from an immunization program; families that have a new piped water connection). Please note that this indicator requires supplemental information (below). Female beneficiaries Supplemental Value: Female beneficiaries (% of the number of direct beneficiaries). Based on the assessment and definition of indicator on direct project beneficiaries, specify what proportion of the direct project beneficiaries are female. Intermediate Results Indicators Indicator Name Description (indicator definition etc.) Team members for each of the SAWAP projects participating This indicator tracks the number of SAWAP national project team members (e.g. project staff, in regional knowledge exchanges per year (not cumulatively) consultants, and other participating country project stakeholders) that are participating in BRICKS-supported regional knowledge exchanges. These exchanges include activities such as study tours and special training and exchange sessions for practitioners and policymakers on key topics, which are aimed at reinforcing communities of practice to implement activities related to themes addressed by the SAWAP portfolio. Learning products on best practices developed and This indicator measures the number of learning products (guidelines, videos, books, cost- disseminated benefit analyses and other studies, learning modules, policy notes, innovative tools, etc.) that 25 are generated by the BRICKS project. Regional economic/ecosystem analyses completed This indicator tracks the number of economic or ecosystem analyses financed by BRICKS on relevant topics. South-South learning events held This indicator measures the number of BRICKS-supported South-South learning events convened to enable the 12 SAWAP project teams to exchange experiences on topics of mutual concern. Each country project financed under the SAWAP umbrella has a budget for participating in regional SAWAP knowledge exchanges. SAWAP communication strategy developed and updated This indicator tracks whether or not the BRICKS-supported SAWAP communication strategy annually with the communication teams for the 12 country has been developed and is being revised annually. The communication strategy provides an projects overview of communication objectives and activities at various levels and it identifies primary and secondary stakeholders, main communication channels and indicators. The BRICKS communication strategy will be one contribution to the broader GGWI communication work being elaborated by various international partners. Activities in the BRICKS communication strategy’s action This indicator measures the percentage of proposed activities in the communication strategy plan that have begun implementation action plan that are being executed. These activities will be overseen by the BRICKS working group on strategic communication. Through this action plan, BRICKS aims to reinforce the engagement of the SAWAP project teams in knowledge generation and dissemination activities and in the creation of the learning and networking platform. Regional on-line decision support portal established This indicator tracks whether or not the BRICKS-supported, regional on-line decision support portal has been launched. The portal will be linked to each of the 12 SAWAP projects’ information systems on a rolling basis as countries’ projects intensify implementation and participation in the regional program. Regional atlas of land degradation, climate change mitigation This indicator tracks whether or not the regional digital atlas on land and water resources has and adaptation, and disaster risks is prepared, integrated into been developed and embedded in the regional on-line decision support portal described above, portal, and updated annually and regularly updated. The atlas will be based on existing datasets generated through past and on-going initiatives. It is intended to include GHG fluxes from land use and management, climate risks such as drought, and links to other databases, early warning systems, water resource monitoring systems, and mapping resources in the region that would be useful for national project teams and regional teams. SAWAP projects reached with training on GIS tools and This indicator measures the number of SAWAP project teams that are trained on GIS tools and approaches approaches which are used for analyzing and reporting on project activities, and for supporting investment decisions to scale up improved practices. SAWAP projects reached with training on M&E tools and This indicator measures the number of SAWAP project teams that are trained on applying approaches M&E tools and approaches, with an emphasis on assessing biophysical change such as vegetation cover, soil health, biodiversity indicators, and carbon flux in land use and management systems. 26 Guidelines developed and disseminated on data standardization This indicator tracks whether or not the BRICKS project develops and disseminates procedures and reporting procedures for SAWAP project M&E teams on data standardization and reporting procedures for 12 SAWAP project M&E teams. These procedures, in the form of guidelines and best practice notes for example, will allow each of the discrete country projects to report relevant data and results from their project M&E systems up to the regional level. This in turn will allow for benchmarking and portfolio level reporting on comparable indicators. A number of these shared indicators at country project level are IDA core indicators, GEF tracking tool indicators, and TerrAfrica program indicators. Such harmonization and alignment efforts are important for portfolio-wide learning. Country projects providing timely M&E reports to regional This indicator measures the number of SAWAP country projects providing M&E data to the level M&E system regional level for reporting in the BRICKS regional M&E system. This aggregated data will allow for portfolio-level progress and portfolio-wide learning as described for the indicator immediately above. SAWAP portfolio monitoring and reporting system functional This indicator tracks whether or not the SAWAP portfolio monitoring and reporting system at and providing information on SAWAP portfolio progress regional program level is compiling and delivering information on SAWAP portfolio progress. Activities in agreed BRICKS joint annual work program that This indicator measures the percentage of activities in the annual joint work program under have begun implementation implementation. BRICKS monitoring and reporting system functional and This indicator tracks whether or not the BRICKS monitoring and reporting system is providing information on BRICKS progress operational and delivering information on the implementation progress of the BRICKS project itself (as opposed to the SAWAP portfolio). This system is critical for good project level implementation and support. 27 Annex 2: Detailed Project Description Country: Africa Project Name: Building Resilience through Innovation, Communication and Knowledge Services (P130888) 1. The BRICKS project is a regional knowledge and monitoring hub for a much larger US$1 billion regional program of 12 World Bank financed country operations plus related partner supported activities that together contribute to the region’s and client’s Great Green Wall priorities. BRICKS will provide technical assistance to recognized regional centers of excellence -- CILSS (including Agrhymet and the Sahel Institute), OSS, and IUCN (West and Central Africa office) -- to facilitate technical knowledge exchanges and monitoring services among the 12 country investment operations in the broader World Bank/GEF Sahel and West Africa Program. Each regional institution is responsible for discrete project-funded activities related to resilient and carbon-smart natural resources management in the Sahel and West Africa region, focusing on biodiversity, crop, range, and forest management in multi-functional dryland, sub-humid and humid landscapes in 12 Sahelian and West African countries. There are three components as follows. This GEF support is envisioned as the first phase of a two-phase series, to ensure continuity in portfolio level knowledge management, communication, and monitoring. A. Components and Activities 2. There are three components organized thematically: (1) Knowledge management, (2) Program monitoring support, and (3) project management. These are each described below. Component 1. Knowledge management (US$2,355,500 GEF) 3. Outcomes. The outcome of this component is: Operational knowledge inside and outside the SAWAP portfolio is regularly exchanged through a regional learning hub that networks institutions and individuals that are implementing 12 country investment operations. 4. Activities. This component finances goods, training, operating costs, non-consulting services, consultants’ services, and small-grants to support the following activities: a. Networking country project teams and key stakeholders for structured learning. BRICKS will establish a structured and participatory learning program in the region which will provide opportunities for knowledge exchange among the 12 country investment operations in SAWAP (as well as key related projects outside SAWAP that support countries’ Great Green Wall objectives). This will include organizing study tours, holding special training and exchange sessions for practitioners and policymakers on key topics, strengthening communities of practice to implement 28 activities related to subjects found throughout the SAWAP portfolio. 7 This activity includes the following sub-activities: i. Establishing a regional decision support web portal. This portal will be a one- stop shop that gathers all relevant knowledge resources described in Component 1, as well as the geospatial and M&E information described in Component 2 below. New and existing knowledge will be disseminated through this platform (as well as the other avenues described below) which will include information on best practices in climate-smart agriculture, dryland forest management, agro- pastoral strategies, soil and water conservation, land use and watershed planning, and more. This web portal will be linked to each of the 12 SAWAP projects’ information systems related to knowledge management, M&E, geospatial data and analysis, and project management, as well as existing national knowledge platforms (e.g., Mali SLM web portal 8 supported by TerrAfrica) and regional knowledge generation (e.g., CILSS database on soil fertility, the Bank-financed West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program, and the existing TerrAfrica SLM Knowledge Base, etc.). It will also include interactive and peer-to-peer functions (CILSS leads, US$200,000). ii. Identifying and disseminating best practices in the region, including from the SAWAP portfolio and the broader GGWI as well as from other relevant areas. Relying on regular desk reviews, portfolio reviews, existing academic and public/private sector research, this activity will methodically identify and deploy evidence and technical guidelines on proven best practices from a range of settings. The work will rely on diverse sources of information including documentation of best practices (such as FERSOL9) and existing networks of land users and community and producer organizations, discrete projects inside and outside the SAWAP and the broader region-wide TerrAfrica multi-agency country investment portfolio, relevant impact evaluations, and the broader non- governmental community (academic, business and religious and traditional ecological knowledge related practices) active in the region and globally. Best practices will be made widely accessible in a form that allows diverse stakeholders to better understand the advantages and disadvantages of various practices and the conditions needed for scaling up. Examples of best practices and their results are detailed in Annex 8 which draws from the TerrAfrica publication prepared by FAO, WOCAT and the World Bank (Sustainable Land Management in Practice: Guidelines for Best Practices for Sub-Saharan Africa) and the publications of the CILSS (collection of technical papers 10). (CILSS leads11, 200,000). iii. Holding regular south-south learning events, training, and periodic study tours for the 12 SAWAP project teams to exchange experiences on topics of mutual 7 Communities of practice could include such topics as: (i) legislation policy and institutions, (ii) technology and innovation in landscape management, (iii) land use and watershed planning approaches, (iv) biomass carbon metrics, (v) impact evaluation (vi) spatial services, and (vii) economics. 8 http://ilwac.ige.fr. This web portal will be extended to two additional countries with support from TerrAfrica. 9 http://fersolmap.cilss.bf 10 www.cilss.bf/spip.php?rubriques25 11 WOCAT backstopping/contracted as required. 29 concern (attendance costs covered by individual project budgets and substance are backstopped by the WBI and other international partners). Additional country project teams from outside SAWAP could be included given available space and self-financing, as this would strengthen broader south-south learning (CILSS leads, US$600,000). These learning events include: • Potential study tours to Bank-financed operations could include watershed management in Turkey, India or China (various World Bank financed operations), landscape restoration and carbon payments in Ethiopia (Humbo A/R under the GEF/SIP-financed Ethiopia SLM project), payments for environmental services in agro-pastoral landscapes (Costa Rica), sustainable rice intensification (Kenya, Philippines, etc.), conservation tillage (Zambia, Brazil), and farmer managed natural regeneration (Niger, etc.), Integrated Ecosystems Management Project (Burkina Faso), and so on. • A regional learning program will be established for SAWAP and GGWI countries and discrete projects. To save costs and harness efficiencies, this program will be closely linked and coordinated with Africa-wide TerrAfrica Learning Program managed by AU-NPCA (financed by the World Bank’s TerrAfrica trust fund and UNEP/GEF project for NPCA/RECs) and involving key RECs such as ECOWAS and COMESA. As such, the final version of the learning program in the West Africa and Sahel will include visible branding from all entities that provide material support to the learning program: CILSS and its independent unit such as Agrhymet, OSS, IUCN, Pan-African Agency of the AU, NPCA-AU, ECOWAS, FAO, the EU and other international partners, UNCCD organs, UNEP, ICRAF and other CGIAR centers, as well as knowledge providers such as World Bank Institute (WBI),the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT), Africa Regreening Initiative, and so on. b. Providing competitive regional innovation small grants for technical assistance to develop information and communication tools. There are numerous new and low-cost tools and approaches in data analysis, geo-spatial mapping, web mapping, cell phone networks, and photography that can reinforce social accountability and transparency in investment operations. Events could include, for example, hack-a-thons, low-cost technology demonstrations, and outreach innovations. Sub-grants will fund low cost tools and will not support the implementation of civil works. (CILSS leads, US$200,000). c. Establishing an operations services facility for SAWAP projects on key implementation topics related to environmental public goods. This facility would function as a multi-agency, multi-partner help desk that would convene thematic and sectoral expertise as needed and demanded by the 12 country projects in the SAWAP portfolio. This facility would include regional and global specialists that would help troubleshoot and provide leading knowledge and technical services to the country projects. It would include the following expertise: climate scientist, macro and behavioral economists, biologist, ecologist, watershed and environmental planners, 30 rural engineer, agronomist, rangeland ecologist, forester, sociologist, soil scientist, and an ICT expert. Each of these experts would be recognized as leading authorities in their respective fields, with extensive African and international experience, working French/English capacities (to facilitate cross-country knowledge transfer), and secured through a demand-driven mechanism as outlined in Annex 3 and detailed in the PIM. Each implementing agency would be responsible for leading key sub- activities as follows, with CILSS acting as the first point of entry for project teams. i. Facilitation and brokering. An updated list of proven experts would be developed and maintained who could provide operational support to country project teams on key implementation topics related to environmental public goods. (CILSS leads, US$98,500). ii. A technical peer review panel would carry out demand-driven desk reviews of country project activities, as needed and as relevant. This group would not vet country project activities but would enhance project capacities and quality at key moments by reviewing key TORs, engineering and social mobilization plans, technical analyses, etc. (OSS leads, US$198,500). iii. An operations support pool would provide direct and indirect technical assistance to country project teams to prepare TORs, bidding documents, engineering and social mobilization plans, technical analyses, M&E systems, land use and watershed plans. BRICKS would not finance the cost of these consultants but would work closely with project teams to convene the international expertise to improve country project quality. Each discrete project would cover the costs of the given expert (IUCN leads, US$185,500). d. Carrying out a series of regional environmental economic analyses (such as benefit- cost, ecosystem valuations) on successful NRM approaches that conserve biodiversity, accumulate soil and biomass carbon, and safeguard ecosystem services. Analyses supported in BRICKS will complement country-level analyses carried out directly by the other 12 SAWAP projects. Rigorous analysis can help decision makers prioritize their interventions as part of their country based planning and management. These and existing or on-going regional economic analyses (i.e., WB’s Drylands Resilience Economics series; UNCCD/GIZ’s Economics of Land Degradation, and work under the emerging World Bank Group Sahel Plan) will be integrated into the regional decision support web portal to be developed under the BRICKS project. (CILSS leads but CILSS, OSS, and IUCN each have a research budget line of US$100,000. Total: US$300,000). e. Strategic communication. This activity includes strategic communication products at regional level, linked to the communication activities already financed in each country project under SAWAP. Where the capacity does not exist, the BRICKS implementing agencies will be supported with a bilingual senior communication specialist fluent in old and new media approaches as well as the technical issues involved in the Green Wall. Existing ICT innovations will be brought to bear to bring more local stakeholders into knowledge management, resource monitoring, and good governance. To extend outreach efforts, the global Connect4Climate communication campaign and TerrAfrica/NEPAD communication will be leveraged at no cost to the 31 implementing agencies or the BRICKS project, or their country level partners. For more on communication under BRICKS, see Annex 10 (IUCN leads, US$373,000). Component 2. Program monitoring support (US$1,650,000 GEF). 5. Outcomes. There are two outcomes from this component. First, additional monitoring tools and training are deployed at regional and country levels to track processes and impacts from the portfolio of projects. Second, the SAWAP portfolio is regularly monitored against a set of thematic and process indicators. 6. Activities. This component finances goods, training, operating costs, non-consulting services, and consultants’ services to support the following activities: a. Aggregating and benchmarking results and M&E system development support in the SAWAP portfolio of 12 projects. Each of the discrete country projects will contribute relevant data and results from their M&E systems up to regional level, where OSS will aggregate this information to allow for reporting on progress at regional scale, with a particular emphasis on the SAWAP portfolio. This activity requires development of close operational relationships with country project M&E teams. These relationships will also allow for continuous identification the M&E needs of specific country project teams, and therefore, the deployment of added expertise if needed to enhance country project performance. To help accomplish this, OSS will support country project teams on M&E during the different phases (project preparation, planning field work, implementation and monitoring) to help harmonize the approaches and ensure an effective portfolio-level M&E system with good line of sight from project up to regional level, aggregation, and benchmarking –all feeding back into knowledge generation across the portfolio. OSS will therefore work with the 12 country project teams and other partners to develop a small set of benchmark indicator targets, by which individual projects may gauge their performance against a self-defined regional portfolio standard. Taken together, the aggregation and benchmarking of country project results among all 12 projects in SAWAP can benefit more tangibly from the SAWAP’s regional approach and contribute to the objectives of the GGWI. For country projects outside the SAWAP that are also part of the GGWI, the same tools can be used once a GGWI entity is fully operational on M&E for the GGWI. Until such a time, OSS will lead this technical work for the SAWAP, working closely with all partners and country/project teams (OSS leads, US$280,000). b. Delivering participatory training and expert support on M&E to country project teams. Both process and impact monitoring will be included in the training and technical support services. A special emphasis will be placed on measuring biophysical change and carbon flux in land use and management systems in the portfolio, which can be a challenge for projects on the ground facing data, financial, and capacity barriers. A pool of proven international and regional expertise will be convened by BRICKS and provided on a demand-driven basis to country project teams. M&E approaches and tools will be drawn from existing resources such as those of OSS and CILSS; mandatory World Bank Core Indicators for agriculture, land management, and forest, mandatory GEF tracking tools for biodiversity, land 32 degradation, climate adaptation and mitigation, and sustainable forest management; the LADA land degradation monitoring project (FAO/UNEP); TerrAfrica (AU- NEPAD) including the landscape and institutional/partnership metrics developed by partners in 2009; ICRAF’s land degradation surveillance system; the global UNEP- GEF carbon benefits project; the UNCCD impact indicators and its Performance Review and Assessment of Implementation System 12, and so on. In addition, some specific country projects may have specific needs for natural resource monitoring methods which the regional project could be prepared to support (OSS leads, US$280,000). c. Monitoring, modeling and mapping land and water resources and land use change in the regional portfolio, including carbon modeling to help estimate the portfolio’s contribution to climate change mitigation. This includes carbon storage in biomass and soil, as well as changes in GHG emissions due to land use change and management, using existing monitoring and geospatial tools. This activity aims to further strengthen geo-spatial analysis and modeling capacity at OSS and country project teams, as well as at other partners including CILSS and IUCN. The activity will support (i) the establishment of an inter-agency Sahel and West Africa GIS Services Team and opportunities for networking with and supporting national counterparts implementing SAWAP projects (see more below), (ii) the development and delivery of a regional digital atlas on land and water resources, GHG fluxes from land use and management, and climate risks, based on existing datasets generated through past and on-going initiatives in partnership with OSS, CILSS and/or IUCN and other national, regional, international institutions of the network, and (iii) the development of a public-domain regional data platform to provide near real-time remote sensing data (as described above) and analysis in appropriate formats to country project teams on the ground (dissemination of dedicated regional scale products derived from analysis of long term series of vegetation indices, rainfall estimations, forecasts, anomalies, etc.). This work will supplement and build on existing datasets generated from past OSS activities including a wealth of data generated for the Lullemeden Taoudeni Tanezrouft Aquifer System and the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) including data on geological maps, digital elevation models, water hole locations and more. The regional data platform will include the continuous collection and provision of updated appropriate-resolution geospatial information in appropriate formats including: topography, hydrography, land use, vegetation cover, gross primary productivity, soil moisture, soil types, precipitation and temperature, and so on. Through this activity, OSS will coordinate with national agencies, local observatories, and regional partners 13 to strengthen the capacity of participating countries through the learning program described in Component 1. All data and analyses will be uploaded into the decision support platform described in 1a above (OSS leads, US$850,000). 12 For more information please see www.unccd-prais.com. 13 For example, CILSS/Agrhymet is developing, in partnership with USGS/EROS, a time series land use and occupation trends (1975-2000-2010) covering all CILSS and ECOWAS countries. 33 With regard to the establishment of the Sahel and West Africa GIS Services Team, it will be composed of existing experts at participating regional organizations, together networked by OSS. Additional expertise in GIS, remote sensing and analysis/modeling will need to be brought on board. This activity will help facilitate the establishment of a multi-sectoral public-domain repository of GIS and remote sensing datasets and near-real time data critical for the activities of each country project as well as regional integration and transboundary resource use planning and monitoring (e.g., grazing corridors, groundwater, shared surface water). The activity will also help support OSS in networking Africa’s national geospatial agencies, such as Nigeria’s space research agency as well as institutions in Algeria and South Africa and other international or national space agencies or geospatial institutions or universities. Additionally, this Team may be supported with a robust internship program in partnership with regional universities. Establishing a partnership with academia will also help generate valuable research, datasets and products on land degradation issues. d. Establish and promote an impact evaluation platform. Impact evaluations are a rigorous tool to test competing project design options so that implementation can be improved and next-generation projects can benefit from the best evidence-based design options available. However, impact evaluation is not reliably applied in public sector operations in the region, and would add value to the GGWI. To help surmount this barrier, this activity would facilitate the participation of the implementing agencies in developing an impact evaluation platform that improves the sharing of existing relevant impact evaluations, findings, methodologies, and expertise, advocates for using impact evaluation in project and policy development and implementation, and assembles a cadre of impact evaluation practitioners that can be deployed to countries. The impact evaluation platform will strengthen dialogues around the design of investment activities and policies that can generate durable results. An impact evaluation consultancy secured by CILSS would lead this effort (CILSS leads US$240,000). Component 3. Project management (US$624,130 GEF). 7. Outcomes. The outcome of this component is that the management of the regional BRICKS Project is carried out efficiently and effectively. 8. Activities. This component will finance goods, training, operating costs, non-consulting services, and consultants’ services for all three implementing agencies (CILSS, OSS, IUCN) to provide administrative functions including monitoring of BRICKS activities to ensure that the project remains focused on providing useful and demand-driven services to the project portfolio. CILSS leads implementation but all three agencies implement discrete activities. The costs break down as follows: US$363,805 to CILSS, US$91,000 to OSS, and US$169,325 to IUCN. In-kind resources from the three agencies will provide baseline support for the GEF incremental support. 9. The component will establish a PIU hosted by CILSS who will compile and aggregate project fiduciary and results reporting from all three agencies. The Project Coordination 34 Unit hosted by CILSS will include the following functions to be covered by existing CILSS staff and backed by key consultancies or staff financed by the BRICKS: • Overall Project Coordinator (works with each agency’s project coordinator) • Overall Procurement Management Specialist (works with each agency’s procurement management specialist) • Overall Financial Management Specialist (works with each agency’s project financial management specialist) • Overall Project M&E Coordinator (works with each agency’s project M&E specialist). 35 Annex 3: Implementation Arrangements Country: Africa Project Name: Building Resilience through Innovation, Communication and Knowledge Services (P130888) A. Project Administration Mechanisms 1. The BRICKS project will not support or create any new institutions. The BRICKS project is implemented only at regional level by CILSS, OSS and IUCN to provide technical assistance and advisory services to the 12 country project teams implementing investment activities under the SAWAP umbrella, and to monitor portfolio results. The regional services include providing opportunities for knowledge exchange, strategic communication, and regional portfolio monitoring that will reinforce benchmarking and improved investment design and execution. Because of its large scale and linkage to the GGWI and TerrAfrica, the SAWAP Portfolio and its BRICKS project involve numerous stakeholders at regional, national, and local level, with most SAWAP stakeholders involved in implementing specific projects on the ground at national and local levels through the 12-country SAWAP project portfolio. 2. Linking Regional and Country level. The proposed regional project is meant to backstop country project efforts with pragmatic knowledge and M&E tools, opportunities for south-south learning within and outside the SAWAP portfolio, and by benchmarking project performance on best practice. Each of the 12 projects in the SAWAP portfolio include significant resources devoted to international training and strengthening national and sub-national institutional capacities in knowledge, monitoring and implementation. Each country project financed under the SAWAP umbrella includes budget for participating in regional SAWAP knowledge exchange and capacity support. A1. Institutional set-up 3. Overview of regional level implementation. The three implementing agencies (See Annex 9 for a summary stakeholder analysis) will form an inter-agency Project Implementation Unit (PIU) housed at CILSS in Burkina Faso; each implementing agency will identify responsible individuals who will participate full time in the inter-agency BRICKS project team that will be coordinated by the PIU. Each implementing agency will take the lead on implementing specific project activities. To help carry this responsibility out in a cooperative fashion, each agency will also chair ad-hoc working groups on thematic areas. These working groups will prepare the annual project workplans. An Advisory Committee will review project implementation and facilitate south-south learning, with key country level and international stakeholders serving on the Advisory Committee. See figure 3.1. 36 Figure 3.1. BRICKS Project Institutional Arrangements BRICKS Advisory Committee - Reviews and provides recommendations for (annually rotating chairs among members) joint annual project workplan -Advises on implementation bottlenecks Tentative members: National Project Coordinators of 12 SAWAP operations - Advances knowledge cross-fertilization among AUC/Pan-African Agency of the GGWI, NPCA-TerrAfrica Secretariat, WB, partnerships, programs, platforms, programs FAO, GM-UNCCD, GEF Secretariat, rotating NGO representative - Meets annually in-person, quarterly via conference calls, and ad-hoc, if needed - PIU housed at CILSS in Burkina Faso Project Implementation Unit (PIU) housed at CILSS in Burkina Faso leads inter-agency team will coordinate an inter-agency team to prepare joint work programs and Sahara and Sahel Permanent Interstate International Union for procurement plans Observatory (OSS) Committee for Conservation of - PIU will coordinate and administratively Drought Control in the Nature (IUCN) West support the project’s working groups. Sahel (CILSS) and Central Africa - PIU will administratively support the Project Office meetings of the Advisory Committee Implementation Unit which will cover their own travel costs M&E and GIS BRICKS - Working Groups are ad-hoc and will help Best Practices Strategic Biodiversity prepare inter-agency BRICKS project workplans Working Project Working Group Communication Planning Working and supervise BRICKS project activities Groups (led by Management (led by CILSS) Working Group Group (led by - Can include additional actors such as WOCAT, OSS) Working Group (led by IUCN) IUCN) ICRAF, UNEP, FAO, etc. (led by CILSS) 37 4. The BRICKS Advisory Committee will be responsible for providing strategic guidance and advice for BRICKS project implementation. The Advisory Committee will provide advice on (i) implementation of project activities, (ii) coordination with other programs, projects, platforms and partnerships, and (iii) support cross-fertilization of experiences. The Advisory Committee will be chaired on an annually rotating basis by its members which include a number of actors involved in the GGWI, TerrAfrica, and SAWAP including: the AUC/Pan African Agency for the GGWI, National Project Coordinators for each of the 12 SAWAP country operations, NPCA-TerrAfrica Secretariat, World Bank, FAO, GM-UNCCD, GEF Secretariat, and a rotating NGO network representative. The PIU will establish and administratively support the virtual and physical meetings of the Advisory Committee but the Committee members will cover their own travel costs in instances where physical meetings are convened. 5. The PIU will network the project staff of OSS and IUCN to form a cohesive inter- agency project team. The PIU will anchor the project administratively and will support the project in procurement, financial management, and project-level M&E arrangements, working closely with OSS and IUCN. CILSS, as PIU host, will lead the Project Management working group as part of the activities of this component. Lastly, project level results will be recorded by the PIU for the project-level M&E to gauge BRICKS project performance. A2. Component implementation 6. The components of the BRICKS project are grouped thematically, not institutionally. Each of the three agencies will take the lead on implementing discrete activities under the three components. Due to the feedback loop that binds together knowledge management, geospatial services, resource monitoring, portfolio level M&E, and communication, thematic working groups on key topics will be created as needed to develop and oversee annual project workplans. Each agency will take the lead in implementing discrete tasks in these workplans. 7. The core project activities will be coordinated by flexible thematic working groups which will deliver joint annual workplans and provide implementation support under the lead of the three implementing agencies. OSS will be the lead agency for the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) and Geographic Information System (GIS) working groups; CILSS will be the lead agency for the Project Management and the Best Practices working groups; and IUCN (West and Central Africa office) will be the lead agency for Strategic Communication and the Biodiversity Planning working groups. The working groups allow flexibility to bring in additional committed institutions during project implementation if needed to carry out or advise on key activities. In such cases, external partners will finance their own participation in these groups. 8. Discrete project activities will be implemented by lead agencies. The lead agencies were cooperatively selected for each activity based on their comparative advantages due to their established institutional expertise and organizational focus. The lead agencies will report their progress on activity implementation to the working groups on a monthly basis, and to the PIU. The PIU will then provide progress reports to the Advisory Committee on a quarterly basis. 38 9. Components 1 and 2. CILSS will be responsible for leading the regional knowledge management and dissemination component, in close collaboration with OSS, IUCN, SAWAP project teams, TerrAfrica partners, additional GGWI stakeholders such as North African countries, CGIAR centers such as ICRAF and IITA, as well as WOCAT and regional institutions. 10. The OSS would be responsible for supporting countries and their project teams to apply geospatial tools for resource and results monitoring. Working closely with SAWAP project teams, OSS will also aggregate M&E project data from SAWAP projects to allow for portfolio level results M&E. OSS will also carry out stand-alone regional monitoring work such as on changes in biological productivity in the SAWAP area of intervention. The OSS will lead the M&E and GIS working group. 11. The IUCN will be responsible for supporting countries and their project teams to prepare biodiversity management plans, networking strategies, and M&E-guided landscape investment methodologies in their discrete operations as needed. IUCN will lead the Strategic communication working group and the Biodiversity Planning working group. 12. Component 3 will finance the PIU housed at CILSS which will carry out the fiduciary and project monitoring functions as described above. The current staff within CILSS will be strengthened with the inclusion of additional expertise as needed for the implementation of this project. To ensure full endorsement by the implementing agencies, CILSS will sign MOUs with IUCN (West and Central Africa office) and OSS if and as needed. For external contracting, if needed, CILSS and other Implementing Agencies may sign performance-based contracts with the outside contractors, taking stock of their competencies and experience. OSS and IUCN will also supplement human resources as part of the project implementation arrangements. Activity Implementation at Regional and Country Levels 13. In general, the BRICKS project will implement activities at the regional level, while providing targeted demand-driven support to country project teams on key technical assistance activities. Depending on the type of activity, BRICKS will either fully fund the entire activity or the projects will only cover a percentage of the activities costs. Below is a list of the types of arrangements to be made between BRICKS and the country-level projects on a demand-driven basis: a. At the regional level: BRICKS will cover 100% of costs for the implementation of all stand-alone regional activities, such as regional economic analysis, regional land use / land cover change analysis, regional communication work, etc. b. Remote support to country project level activities: BRICKS will cover 100% of costs for remote activities that only require, for example, desk reviews and other services that can be provided remotely. These activities include, for example, brokering consultant pools for country projects to freely access, or scientific peer review for country projects that may wish to have diagnostic work reviewed externally to help ensure quality. c. Indirect advisory support to country project level activities: BRICKS will cover up to 80% of the cost to providing keyadvisory services, such as on how to develop biodiversity conservation plans; for advisory activities such as helping draft TORs to develop local an NRM field manual for a project. 39 d. Direct intensive support to country project level activities: BRICKS will cover up to 20% of the cost for direct support for country project implementation, such as: actively supporting country clients to develop biodiversity conservation plans with communities, developing implementation manual with government/community for SLM activities in a project, and so on. In these cases, BRICKS will cover stand-alone costs such as travel to the country, while the consultancy cost will be covered by the country project requesting the service. Blending costs on consultancy labor, for example, would be too complex. A3. Financial Management and Disbursement Arrangements Introduction 14. The Financial Management Assessment carried out during preparation determined whether each of the three implementing agencies has acceptable financial management arrangements to: (i) ensure the funds are used only for intended purpose in an efficient and economical way, (ii) underpin the preparation of accurate, reliable and timely periodic financial reports, and (iii) safeguard the entities’ assets and (iv) carry out a satisfactory auditing process. Financial Management Arrangements Table 3.1. Staffing and Training Entity Description of staffing for the project CILSS CILSS financial management staff will be used to implement the project. The existing team is experienced and consists of a finance director, chief accountant, four accountants and a finance officer. They have 10 to 25 years of experience. To handle additional transactions resulting from the new project, an accountant with adequate and relevant experience and familiar with Bank FM procedures will be appointed. IUCN The FM Unit is headed by an experienced FM Manager (holding an MBA, with 10 years of experience in a local audit firm and 2 years in a petroleum company) and assisted by 3 accountants. One additional accountant with relevant experience will need to be recruited to reinforce the accounting team given the additional work generated by the new project. OSS The OSS financial and administrative department is well structured. It has three units: storing, accounting and expenses control. This department is also supported by a Certified Public Accountant member of Tunisian Institute of Certified Public Accountants. One additional accountant with relevant experience will need to be recruited to reinforce the accounting team given the additional work generate by the new project. 15. The three teams will have the responsibility to collect and control invoices, maintain the books, enter data in the accounting software, manage the project’s bank accounts, keep the books of account and prepare the financial reports as well as the withdrawal and direct payments applications. 16. A training program will be developed and implemented every year. Training is mainly conducted through the local or sub-regional training institutions. Before disbursement, the Bank disbursement and financial management units will provide adequate training on report-based disbursement procedures and IFR elaboration. 40 Table 3.2. Budgeting: Entity Budgeting arrangements CILSS CILSS has developed a Financial Accounting Manual which includes the budgeting process (preparation and monitoring). Budget will be adopted by the Council of Ministers before project implementation. The budget execution will be monitored on a quarterly basis using modern software. The chief accountant will be in charge of this monitoring. IUCN Reliance will be on IUCN budgeting arrangements described in its manual of procedures which is deemed adequate following a review by the Bank FM team. Budget is adopted by the directorate of IUCN before implementation. The FM manager will be in charge of budget monitoring. OSS The OSS is responsible for preparation of annual budget (operating and investment) and it is approved by its Executive Board. The project budget is prepared by each project coordinator and submitted for the approval of the Executive Secretary and the Steering Committee of each project. Table 3.3. Accounting Policies and Procedures: Entity Accounting arrangements, policies and procedures CILSS Reliance on CILSS’s existing accounting arrangements which comply with OHADA (Organisation pour l’Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires). Accounting principles Syscohada call for double entries system and accrued accounting principles. The project will benefit from the existing accounting system supported by Oracle application and named CILSS IMIS which included several modules (Account payables, fixed assets, inventory control, treasury management, general ledger, budget monitoring) IUCN The financial procedures and controls framework defined in the IUCN manual of procedures are deemed appropriate to manage the project funds. It covers all key processes (fixed asset management, cash management, and project management, delegation of authorities, payroll management, and internal and external audit arrangements). The local accounting system (Syscohada) is used. A computerized accounting system (Sun system) is operating well; however this software is not adapted to offer all modules to project implementation. The project (trust funded) currently implemented uses Excel software. Accounting software with all modules (general accounting, cost accounting, monitoring and evaluation, fixed assets management, preparation of withdrawal applications interim financial reports and annual financial statements) will be purchased and used. Training on the accounting software for staff will be provided by a consultant. A consultant will be appointed to develop charts of and to customize software. OSS The OSS uses an accrual accounting method as required by the Accounting System for Enterprises promulgated by Law 96-112 of December 1st, 1996. The OSS financial statements are reconciled by December 31 of each fiscal year as follows: a balance sheet statement; an income statement; a statement of treasury flows; and financial statement notes. The information to produce Interim Unaudited Financial Reports (IUFRs) of the project, which needs a cumulative statement since the beginning of the implementation, will be prepared on Excel sheet, compared with the accounting system. 17. As per Circuit Integré des Financements Exterieurs (CIFE) procedures, the project accounting transactions will be reflected into the national financial statements. This will improve reliability of the national financial statements. Following (i) satisfactory reconciliation between financial reporting from CIFE and the project accounting software and (ii) the deconcentration of CIFE at the project, the decision will be made to shift to CIFE. 41 Table 3.4. Internal Control and Internal Auditing: Entity Accounting arrangements, policies and procedures CILSS The existing manual of procedures developed with the support from an international consulting firm is deemed adequate. It includes provisions pertaining to segregation of duties, delegation of authority, fixed asset management, accounts reconciliation. Reliance will be place on it. Internal Audit Function is headed by a Chief Internal Auditor. The principal functions of the Chief Internal Auditor are the following: (i) Audit charter, policy and procedure development, (ii) Risk and control assessment, (iii) Develop and execute the annual audit plan (iv) Investigation audit, (v) Coordination of External Auditors’ assignments. (vi) and perform special audit assignments in line with the audit charter as requested by the Authorizing Officer, the Audit Committee, the Council of Ministers or the authority of Heads of States. IUCN An Internal Audit Unit located at the headquarters performs several audits in the different regional and countries offices using a risk based approach. The recent mission performed at the Burkina Faso Regional Office was in July 2010. A review of the mission report reveals the following insufficiencies: (i) preponderance of cash based transactions, (ii) weakness in control over country offices and programs, and (iii) accounting of payroll and staff benefit not automated. An action plan has been elaborated to implement recommendations to address these issues. To maintain the control environment at the Regional office and better oversee the country offices, it is planned to recruit one internal auditor. The latter will be located at the Regional office. The recruitment of the additional accountant as required in the current FM assessment could also contribute in mitigating the weaknesses above. OSS The OSS does not have an internal audit department, but it has an expenses control, which checks all the payment orders before their submission to the Executive Secretary for signature. The financed project-related transactions will be subject to his regular reviews. The internal control system set within the OSS guarantees the separation of the functions through several levels of independent controls: (i) formal organizational structure, which clearly separates specific functions from independent control mechanisms; (ii) the authorization by the expenses control and the Executive Secretary, who are the signatories of all payment orders. This internal control system has been deemed satisfactory by the Bank. Financial Reporting and Monitoring: 18. The three implementing entities will each have to prepare quarterly Interim Financial Reports (IFRs) during project implementation. IFRs will include the following FM aspects: (i) Sources and uses of funds by funding source and (ii) Uses of funds by activities of the project; (iii) Projected expenditures and cash forecast for the next semester (six months); (iv) Bank reconciliation statement for the Designated Account (DA) and (v) The Operations Account, showing the cash balance available at end of the semester under review. 19. The IFRs will cover all activities financed through the Bank funds. Each interim financial report shall be furnished to the World Bank not later than 45 days after each subsequent calendar quarter, and shall cover such calendar quarter. 42 Table 3.5. Financial report systems Entity Financial reporting systems CILSS CILSS financial reporting arrangements include preparation of interim financial statements each quarter. Indeed, CILSS developed the IFR equivalents for projects financed by EU donors, USAID each quarter. IUCN The current content and format of the IFR of the World Bank project entitled “SPWA - Scaling up the impacts of good practices in linking poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation’’ is deemed acceptable to the Bank. OSS The IFR will be prepared quarterly and transmitted to the Bank 45 days after the end of each quarter. The table templates are included in the project manual of procedures annex. 20. External Auditing: The project’s financial statements (of the entities) will be subject to an annual audit by a reputable, competent and independent auditing firm based on terms of reference that satisfactory to the Bank. In addition to the audit reports, the external auditors will be expected to prepare a Management Letter that includes observations, comments, and providing recommendations for improvements in accounting records, systems, controls and compliance with financial covenants in the respective Grant Agreement. The project will be required to produce, no later than June 30 of the following fiscal year, audited annual financial statements. In line with the new access to information policy, the project will comply with the Bank disclosure policy of audit reports (e.g. make publicly available, promptly after receipt of all final financial audit reports (including qualified audit reports) and place the information provided on its the official website within one month of the report being accepted as final by the team. Funds Flow and Disbursement Arrangements 21. Funds flow. Each implementing entity based in Burkina Faso (CILSS and IUCN) will each open a Designated Account (DA) at the Banque Atlantique Burkina Faso and will receive project proceeds on the basis of the project cash needs. Likewise, OSS will open a DA in Tunis at the Amen Bank. These DAs will be used as transit accounts and as such, funds will be transferred from each DA to discrete transaction accounts. These accounts will be opened at a commercial bank. The Coordinator and the Finance Officer of each implementing entity will be joint signatories of each of these respective accounts. Direct payments will be made to service providers if need be. 22. Disbursement arrangements. The project will use report-based disbursement procedures. Each funding request prepared by each implementing agency will be accompanied by the quarterly IFR, the DA activity statement, the operations accounts activity statement and the up-to-date bank statements. However, for the first year, each implementing agency will use the transactions based disbursement procedures. An assessment will be performed to ensure the report based disbursement described above will be applicable. The project FM staff will be trained on the requirements of designated account funding. Upon receipt of each application of withdrawal of an amount, the Bank shall, on behalf of the recipient, withdraw from the account and deposit into the designated account an amount equal or lesser of: (a) the amount so requested on basis of the cash forecast and IFR, or (b) the amount which the Bank has determined, based on the IFR accompanying the said application. Subsequently, the requested amount will be deposited into the designated account in order to meet the cash needs of the project based on the approved annual joint work program for every six-month period following the date of such report. 43 Figure 3.2. Flow of Funds to CILSS GEF/IBRD Direct payments Interim Financial Reporting PCU (Designated Account in local Bank) Order of transfer PCU Commercial or public bank account Service Providers / Suppliers Legend: Transfers of funds Flow of documents (Interim financial reporting,) Payment to suppliers 44 Figure 3.3. Flow of Funds to IUCN GEF/IBRD Direct payments Interim Financial Reporting PCU (Designated Account in local Bank) Order of transfer PCU Commercial or public bank account Service Providers / Suppliers Legend: Transfers of funds Flow of documents (Interim financial reporting,) Payment to suppliers 45 Figure 3.4. Flow of Funds to OSS GEF/IBRD Direct payments Interim Financial Reporting PCU (Designated Account in local Bank) Order of transfer PCU Commercial or public bank account in Tunis Service Providers / Suppliers Legend: Transfers of funds Flow of documents (Interim financial reporting,) Payment to suppliers 46 Table 3.6. Disbursements by category to be financed from Grant proceeds. Category Amount of the Percentage of Financing Allocated Expenditures to be (in USD) Financed (inclusive of Taxes) (1) Goods, training, operating costs, non- 4,429,630 100% consulting services and consultants’ services under the Project (2) Small-grants under Part 1(b) of the 200,000 100% of amount disbursed Project. TOTAL AMOUNT 4,629,630 Table 3.7. Financial Management Action Plan Significant Action Responsible Completion Weakness or body Risk The three 1. Recruit an additional accountant 1. Three 1. Within one month implementing with adequate and relevant coordination units after effectiveness agencies have a experience and familiar with workload that may Bank FM procedures for each impact project implementing agency performance 2. Recruit an internal auditor for 2. Coordination unit 2. Within one month the project for the IUCN of IUCN after effectiveness 3. Develop a draft Project 3. Three agencies’ 3. Before effectiveness Implementation Manual (PIM) to coordination units ensure appropriate in one intra- implementation of activities agency PIU 4. Train staff to the Bank’s local or 4. Three agencies’ 4. Within two months sub regional training institutions. coordination units after effectiveness Before disbursement, the Bank in one intra- LOA and FM units will provide agency PIU adequate training on report- based disbursement procedures and IFR elaboration The current Purchase accounting software with Coordination unit of Within 2 months after software of IUCN all modules (general accounting, IUCN effectiveness is not adequate for cost accounting, monitoring and project evaluation, fixed assets management. management, preparation of withdrawal application, interim financial reports and annual financial statements) Risk of fraud and Ex post controls: External audit Three coordination During implementation corruption and integrated fiduciary review will units of project be performed. 47 23. Implementation Support Plan: FM implementation support missions will be consistent with a risk-based approach, and will involve a collaborative approach with the three implementing entities and the project team. A first implementation support mission will be performed six months after project effectiveness. Afterwards, the missions will be scheduled by using the risk based approach model and will include the following: (i) monitoring of the financial management arrangements during the supervision process at intervals determined by the risk rating assigned to the overall FM Assessment at entry and subsequently during Implementation (ISR); (ii) integrated fiduciary review on key contracts, (iii) review the IFRs; (iv) review the audit reports and management letters from the external auditors and follow-up on material accountability issues by engaging with the task team leader, Client, and/or Auditors; the quality of the audit (internal and external) also is to be monitored closely to ensure that it covers all relevant aspects and provide enough confidence on the appropriate use of funds by recipients; and, (v) physical supervision on the ground; and (vi) assistance to build or maintain appropriate financial management capacity. 24. Conclusions of the FM Assessment: The overall residual FM risk at preparation is considered Moderate. The proposed financial management arrangements for this project are considered adequate to meet the Bank’s minimum fiduciary requirements.. A4. Procurement Management Arrangements 25. Procurement will be carried out in accordance with the Guidelines On Preventing and Combating Fraud and Corruption in Projects Financed by IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants, known as the “2011 Anti-Corruption Guidelines,� and the Guidelines: Procurement under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits, published by the Bank in January 2011, the Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants by World Bank Borrowers, dated January 2011, the Financing Agreement and the Procurement Plan approved by the Bank. Project activities will involve relatively small amounts of funds, with the possible exception of major studies (which will be submitted for bidding). The Project Implementation Manual (PIM) clarifies procurement mechanisms and modalities. 26. The Bank conducted assessments of the procurement capacities of CILSS, IUCN West and Central Africa Office, and the OSS which conclude that the implementing agencies would have the capacity to carry out and manage the procurement under this financing, provided that the recommended actions are taken before effectiveness. This does not apply to the draft Procurement Plan which should be provided before the approval of the financing. In particular, OSS and IUCN West and Central Africa Office are already receiving World Bank financing for two small projects. 27. Given the current procurement capacity of the implementing agencies, the risk can be rated as Moderate, provided the implementation of the following recommendations: (i) The staff to be involved in procurement will attend, at the beginning of the project, the launch to be acquainted with applicable Bank procedures and particularly keep close contact with the Bank procurement staff assigned for the project, (ii) the CILSS, OSS, and IUCN will each produce a draft Procurement Plan to be compiled as one Procurement Plan by CILSS and then reviewed by the World Bank, (iii) The draft PIM has been prepared together by the three Implementing Agencies in consultation with the Bank. 28. To help mitigate any procurement risks, CILSS will competitively recruit a qualified and experienced procurement consultant. A procurement assistant will also be 48 assigned within CILSS and other implementing agencies and all staff will require continuous training. OSS and IUCN West and Central Africa Office will also assign dedicated procurement staff to the project, supplemented by consultants as needed. A Bank Procurement Specialist will also provide training as necessary and close supervision. B. M&E in the BRICKS project: project level and program level 29. It is important to distinguish between two levels of M&E involving the BRICKS project. First, there is project level M&E, which includes the metrics for measuring the degree of successful implementation of the BRICKS project itself. Second, there is portfolio-level or program-level M&E, which is an activity financed by the BRICKS project; this activity will establish and maintain a regional M&E system to gauge SAWAP portfolio performance. This activity includes associated capacity support on M&E to country project teams in the SAWAP umbrella, supplemented by selected regional monitoring work using remote sensing, etc. B1. Implementing project-level M&E within the BRICKS project 30. The PIU will have overall responsibility for the BRICKS project M&E, including aggregating outputs and data from the implementing agencies into a consolidated M&E report as part of the annual progress reports. Some M&E data (especially activities & outputs) will also be included in quarterly and bi-annual progress reports. 31. The PIU will also develop a data management system to ensure the compilation of data needed for satisfactory project monitoring and evaluation. The PIU will be required to keep detailed records of activities, outputs and expenditures against agreed work plans and following standard formats, including robust financial monitoring. 32. Data reliability at project level. The project’s objectives and indicators were selected to (i) ensure an accurate attribution of the project’s success through its achievement of the PDO and (ii) gauge the ability of regional organizations and participating country projects to report on progress of national level projects in the SAWAP portfolio toward the collective goal of increasing area with SLWM practices. A special effort was made to ensure that the indicators selected are simple and have low-cost data requirements. 33. Project-level M&E risks. Due to differences in M&E capacity in the different implementing agencies it could be challenging to manage the M&E process for this project. More significantly, these differences in capacity could undermine the timely achievement of project outcomes. The project intends to overcome these challenges through inter-agency working groups on M&E and FM and PM, plus capacity strengthening and standardization of data analysis and management instruments of the implementing agencies. 34. Estimated project-level M&E costs amount to US$200,000, and are budgeted under Component 3. B2. Implementing SAWAP Portfolio-level M&E (activity in Component 2) 35. OSS will lead the M&E efforts at the SAWAP Portfolio level, which will help to reinforce knowledge exchange, and design and implementation of next-generation investments on the ground. This in turn reinforces alliances in countries, enhances coalitions around common objectives, and builds trust among SAWAP country 49 operations. The portfolio level aggregation and comparison of country project results will add value via mutual learning and portfolio level reporting. See Box 1 for the higher-order PDO level indicators for the SAWAP at portfolio level. For more detail, see the Program Framework Document of the SAWAP that was approved by the GEF Council in May 2011. Box 3.1. SAWAP portfolio-level indicators to be aggregated by BRICKS project under component 2. Data comes from the 12 individual country investment operations on the ground. 1: Increase in land area with sustainable land and water management practices in targeted areas, compared to baseline (hectares, reported by crop, range, forest, wetlands, protected areas). 2: Changes in vegetation cover in targeted areas, compared to baseline (hectares). 3: Targeted institutions with increased adaptive capacity to reduce risks and respond to climate variability, compared to baseline (#). 4: Change in carbon accumulation rates in biomass and soil, compared to baseline (t/C/ha). 36. The measurement of the success of the SAWAP portfolio involves conceptual challenges that need to be understood early on. Unlike a discrete country level project, the BRICKS project portfolio will be creating baseline as it goes along by adding progressively to aggregate results. Additional metrics will be brought in as relevant, depending on the design and priorities of each of the individual 12 country investment operations. 37. There are challenges of alignment on what to measure (outputs and outcomes), how to measure (selection of indicators), how to report what has been measured (aggregated or not aggregated), and how to approach the utilization within SAWAP of what is known from the M&E system (knowledge management). There are also significant challenges in the collection, analysis, aggregation, and dissemination of relevant information. Linkages among all the actors will be critical and will affect the ability to report results (see Diagram 2 below). 50 Figure 3.5. Proposed Program-level M&E Implementation Arrangements for the Sahel and West Africa Program supported by BRICKS BRICKS Sphere of Direct Influence BRICKS M&E working BRICKS group Advisory (Led by OSS) Committee Aggregated Results Knowledge Sphere of direct influence of SAWAP country investment operations SAWAP Projects’ M&E Units (Country Level) Results SAWAP Project Stakeholders (local/community level) 38. The portfolio-level M&E implementation arrangements rely upon the independent activities of each of the 12 government-implemented SAWAP country operations. To conduct regular portfolio-level analyses of SAWAP, the BRICKS project will rely on SAWAP country project data that will be aggregated by OSS as part of BRICKS project program. See diagram 2 above. SAWAP portfolio-level data aggregation and analysis are financed under BRICKS project Component 2 and led by OSS. However, it is a two-way street. Strong efforts will be made to network country project M&E 51 officers and the M&E team of the BRICKS project (led by OSS) to create a region- wide community of practice on M&E. Furthermore, the country project M&E officers will be requested to be involved in establishing the regional M&E system and helping design the learning program since it will be devised to be implemented on a demand- driven basis. Table 3.8. WB-GEF SAWAP operations and their status as of 24 July 2013 Country Project title / P code Status Total IDA GEF, Other US$ US$ LDCF, US$ million million and/or million (equiv.) (sources SCCF US$ ) million Benin Forests and Adjacent Lands Board 7.56 2.00 5.56 Management Project approved (P132431 IDA / P131051 GEF) Burkina Third Community-Based Rural Board 77.41 70.00 7.41 Faso Development Project approved (P129688 IDA) Fully blended with: Sustainable Land and Forestry Management (P130568 GEF) Chad Emergency Agriculture Board 34.26 25.00 9.26 Production Support Project approved (P126576 IDA) Fully blended with: Sustainable Land and Water Management (P131019 GEF) Ethiopia Sustainable Land Management Under 62.96 50.00 12.96 Project II preparation (P133133 IDA / P133410 GEF) Ghana Sustainable Land and Water Under 13.75 0 8.75 5 Management Project - preparation (GEF-4) Additional Financing (P132100 AF-GEF / P098538 GEF) Mali Natural Resources Management Under 20.42 12.00 8.42 in a Changing Climate Project preparation (P145799 IDA / P129516 GEF) Mauritania Agriculture Sector Support Under 15.20 10 5.20 Project (P143759 IDA) preparation Fully blended with: Sustainable Land Management (P144183 GEF) Niger Community Action Program III Under 48.17 40 4.52 3.65 (P132306 IDA) preparation Fully blended with: Integrated Ecosystem Management (P143079 GEF) Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Board 658.59 500 8.59 150 Management Project approved (govt) (NEWMAP) (P124905 IDA / P126549 GEF) Senegal Sustainable and Inclusive Under 86.02 80.00 6.02 Agribusiness Project preparation 52 (P124018 IDA) Fully blended with: Community Based Sustainable Land Management Project (P130271 GEF) Sudan Sustainable Land and Water Under 7.73 0 7.73 Management Project preparation (P129156 GEF) Togo Integrated Disaster and Land Board 16.96 0 9.16 7.80 Management Project approved (TerrAfrica (P123922 / P124198) and GFDRR Trust Funds) TOTAL Sahel and West Africa Umbrella 1049.03 789 93.58 166.45 Program portfolio of 12 approved country projects by GEF Council May 2011 39. The BRICKS project’s portfolio-level M&E system will also support the identification of best practices for SAWAP project areas. This will help advance the cooperation and communication efforts between the SAWAP country projects. For example, lessons on biodiversity management can be drawn from Sudan’s SAWAP project, which has a strong focus on this area, to another SAWAP project which has a need in this area. The BRICKS project will help create these links through its combined M&E and knowledge management work at portfolio level. 40. The BRICKS project’s Portfolio level M&E system will depend upon the institutional capacities of the implementing agencies, and will provide a basis to build the capacity of these agencies to conduct their core operational tasks outside of the BRICKS project. Key tools and lessons can be used by the broader GGWI platform of which the WB-GEF SAWAP is but one contribution. Institutional Capacity for Portfolio-level M&E 41. The multinational scope and reach of this project requires an M&E system that is robust to facilitate systematic data analysis of data from the SAWAP country projects. It is important that there is M&E capacity to analyze data and to feed it into a central data repository at the project secretariat. Data will be tracked for each of the indicators identified in the Results Framework and will be aggregated by the M&E working group. Capacity of M&E officers of country projects in SAWAP will need to be of sufficient level to network and engage substantively with the regional M&E team led by OSS. For this reason, a program of capacity support will be rolled out as part of the regional learning program for country teams. C. Safeguards Implementation 42. This IPF has been classified as Category C, and triggers no safeguards. D. Role of Partners 43. The BRICKS project is directly financed only by the GEF. Parallel financing is provided through parallel regional projects with which the BRICKS project will be coordinated to avoid duplication and help maximize cost-effectiveness and support a 53 consistent common approach around a shared vision for implementation of the broader GGWI. Summary of partner support to the GGWI 44. The Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative is increasingly rallying a larger number of partners. Under the coordination of the African Union Commission, a number of partners are supporting through different projects GGWI countries to implement long-term, integrated interventions to tackle the cross-cutting nature of land degradation and desertification by promoting good local practices in environmental management and sustainable development (Table 9.1 below for project details). Partners include the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall, the European Commission, the Food and Agricultural Organisation, the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the West African Monetary and Economic Union, the African Forest Forum (AFF), the Association pour la promotion de l’Education et la Formation à l’Etranger (APEFE), CILSS (Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel), the Sahara and the Sahel Observatory (OSS), the NGO network Drynet, the Réseau Sahel Désertification (RéSaD), ECOWAS, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the MDG Center West and Central Africa, the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) Partnership, Wallonie Bruxelles International, WOCAT- Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), the World Bank and many others (See Annex 9 for more details). 54 Annex 4: Operational Risk Assessment Framework (ORAF) Country: Africa Project Name: Building Resilience through Innovation, Communication and Knowledge Services (P130888) Project Stakeholder Risks Stakeholder Risk Rating Moderate Description: Risk Management: Cooperative efforts amongst the country At a political and technical level, countries that founded and joined the GGWI are committed to its projects participating in the World Bank successful implementation, and the GGWI is open to additional countries. GGWI was founded by Sahel and West Africa Program (SAWAP) African Heads of State. in support of the Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI) may be affected by the In addition, at technical level, BRICKS is positioning itself to provide technical operational support prevailing political environment in the from/through CILSS, OSS and IUCN to country projects on a demand-driven basis, which should add Sahel, and to a lesser extent by the fact that readily apparent value for project implementation. Benin, Togo, and Ghana are not part of the GGWI. In addition, not all countries in the The risk associated with the political environment will be mitigated through risk diversification SAWAP umbrella are members of CILSS inherent in project design. First, BRICKS relies on three respected regional implementing agencies with and OSS, which are international footprints in a number of locations. CILSS has offices in Burkina, Mali and Niger. IUCN West and organizations within the region. Central Africa Office has offices in Burkina Faso and Nigeria and the IUCN headquarters is located in Switzerland. OSS is located in Tunisia. Second, BRICKS links to 12 different country operations that These risks are considered moderate go beyond the Sahel. Nonetheless, the Bank team will carefully monitor the situation closely with the largely due to the current political three regional agencies and country project teams and counterparts. environment in the Sahel, but there is an overall ameliorating effect on this risk Resp: All Stage: Both Recurrent: Due Frequency: Status: In because: (i) the projects in the SAWAP Date: Quarterly Progress portfolio will benefit pragmatically from the services provided whether countries are member states or not, and (ii) there is strong ownership among the participating 55 countries and regional organizations of the Great Green Wall Initiative, which was established by Heads of State of participating African countries, and (iii) there is strong international support for the GGWI since it is has shifted focus to take a landscape approach across sectors and themes. Implementing Agency (IA) Risks (including Fiduciary Risks) Capacity Rating Moderate Description: Risk Management: Recent assessments of financial and The project team will rely upon strong on-going PM and FM assessments coupled with strong procurement management for the three accountability measures built in to the project, and complemented by continuous training to CILSS and implementing agencies have concluded that other agencies on PM and FM issues. Accounting systems will be updated as needed to address some of procurement and financial management the system weaknesses anticipated in the assessments. Additional human resources will be brought in systems in place are generally sound. under the project financing, in particular an accountant and an internal auditor at IUCN’s West and While OSS and IUCN West and Central Central Africa Office. Africa Office have experience implementing Bank-financed projects, CILSS does not have recent experience although CILSS is now currently implementing a range of activities financed by other international partners including USAID, the European Union, etc. The three agencies have generally robust capacities in terms of technical expertise, with extensive experience supporting countries on: (i) best land management practices for drought response and land degradation mitigation (CILSS), (ii) GIS and spatial services (OSS), and (iii) 56 biodiversity planning, NRM communication, and pastoralist strategies (IUCN). FM and PM assessments of all three agencies clarified the level of risk as moderate and identified the mitigation actions. The assessment found that, while the necessary staff and expertise are generally in place, there is a need to strengthen procurement and financial capacity. Resp: Client Stage: Both Recurrent: Due Frequency: Status: Not yet Date: Quarterly due Safeguards are classified as C and pose no risks. Governance Rating Low Description: Risk Management: National-level Ministry officials and other Although this is a low risk, BRICKS seeks to work across sectors, by, for example, convening stakeholders from the SAWAP countries agriculture, environment, water and disaster risk management agencies and actors around joint learning might only have authority to speak on programs, such as the May 2013 multi-country TerrAfrica learning event in Ougadougou organized by behalf of their own ministries and not the NPCA and hosted by CILSS and supported by the World Bank Institute for West Africa/SAWAP. This government at large. This risk is very low, is important for the landscape approach being advocated by BRICKS, SAWAP and the broader GGWI. as BRICKS is positioned at a technical While the GGWI governance structure will advocate at political level for landscape approaches and level only, with broader policy and multi-sector policy coordination and development, BRICKS will focus on technical operational support strategic dialogues being taken care of to Bank-financed projects in the SAWAP portfolio, drawing upon lessons learned from outside the through the Bank investment and policy SAWAP portfolio as well. dialogues as well as through GGWI Resp: All Stage: Both Recurrent: Due Frequency: Status: In structures, both of which are outside of the Date: Quarterly Progress control of BRICKS. Project Risks Design Rating Low 57 Description: Risk Management: The project has a focus on aggregation and The structure of the project is designed to mitigate this risk. Each activity is discrete and under the lead diffusion of knowledge and results in the of one of the three implementing agencies; however, a joint workplan has been developed by the three SAWAP portfolio. There is a low risk that agencies so that BRICKS can serve as a one-stop shop for the country projects that BRICKS seeks to not all implementing agencies will serve, and underpin a strong network of practitioners involved in sustainable landscape management. In implement their activities at the same addition, BRICKS will have three grant agreements, one for each IA, so that if one agency encounters speed. implementation difficulties, the other two can continue and even fill the gaps if needed. This underpins a flexible yet robust and simple implementation arrangement as described in Annex 3. Further, the project will also support significant capacity building at regional and country levels. Resp: All Stage: Both Recurrent: Due Frequency: Status: In Date: Quarterly Progress Social and Environmental Rating Low Description: Risk Management: The project is designed to reinforce By providing a platform for joint learning and benchmarking across the portfolio, especially on best environmental and social sustainability by practice technologies, environmental risks can be reduced among the SAWAP-supported projects. The promoting tools and knowledge for task team will closely monitor the operational advisory services provided to country projects from sustainable landscape management. As CILSS, OSS and IUCN to ensure that advice does not contradict established World Bank safeguards. such the project is rated category C on However, BRICKS and its implementing agencies will not provide support to country project safeguards and carries very little risk. teams in preparation or implementation of safeguard instruments. In addition, each country project task team and client in SAWAP will have full responsibility for their respective country project’s safeguards compliance. Resp: All Stage: Implement Recurrent: Due Frequency: Status: Not yet ation Date: Yearly due Program and Donor Rating Low Description: Risk Management: There is a risk, albeit low, presented by the First, the proposed project would focus primarily on providing technical knowledge and monitoring many actors and overlaps at the regional services to the Bank-financed portfolio of 12 country-led projects under the WB-GEF SAWAP level that are working or wish to work umbrella, rather than diffusing efforts and budget that would ensue from providing services to the much more fully on the GGWI. broader GGWI effort (other actors will be free to take up). Second, the proposed project would work 58 directly with proven organizations with on-going and well-accepted mandates in key areas of concern of the project and implemented by respected regional centers of excellence (e.g., CILSS for technical best practices on drought and land degradation management, OSS on spatial services and monitoring, and IUCN on biodiversity advisory services and communication). Last but not least, the proposed project builds upon and adds value to the on-going country efforts in which the Bank has been involved for some time (TerrAfrica-supported SLM investment frameworks, disaster risk management planning, development of a new generation of new large-scale sustainable landscape operations, etc.), and will rely on the existing TerrAfrica platform for coordination of SLM activities. A close partnership between the World Bank and the development partners has been built over 8 years of collaboration under the TerrAfrica partnership and in the past few years on the GGWI. This work will continue through SAWAP and BRICKS as well as on-going implementation of TerrAfrica. The TerrAfrica Secretariat is now managed by the NPCA and the Bank manages a multi-donor trust fund which is financing BRICKS preparation. The project team will maintain and continue to build strong linkages with other development partners, as well as the various country teams within the World Bank. Resp: Both Stage: Both Recurrent: Due Frequency: Status: In Date: Quarterly Progress Delivery Monitoring and Rating Moderate Sustainability Description: Risk Management: The sustainability of capacity strengthening This risk will be managed with a three-pronged approach. interventions post-project is a potential issue warranting close attention. First, the team will work closely with partners through the BRICKS Advisory Committee which is intended to be composed of key GGWI and TerrAfrica actors such as the relevant bodies of the African Union, which has primary responsibility for overseeing the GGWI at regional level. It is intended that the 12 country project coordinators for operations financed in the SAWAP portfolio will be networked together through the BRICKS Advisory Committee, allowing for increased chances for seizing opportunities to cement country-level and regional-level institutional and individual capacities strengthened through BRICKS. Second, the existing technical agencies supported by the proposed project will, by the end of the project, be better equipped and capacitated to continue to provide quality knowledge and monitoring services to institutions and operations supporting the GGWI. One strategy for sustaining capacity in the 59 agencies and throughout the portfolio is that, by the end of BRICKS implementation, the three implementing agencies will have demonstrated their added value to project implementation and will be asked to continue to provide operational services without the need for external financing to kick start the network. Third, BRICKS will be implemented over 6 years. The last two years will be focused on portfolio level monitoring and communication of SAWAP results, as well as basic maintenance of communities of practice – all of which should become mainstreamed into the broader GGWI coordination platform led by the AU and the existing continent-wide TerrAfrica platform led by the NPCA. Resp: Both Stage: Both Recurrent: Due Frequency: Status: In Date: Quarterly Progress Overall Risk Implementation Risk Rating: Moderate Description: The overall implementation risk rating is moderate primarily due to political risks in the region plus financial and procurement management risks among the implementing agencies despite the fact that all are implementing international donor-financed projects, and two agencies (IUCN and OSS) are currently implementing Bank-financed projects. The task team is taking proactive measures to mitigate these risks. 60 Annex 5: Implementation Support Plan Country: Africa Project Name: Building Resilience through Innovation, Communication and Knowledge Services (P130888) 1. Strategy and approach for implementation support: The approach for implementation support is based on the regional scope of BRICKS and the fact that all activities are technical assistance, with no civil works supported under the Project. The goal of this support plan is to ensure that the implementation support to the Implementing Agencies (IAs) is done in an adaptable and efficient manner. 2. Through the Implementation Support Plan (ISP), the Bank will complement the Project’s M&E system by conducting bi-annual supervision missions with a team comprised of relevant expertise (NRM, FM and procurement, communication, geospatial information, etc.). The in-country FM and procurement specialists will also work closely with the PIU that resides at CILSS (in Ouagadougou) and the other two IAs (IUCN in Ouagadougou and OSS in Tunis). 3. Procurement management: Implementation support will include: (i) provision of training to PIU staff as needed on the Bank’s procurement requirements and PROCYS website; (ii) reviewing procurement documents and offering timely feedback to the task team and IAs; (iii) providing guidance on the Bank’s Procurement Guidelines to the IAs; (iv) monitoring procurement progress against the Project’s detailed procurement plan and broader annual workplans; (v) monitoring implementation of contracts conforming with the World Bank’s fiduciary guidelines as well as contract obligations. 4. Financial management: Implementation support will include: (i) provision of training to PIU staff as needed, with an emphasis on the Financial Management System in use at CILSS and how it can be used to meet the Bank’s FM requirements; (ii) reviewing financial management documents and providing timely feedback to the IAs on accounting, reporting and internal controls; (iii) providing guidance on the Bank’s fiduciary guidelines as well as procedures spelled out in the Project Implementation Manual (PIM). 5. Communication support: Communication support will include: (i) support on old and new media approaches as well as the technical issues involved in the Green Wall; (ii) extending and linking with on-going outreach efforts, such as the global Connect4Climate communication campaign and TerrAfrica/NEPAD communication as well as on-going communication activities carried out by the three IAs and GGWI partners (e.g., AU, FAO, UNCCD bodies, etc.). 6. Legal: Implementation support will include: (i) verification that legal conditions have been met, (ii) verification of the Agreements to be entered into between the World Bank and the IAs as part of the overall legal package. The Agreements will regulate implementation support and collaboration of the IAs to achieve the objectives of the Project and to ensure a timely implementation of the Project activities. 61 7. Coordination with other Partners: Implementation support will include: (i) Planning for joint regional meetings or missions, and, (ii) close coordination with multilateral and bilateral development partners, research institutions, and NGOs working together in the context of TerrAfrica, the Great Green Wall Initiative, CAADP, and other related partnerships in which the Bank and the IAs are active participants (See Annex 9). 8. Mid-Term review: A Mid Term Review will be carried out after two years of BRICKS implementation. To prepare for the Mid-Term Review, an independent third-party review of implementation progress will be carried out. Results will provide input to any potentially necessary project revisions or restructuring at the time. The Mid-Term Review will cover, inter alia, review of the Results Framework, review of the ORAF, review of BRICKS ownership by IAs and SAWAP country programs, review of stakeholder participation, financial management and disbursement, procurement processing, and sustainability aspects. Implementation Support Plan 9. BRICKS will require technical support due the nature of the activities to be financed. Active fiduciary implementation support will also be required for the BRICKS project from staff based in both Burkina Faso and Tunisia. Implementation of activities, at the regional level, will require supervision across the three IAs. With procurement and financial management staff based in the country offices, implementation supervision will be effective and efficient, and relatively low-cost, taking into account travel requirements. • Technical inputs needed: Technical inputs will be provided by the TTL, the NRM specialist and other technical project team members, including staff from the Spatial Services Team of the AFR SD Network and the Bank’s Connect4Climate communication team, as well as WBI’s climate practice. As needed, the task team will seek additional highly specialized technical inputs from international partners (AU, FAO, UNCCD bodies) and consultants with whom close coordination and collaboration has been established during project preparation in the context of TerrAfrica and the Great Green Wall Initiative. • Fiduciary requirements and inputs: Training will be provided by the Bank’s financial management specialist and procurement specialist upon commencement of Project implementation. The Financial Management and Procurement Specialists are based in the Burkina Faso and Tunis Country Offices and have already supported CILSS, OSS and IUCN during Project preparation. While formal supervision will be carried out semi-annually, fiduciary support will be provided on an “as needed� basis to support the IAs in a timely and efficient manner. 62 Table 5.1. Implementation support during first two years Time Focus Skills Needed Partner Resource Role Estimate First Guidance on institutional Task Team n/a 6 SWs twelve arrangements and project Leader/Co- months supervision TTL/NRM Specialist Verify that legal conditions Legal counsel n/a 0.5 SW have been met. FM Training and FM Specialist with n/a 2 SWs Supervision experience in Ensure risk mitigating Burkina Faso and measures are functioning as Tunis proposed. Identification of implementation issues early in the life of the project. Procurement Training and Procurement n/a 2 SWs Supervision Specialist with experience in Identification of Burkina Faso and implementation issues early Tunis in the life of the project Training and Support on Disbursement n/a 1 SWs Disbursement issues Officer Guidance on GIS services GIS Specialist Technical 1 SWs input Guidance on implementation Communication Technical 2 SWs of communication strategy Specialist input and coordination with broader GGWI communication work Guidance on knowledge Specialists on NRM, Technical 4 SWs exchanges and best practices, agriculture, input and M&E tools biodiversity, forest, watershed management, terrestrial carbon, M&E, and south- south learning 12-24 Financial Management FM Specialists n/a 1 SWs months supervision: Review financial management arrangements. Disbursement monitoring Disbursement n/a 0.5 SWs Officer Procurement supervision Procurement n/a 2 SWs 63 Specialists Table 5.2. Skills Mix Required Skills Needed Staff Weeks Number of Trips Comments TTL and co-TTL 6 SWs annually Two missions per year Burkina Faso and each and remote support on Washington based rolling basis NRM and/or 8 SWs annually Two missions per year, Washington based additional technical and remote support on specialist(s) rolling basis Senior 4-6 SWs annually Two missions per year Washington based Communication and remote support on Specialist rolling basis FM Specialist 2-4 SWs annually Two missions per year Based in the each and rolling local visits to region IAs (two in Ouagadougou, one in Tunis) Disbursement Officer 2-4 SWs annually n/a Based in the region Procurement 2-4 SWs annually Two missions per year Based in the Specialist each and rolling local visits to region IAs (two in Ouagadougou, one in Tunis) 64 Annex 6: Team Composition Country: Africa Project Name: Building Resilience through Innovation, Communication and Knowledge Services (P130888) Name Title Unit World Bank Staff Stephen Danyo TTL, Senior Natural Resources AFTN1 Management Specialist Emmanuel Nikiema Co-TTL, Senior Natural Resources AFTN1 Management Specialist Ijeoma Emenanjo Natural Resources Management AES/AFTN3 Specialist Madjiguene Seck Communication Specialist AFTN3 Grazia Atanasio Communication Specialist EXT Taoufiq Bennouna Senior Environment Specialist MNSEN Hrishi Patel GIS Specialist AFTN1 Svetlana Khvostova Safeguards Specialist ASPEN Gayatri Kanungo Environment Specialist AFTN3 Paola Agostini Program Coordinator for GEF and AFTN3 TerrAfrica Salimata D. Follea Natural Resources Management AFTN1 Specialist, TTL of Benin project Flavio Chaves Natural Resources Management AFTN3 Specialist, TTL of Ghana project Asferachew Abate Abebe Environment Specialist, TTL of AFTN1 Sudan project Amos Abu Senior Environment Specialist AFTN1 Dahlia Lotayef Lead Environment Specialist, TTL AFTN2 of Ghana project Shelley Mcmillan Senior Water Resources Specialist AFTN3 TTL of Togo project Maman-Sani Issa Senior Environment Specialist, AFTN2 TTL of Mali project Amadou Alassane Senior Agriculture Specialist, TTL AFTA1 of Niger project Berengere Prince Senior Environmental Specialist AFTN3 Mamata Tiendrebeogo Senior Procurement Management AFTPW Specialist (Burkina Faso Country Office) Boubacar Diallo Procurement Management AFTPW Specialist (STC, Burkina Faso Country Office) Edith Tchoko Financial Management Specialist AFTMW (Burkina Faso Country Office) Walid Dhouibi Procurement Specialist (Tunisia MNAPC Country Office) Lamyae Hanafi Benzakour Financial Management Specialist MNAFM (Tunisia Country Office) Moez Makhlouf Financial Management Specialist MNAFM (STC, Tunisia Country Office) 65 Claudia Perdinas Orcanas Lawyer LEGAM Mei Wang Lawyer LEGAM Alexandra Sperling Legal Analyst LEGAM Eunan Ugonna Onyenuma Disbursement Specialist CTRLN Beula Selvadurai Program Assistant AFTN3 Aurore Simbananiye Program Assistant AFTN3 Kirsten Spainhower Consultant AFTN3 66 Annex 7: GEF Incremental Cost Analysis Country: Africa Project Name: Building Resilience through Innovation, Communication and Knowledge Services (P130888) A. Background 1. The state of soil, water, and vegetation cover resources in Sahelian and West African semi-arid and humid landscapes has been steadily deteriorating as a result of demand for more food, fodder, fuelwood, and water from increasingly stressed ecosystems supported growing human populations. Being so dependent on natural wealth, the fates of West African and Sahelian countries are linked through weather, climate, transboundary rangelands and watersheds, as well as human migration and trade. These aspects are in turn affected by land use decisions. The landscape integrates all livelihoods that depend on farm, forest, range, wetlands, or water habitats. Land makes up 70% of the natural resource base, provides 70% of rural employment and 70% of energy use via fuel wood and charcoal (TerrAfrica/FAO/WB 2010). The erosion of natural wealth brings with it livelihoods disruption, insecurity, vulnerability, and reduced economic growth opportunities. But as described further below (and in Annex 8 on best practices), there is cause for optimism and a strong rationale for scaling up investment based on this optimism. 2. Soils in the Sahel are characteristically fragile and erosion-prone, low in carbon and deficient in soil nutrients needed for robust crop productivity. Increases in productivity can reduce pressure on the use of contiguous natural resources including wetlands, grasslands, and forest resources. Therefore, when these soils are inadequately managed, the consequence in terms of human welfare and environmental sustainability can be dramatic. Sahelian soils have excessive levels of sand and silt, and low levels of clay, and this makes them highly prone to crusting during periods of torrential rainfall. As a result, high water runoff rates (over 40%of total annual rainfall) are commonplace in these landscapes, leading to annual soil losses of up to 100 tons per hectare per year. Due to the absence of tree cover, wind erosion can induce an added annual soil loss of over 150 tons per hectare 14. Erosion is a major setback to ecosystem function in the Sahel and West Africa. 3. Land degradation can lead to carbon emissions by reducing aboveground biomass as well as reducing soil carbon. Estimates of global impacts from various aspects of land degradation are still under study, and in some cases significant differences in opinion exist. Nonetheless estimates of carbon losses associated with degradation do indicate a potentially significant emission reduction potential from reducing degradation. A principal cause of land degradation on grazing land is the encroachment of croplands. When grazing lands are converted to cropland, 95% of above-ground carbon, and up to 50% of below-ground carbon can be lost 15. For example, Ringius (2002) finds that in degraded semiarid savannas, soil carbon levels fell by 40% in 3-5 years in sandy soils and in 5-10 years in clay soils as a result of cropland encroachment. 14 Ringius, L. 2002. Soil carbon sequestration and the CDM: opportunities and challenges for Africa. Climatic Change 54:471–495. 15 Reid, R. S., P. K. Thornton, G. J.McCrabb, R. L. Kruska, F.Atieno, AND P. G. Jones. 2004. Is it possible to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in pastoral ecosystems of the tropics? Environment, Development and Sustainability 6:91–109. 67 Such degradation of terrestrial carbon sinks is important for landscape resilience, as carbon is a proxy indicator of overall ecosystem health. 4. The historic climate variability and projected climate change in the area add to these challenges, expanding the region’s adaptation deficit. Climate variability and change in the Sahel has impacted agriculture and land-use, ecosystems and biodiversity, human settlements, diseases and health, and hydrology and water resources. The Sahel is characterized by strong climatic variations and an irregular rainfall that ranges between 200mm and 600 mm with variations of 15 to 30%. The succession of dry years and wet years is a typical feature of the region’s climate. Therefore, the natural systems in this region, and the people and economies dependent on them, owe their existence to the ability of the systems to adapt to changing rainfall. In the 20th century, the Sahel region experienced three significant drought periods including 1910-1916, 1941-1945, and the long period of sustained diminishing rainfall that encompassed the 1970s, most of the 1980s, and part of the 1990s. The annual rainfall values of 1983 and 1984, during this prolonged drought, were among the lowest ever recorded in the history of the region. Against this backdrop, careful landscape management is required to secure a range of ecosystem services, yet only in a few places are landscape approaches taken. 5. Accumulating greater carbon in rangeland, forested land, and agricultural land in the region has the potential to generate intertwined benefits for the global and local environment as well as local and regional economies. This is done by empowering land users to put in place improved land use and management systems that contribute to resilient climate change mitigation coupled with productivity enhancements and returns to production systems. Estimates show that only about 2% of the global soil organic carbon (SOC) reserves are found in West Africa 16. The degradation and depletion of carbon stocks in these ecosystems has been shown to reduce ecosystem productivity, which in turn reduces the livelihood capacity of the local population and leads to impoverishment. The fourth IPCC assessment report shows that enhanced grazing land management has the second highest technical potential for mitigating carbon emissions from agricultural management changes, at over 1,400 Mt CO2 equivalent (CO2e) per year by 2030, exclusively from carbon sequestration 17. The world’s grasslands store 200,000–420,000 MtC; due to less favorable agro-ecological conditions, the average SOC density (42–45 t C.ha-1) measured to the depth of 1m is lower than the average found for the whole of Africa (64–67 tC.ha-1). Batjes (2004) shows that the potential for sequestering carbon in soils (per unit area) decreases as annual precipitation decreases and as mean temperatures increase. A study from Senegal found that total system carbon varies from 12 t C.ha- 1 .yr-1 on degraded rangelands to 31.2 tC.ha-1.yr-1 in lands covered with dispersed trees. Data presented by Tiessen et al 18, who show a 20–30% difference in carbon storage in the upper 20-cm layer between degraded and non-degraded savannas in an area of Senegal with 500–650 mm annual average rainfall. As severity of degradation increases, erosion is likely to increase, resulting in a decrease of carbon sequestration potential as associated costs for rehabilitation increase 19. Batjes (2004) estimated the 16 Batjes, N. H. 2001. Options for increasing carbon sequestration in West African soils: an exploratory study with special focus on Senegal. Land Degradation & Development 12:131–142. 17 IPCC. 2007. Agriculture. In: Climate change 2007. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge, United Kingdom. 18 Tiessen, H., C. Feller, E. V. S. B.Sampaio, and P. Garin. 1998. Carbon sequestration and turnover in semi-arid savannas and dry forests. Climatic Change 40:105–117. 19 Conant, R. T., and K. Paustian. 2002. Potential soil carbon sequestration in overgrazed grassland ecosystems. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 16:11–43. 68 carbon sequestration from refining grazing practices on only 10% of degraded grasslands in Africa would still generate a significant mitigation benefit: in the range of 13–28 Mt C yr-1. 6. With regard to biomass carbon stock, traditional agroforestry systems (parklands), especially F. albida parklands, stored more carbon than improved agroforestry systems (live fence and fodder bank) or abandoned land. Natural regeneration, and reforestation as well as silvopastoral systems are also important strategies, generating increases in both biomass carbon and SOC stocks. These can result in a carbon gain of 41 tC.ha-1 above the current carbon stocks in the Sahel. Land management practices implemented by farmers in Burkina Faso and Niger have also changed unproductive agricultural landscapes into intricate agricultural systems with additional and more diverse vegetation – most notably through the success story of farmer-managed natural regeneration in Niger on 5 million hectares of degraded land using simple low-cost techniques. 7. Farmers in the Sahel have been known to conserve carbon, in soils, through the use of cover crops, water harvesting, agroforestry, mulching and other soil and water conservation techniques. Several types of land use changes may increase carbon stocks on rangelands. One technique gaining popularity among farmers in the Sahel is zaï which involves digging several 20-to-80cm-diameter pits scattered over coarsened fields, partly filled with organic residues at the conclusion of the dry season. In Burkina Faso, it is estimated that, due to these types of practices, thousands of hectares of degraded land have been rehabilitated in the region; trees on the rehabilitated land are larger and represent a wider range of species than seen before. Also, water levels in local wells have improved significantly since these land rehabilitation practices started. The increased water recharge appears to result from expansions in rehabilitated lands and not from increases in rainfall. Agroforestry practices may also improve the resilience of local ecosystems by improving the local microclimate and reducing evapotranspiration. In the Sahel, where adverse impacts of climate change are expected, farmers appreciate the role of trees in buffering against production risk. A study on Faidherbia albida – millet parkland system in Niger 20 demonstrated that shade-induced reduction of soil temperatures, particularly at the time of crop establishment, is critical for suitable millet growth. 8. But there is cause for optimism. Macro level pessimism around a degrading natural resource base has been overshadowing micro-level gains in sustainable land management, gains that can be scaled up. Economically valuable land management practices are being implemented right now that are reducing climate risks, raising yields and lowering yield variability, protecting valuable soil, strengthening resilience against disasters and shocks, recharging aquifers, protecting biodiversity, reducing sedimentation, storing carbon, and generating profits and livelihoods for the poor. The scaling challenge for many of the land management techniques is largely found in the enabling environment, in particular in identifying innovation, strategic communication among innovators, and institutionalizing this knowledge. 9. To address these land degradation climate related risks and to capitalize on the aforementioned, proven, mitigation options, 12 countries are participating in the World Bank/GEF Sahel and West Africa Program (SAWAP), which to date has seen three of its 13 projects approved by the Bank Board. SAWAP is the Bank’s main 20 Kho, R., B. Yacouba, M. Yaye, B. Katkore, A. Moussa, A. Iktam, and A. Mayaki. 2001. Separating the effects of trees on crops: the case of Faidherbia albida and millet in Niger. Agroforestry Systems 52:219. 69 support to the continent’s Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI). The SAWAP objective is to expand sustainable land and water management in targeted landscapes and in climate vulnerable areas in West African and Sahelian countries. Through the SAWAP, the Bank is supporting Sahelian and West African countries to secure more food, fiber, and freshwater while shielding natural assets in the face of climate variability and change. These challenges are all highly knowledge intensive, yet countries are not fully equipped to respond to these interwoven challenges that compromise economic growth and equity. In particular, the many national institutions and sectors involved are not adequately prepared to: (i) monitor natural resources or key management processes, (ii) generate or share knowledge, or (iii) plan or budget strategically for scaling up proven technologies and approaches, or (iv) effectively respond to and recover from recurring natural disasters. With support from TerrAfrica and operations supported by the Bank, FAO, IFAD, and/or UNDP, some countries in the region have prepared multi-sector investment plans for sustainable land management actions. 10. Regional institutions could play a much stronger role in reinforcing countries to monitor and benchmark their efforts, and to share knowledge on what works, and how to scale it up and sustain it. There are a number of regional institutions working in the region, each concerned with aspects of the broader, system-wide challenge faced. There is no single regional institution covering the many sectors or themes involved, nor is there a single regional institution that covers all Sahelian states on any of the issues involved. As a result, a networked approach to service delivery is required, building on existing operational partnerships. Arguably, the most technically relevant regional public African institution is the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), a technical agency serving member states that roughly correspond to the current set of participating countries in the GGWI. Nevertheless, regional actors will need to work together to provide coherent, pragmatic knowledge and monitoring services to countries. In particular, the OSS, Agrhymet (of the CILSS), and the IUCN are all active in monitoring and knowledge dissemination in the region. 11. The proposed BRICKS: “Building Resilience through Innovations, Communication, and Knowledge Services Project (BRICKS) for the SAWAP would provide M&E support and opportunities for sharing knowledge and good practices among the 12 Bank-financed country projects in the SAWAP umbrella. This approach strategically adds value by creating a platform for joint learning among Bank clients and specifically SAWAP project teams working on investments to generate multiple benefits from healthy landscapes – whether the entry point is erosion, carbon retention, climate adaptation, agriculture, forest, water resources, and soil fertility, drought, disaster risk reduction, or livelihoods. By capitalizing on this added value, the proposed project would enhance the prospects for successful implementation and scale-up of on-the-ground interventions by improving country client capacity and efficiencies in adopting good practices and successful innovations on integrated natural resource and disaster risk management through joint learning and comparable portfolio level M&E. The project is also closely aligned with other partner support to the GGWI at regional level. 70 B. Link with GEF Strategies 12. Given that the SAWAP umbrella is multi-focal and multi-trust fund, BRICKS supports several GEF-5 strategic goals, especially those of the land degradation and climate change mitigation focal areas, but also those of the biodiversity focal area, the sustainable forest management, and adaptation funds. The specific strategic contributions of BRICKS include: • Contributing to arresting and reversing current global trends in land degradation, specifically desertification and deforestation. • Contributing to supporting developing countries and economies in transition toward a low-carbon development path (from improved land management and land use). • Achieving multiple environmental benefits from improved management of all types of forests, and LULUCF. • Contributing to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and the maintenance of ecosystem goods and services. • Contributing to adaptation of livelihoods, natural systems, and built infrastructure to climate variability and change. 13. GEF incremental support to BRICKS will be utilized to support the 12 SAWAP projects that will generate a range of global environmental benefits in the 12 participating countries. Examples of the types of benefits generated from the 12 country level projects include, among others: a. Adaptive management and learning: Increase capacity to apply adaptive management tools in SLM/SFM/INRM; examples include: i. Information, education, and communication for communities in the context of the GGWI (Chad project), ii. Information on good SLM technologies gathered and disseminated through farmer field schools and other farmer-to-farmer exchanges that expand networks of farmer innovators (all country projects), iii. Knowledge base will support capacity strengthening efforts and also the dissemination of information on integrated natural resources management technologies leading to carbon benefits from avoided deforestation and natural regeneration (Togo project), iv. Improved capacity among project teams on process and impact monitoring with a special emphasis on biophysical change, via greater use of new and adapted tools and methodologies to monitor global environmental benefits (all country projects). b. Promote conservation and enhancement of carbon stocks through sustainable management of land use, land-use change, and forestry; examples include: i. Agroforestry, natural forest regeneration, cover-cropping etc. (Ethiopia and Niger projects), ii. Evaluation of carbon stock in forest formation and agroforestry, and assessment of carbon sequestration potentials of local forest landscapes (Burkina Faso project), 71 iii. Community conservation areas contributing to arresting and reversing current trends in land degradation (Nigeria project), c. Agriculture and rangeland systems: Maintain or improve flow of agro- ecosystem services sustaining the livelihoods of local communities; examples include: i. Securing water quality and quantity, by scaling up proven participatory watershed management approaches and SLM practices (Ethiopia project), ii. Conserving in-situ agro-biodiversity, by integrated management of dryland forest and mobile pastoralism regimes (Sudan project), iii. Accumulating biomass carbon stocks through increased vegetation cover (all 12 country projects), iv. Adapting agricultural landscapes to climate variability and change by scaling up farmer-managed natural regeneration (Ethiopia and Niger projects). 14. The table below lists the GEF objectives, outcomes and core outputs to which this project contributes through the 12 SAWAP country operations. Table 7.1. Select GEF Objectives, Outcomes, and Core Outputs Focal Areas Objectives Expected Outcomes Core Outputs LD-3: Integrated Landscapes: Outcome 3.1: Enhanced cross- Output 3.2 INRM tools and Reduce pressures on natural sector enabling methodologies developed and resources from competing land environment for integrated tested uses in the wider landscape landscape management Output 3.4 Information on INRM technologies and good practice guidelines disseminated LD-4: Adaptive Management Outcome 4.2: Improved GEF and Learning: Increase portfolio monitoring using Output 4.2: GEF-financed capacity to apply adaptive new and adapted tools and projects contribute to management tools in SLM/ methodologies SLM/SFM/INRM SFM/INRM by GEF and UNCCD knowledge base Parties CCM-5: LULUCF: Promote conservation Outcome 5.1: LULUCF Output 5.2: Forests and non- and enhancement of carbon stocks through adopted both within the forest forest lands under good sustainable management of land use, land- land and in the wider management practices use change, and forestry landscape C. Link with the SAWAP in Support of the Great Green Wall 15. BRICKS is the hub and anchor for the SAWAP portfolio of 12 country projects, and as such it can be considered another brick in the Great Green Wall. Through the 12 country projects, BRICKS adds value to the country investments that are addressing major natural resource and climate related issues including soil health, vegetation cover, biomass carbon emissions, genetic diversity, and ecosystem resilience. In this way, BRICKS and the broader SAWAP ultimately support country efforts to improve ecosystem services that underpin water and food security and protect 72 economic growth in fragile dryland areas and the humid zones linked to them via trade, land use change, migration, pastoralism, and weather patterns. 16. The BRICKS project will aggregate the SAWAP program’s indicators to allow portfolio-level reporting and help establish and drive a feedback loop on portfolio- wide learning. The key Program-level SAWAP indicators that BRICKS will aggregate include: • Program indicator 1. Increase in land area with sustainable land and water management (SLWM) practices in targeted areas, compared to baseline (hectares, reported by crop, range, forest, wetlands, protected areas). • Program indicator 2. Changes in vegetation cover in targeted areas, compared to baseline (hectares). • Program indicator 3. Targeted institutions with increased adaptive capacity to reduce risks and respond to climate variability, compared to baseline (#). • Program indicator 4. Change in carbon accumulation rates in biomass and soil compared to baseline (tC/ha). D. Summary of GEF Incremental Reasoning 17. Abstract. The rationale for GEF and Bank involvement in BRICKS is to apply and leverage knowledge across a substantial, highly visible portfolio of sustainable landscape investments that together will help secure global environmental public goods as a fundamental strategy for securing economic growth, equity, and livelihoods opportunities in an era of increasing climate variability and change. A strong knowledge base is needed to underpin this agenda and promote evidence-based policymaking and investment. The BRICKS Project can help make a difference if the 12 SAWAP country project teams are motivated to do more together than they could alone, with BRICKS catalyzing a multi-country platform for joint action -- a platform that is a strategic contribution to the broader GGWI. The combined GEF resources of US$4.629M will enhance the benefits under the baseline scenario of US$10M, which is composed of in-kind contributions of US$5M from the regional BRICKS implementing agencies: CILSS, OSS and IUCN; and US$5M in parallel associated financing from the TerrAfrica Leveraging Fund (TLF). 21 18. The BRICKS project’s PDO and GEO is to improve accessibility of best practices and monitoring information within the Sahel and West Africa Program portfolio on sustainable land use and management. Overall, the GEF resources will help strengthen regional institutions – centers of excellence – that will become better equipped to provide advisory services to investment operations on the ground, thereby contributing to post-project sustainability. As such, the global environmental benefits described below will be delivered by the 12 country operations in the SAWAP portfolio. 19. Without GEF support for the BRICKS project, unexploited economies of scale for SAWAP would persist. There would be limited exchanges of knowledge and information, fewer chances for benchmarking, a weaker community of practice, and 21 The TerrAfrica Leveraging Fund (TLF) is a flexible multi-donor trust fund managed by the World Bank to implement the priorities established by the TerrAfrica Executive Committee and the Strategic Business Planning Framework. It supports the implementation of the priorities set by the Executive Committee of the TerrAfrica under the framework of its joint Annual Work Program. As seed money, the TLF mainly provides support to activities that have the potential to promote and leverage wider investment in sustainable land and water management. 73 weaker technical capacities in the SAWAP portfolio and among the regional and national implementing agencies. 20. With GEF support for the BRICKS project, country operations in the SAWAP would have greater technical capacity to monitor and report on global environmental benefits of interest to the GEF; economies of scale would be leveraged; and there would be stronger cohesion between the national and regional institutions, and a much stronger community of practice across the region that will be better positioned and capacitated to contribute to the aims of the GGWI and the SAWAP umbrella. 21. Below is further detail on the GEF incremental reasoning, starting with an analysis of the baseline scenario (SAWAP without GEF); and then an analysis of the incremental financing scenario (SAWAP with GEF). D.1 Baseline Scenario: SAWAP without GEF Financing for BRICKS 22. Under the baseline scenario (i.e. in the absence of GEF assistance for BRICKS), each project now part of SAWAP would be implemented in a more isolated manner, and regional institutions would be less able to provide operational services to enhance the implementation of these projects. Opportunities for greater portfolio quality and impact would be foregone in the absence of a structured regional mechanism for the SAWAP countries to (i) share lessons learned and disseminate innovation; and (ii) deploy ICT and landscape monitoring tools and carry out benchmarking that could help improve individual project performance. Also, potential economies of scale and multiplier effects would likely remain unrealized, and opportunities lost to improve implementation and project design quality that attends knowledge exchange and a portfolio-wide community of practice on key environmental topics such as terrestrial carbon management and land degradation. Key shortfalls and untapped opportunities under the baseline scenario are detailed in the following paragraphs. 23. Unexploited economies of scale for SAWAP and the GGWI: Without GEF financing, significant shortfalls would exist due to insufficient regional coordination and many ongoing and planned SAWAP and GGWI activities would remain fragmented with lost opportunities for achieving economies of scale and building regional cohesion on the SAWAP agenda. For example, the aggregation and benchmarking of SAWAP country project results will benefit the country projects by improving their outcomes, thereby better contributing to the objectives of the GGWI. 24. Fragmented knowledge exchange and information sharing: In the absence GEF support, knowledge exchange among the SAWAP projects and between the regional agencies would be ad-hoc and sporadic. Based on the status quo, the SAWAP portfolio would lack regional integration, facilitation and operational support; and as a result, potential dialogue among these stakeholders would be limited to external regional events and international gatherings. The SAWAP projects and regional implementing agencies would be less able to share operational knowledge on themes found throughout the SAWAP portfolio such as: (i) impact monitoring of global and national environmental public goods (vegetation cover change, carbon, species diversity, ecosystem health), (ii) identification, characterization and quantification of best land management practices, (iii) approaches for sequestering carbon in biomass and soil, geospatial analysis, impact evaluation, watershed and land use planning, (iv) assessments on hydrology, biodiversity, and other important project themes, (v) 74 economics of land and natural resource management, and (vi) strategic communication on the themes addressed by the program. 25. Weaker technical capacities among the regional implementing agencies and participating countries to coordinate on key global environmental challenges: Without GEF support, constraints for regional economies of scale and coordination at the technical level would continue, hindering progress toward securing multi-functional landscapes and attendant carbon benefits and ecosystem services that underpin food and water security as well as resilience to shocks. For example, without GEF financing, individual SAWAP country projects would be less able to efficiently access regional networks of relevant technical expertise. 26. The total baseline cost of the BRICKS project is US$10M. Of this, US$5M is from the regional implementing agencies in the form of in-kind and parallel cash co-financing (CILSS US$2.5M, OSS US$1.8M, and IUCN US$0.7M) and US$5M is parallel associated cash financing from the TLF managed by the World Bank. The GEF increment is US$4.629M, for a project total of US$14.629M. 27. The specific activities financed under the baseline scenario are summarized in Table 7.2 below. These existing and planned activities are supported by the TerrAfrica Leveraging Fund (TLF, financed by the EU and other donors) and by the three implementing agencies as part of their commitment to the GGWI and related efforts. Yet the baseline support alone is not sufficient to support SAWAP implementation and its contribution to the broader GGWI. There are incremental costs that need to be covered to realize SAWAP’s potential. D.2 SAWAP with GEF Financing for BRICKS 28. The GEF incremental scenario has been strategically designed to address the above shortfalls and constraints in the baseline scenario. The Project Development Objective of BRICKS is to improve accessibility of best practices and monitoring information within the SAWAP portfolio on integrated management of natural resources, climate change, and natural disasters. 29. With better access to innovation, communication, and knowledge services, investments in the SAWAP portfolio will be better prepared to deliver global benefits described in each individual country project document such as reduced land degradation, greater carbon accumulation in soil and biomass, habitats and ecosystems more conducive to biodiversity conservation, forest better managed to generate a range of carbon and biodiversity benefits, and to help close the adaptation deficit facing land use sectors in rural and urban settings. 30. With incremental GEF support, BRICKS will provide financing for critical activities that are currently not adequately covered by other donors or by the regional implementing agencies. The added value of the GEF-financed activities are summarized as follows. 31. Leveraging economies of scale through enhanced regional coordination among the SAWAP projects: Incremental support from GEF offers a significant opportunity to support sound coordination between SAWAP projects (and other projects supporting the GGWI), to improve collaboration between countries and the BRICKS implementing 75 agencies, and to reinforce partnership among international partners of the GGWI at a technical level. The GEF Alternative will help to realize significant economies of scale by supporting reducing the transaction costs associated with the regional coordination of planned SAWAP and GGWI activities. . For example, for country projects outside the SAWAP that are also part of the GGWI, the same tools could be used once a GGWI entity is fully operational on M&E for the GGWI. 32. Enhanced technical capacities among the regional implementing agencies and participating countries to coordinate on key global environmental challenges: The GEF increment will support countries to address an important constraint to reliable and accurate information. For example, BRICKS will further strengthen capacity of OSS to deliver services to country projects on geo-spatial analysis and modeling capacity. The project will support (i) the establishment of an inter-agency Sahel and West Africa GIS Services Team, (ii) the development and delivery of a regional digital atlas on land and water resources, GHG fluxes from land use and management, and climate risks, and (iii) the development of a public-domain regional data platform to provide near real- time remote sensing data and analysis. This work will build on existing datasets generated from past OSS activities. 33. Strengthened regional cohesion for improved program impact: To support the implementation of SAWAP portfolio and help build capacity in the region on sustainable landscapes, the GEF increment will foster close operational relationships between and among regional technical agencies and country project teams. These relationships will also allow for continuous identification of specific needs country project teams, and therefore, the deployment of added expertise if needed to enhance country project performance. In addition, the project will identify and deploy evidence and guidance from farmers and regional and international specialists on proven innovations and scaling strategies from within the SAWAP portfolio, from the broader GGWI region, as well as globally. 34. The GEF increment has been designed in three components as follows (a detailed description of project activities is in Annex 2). 35. Component 1 - Knowledge management (GEF: US$2.36M). The outcome of this component is: Operational knowledge inside and outside the SAWAP portfolio is regularly exchanged through a regional learning hub that networks institutions and individuals that are implementing 12 country investment operations. This component finances goods, services, operating costs, travel, and training to support the following activities: a. Networking country project teams and key stakeholders for structured learning, which includes (CILSS leads 22, US$1,000,000): i. Establishing a regional decision support web portal (US$200,000), ii. Identifying and disseminating best practices (US$200,000), iii. Holding regular south-south learning events, training, and periodic study tours for the 12 SAWAP project teams (US$600,000), a. Providing competitive regional innovation grants for technical assistance to develop information and communication tools (CILSS leads, US$200,000), 22 WOCAT backstopping/contracted as required, and networking other implementing agencies and partners. 76 b. Establishing an operations services facility for SAWAP projects on key implementation topics related to environmental public goods: i. Facilitation and brokering of expertise (CILSS leads, US$98,500), ii. A technical peer review panel (OSS leads, US$198,500), iii. An operations support pool (IUCN leads, US$185,500), c. Carrying out a series of regional environmental economic analyses (such as benefit-cost, ecosystem valuations) (CILSS leads but CILSS, OSS, and IUCN each have a research budget line of US$100,000. Total: US$300,000). d. Strategic communication (IUCN leads, US$373,000). 36. The GEF funds supporting component 1 will strengthen communication and knowledge flows at the regional level, enhance the visibility of project activities, and disseminate the results of the project. It will contribute to developing and integrating a system of knowledge acquisition and management by building a scientific peer review pool, carrying out a series of regional economic analyses, and developing a communication strategy to support the project’s efforts. It will also support the identification and deployment of evidence and technical guidelines on proven best practices from the SAWAP portfolio, broader GGWI region and globally. The GEF support will ultimately lead to increased technical capacity in the SAWAP country projects by facilitating south- south learning and networking among country-level practitioners involved in project planning, implementation, communication, and M&E. 37. Component 2 – Program monitoring support (GEF: US$1.65M). There are two outcomes from this component. First, additional monitoring tools and training are deployed at regional and country levels to track processes and impacts from the portfolio of projects. Second, the SAWAP portfolio is regularly monitored against a set of thematic and process indicators. This component finances goods, services, operating costs, and training to support the following activities: e. Aggregating and benchmarking results and M&E system development support in the SAWAP portfolio of 12 projects (OSS leads, US$280,000), f. Delivering participatory training and expert support on M&E to country project teams. Special emphasis will be placed on measuring biophysical change and carbon flux in land use and management systems in the portfolio, and providing support to country project teams on applying M&E tools (OSS leads, US$280,000), g. Monitoring, modeling and mapping land and water resources and land use change in the regional portfolio, including carbon modeling to help estimate the portfolio’s contribution to climate change mitigation. This includes carbon storage in biomass and soil, as well as changes in GHG emissions due to land use change and management, using existing monitoring and geospatial tools. This activity also includes establishing an inter-agency GIS Services Team and opportunities for networking and capacity building for project teams and regional actors, development of a regional digital atlas on land and water resources, GHG fluxes from land use and management, and climate risks, and development of a regional data platform to provide near real-time remote 77 sensing data and analyses in appropriate formats to country project teams on the ground (OSS leads, US$850,000). h. Establish and promote an impact evaluation platform. (CILSS leads US$240,000). 38. The GEF support for Component 2 will lead to increased efficiencies and reduced transaction cost in securing expertise in natural resource monitoring and geospatial analyses, which in turn will help in vetting innovative technologies for scaling up in country investment operations as well as contribute to regional integration and trans- boundary resource use planning and monitoring (e.g., grazing corridors, groundwater, shared surface water). The GEF funds will allow the project to facilitate participatory training and expert support on landscape monitoring and geospatial services to country project teams, with an eye to modernizing natural resource monitoring in the region’s major investment programs. An impact evaluation platform will also be developed to strengthen dialogues around the design of investment activities and policies that can generate durable results. The impact evaluation platform will support the sharing of existing relevant impact evaluations, findings, methodologies, and expertise, advocate for using impact evaluation in project and policy development and implementation, and convene a cadre of impact evaluation practitioners that can be deployed to countries. 39. Component 3 - Project management (GEF: US$0.62M). The outcome of this component is that the management of the regional BRICKS Project is carried out efficiently and effectively. 40. Activities. This component will finance goods, services, operating costs, travel, and training for all three implementing agencies (CILSS, OSS, IUCN) to provide administrative functions including monitoring of BRICKS activities to ensure that the project remains focused on providing useful and demand-driven services to the project portfolio. The component will establish a Project Coordination Unit hosted by CILSS who will compile and aggregate project fiduciary and results reporting from all three agencies. (Total US$624,130 GEF. This breaks down as US$289,630 to CILSS, US$91,000 to OSS, and US$169,325 to IUCN). 41. GEF financing allocated to this component will support administrative functions including monitoring of BRICKS implementation to ensure that the project remains focused on providing useful and demand-driven services to the project portfolio. BRICKS Project management represents 10% of the total project cost. 78 Table 7.2. Incremental Costs GEF incremental activity Baseline activity Global Benefits Incremental Costs (US$) Component 1 Establishing a regional decision GGWI collaboration platforms Stronger networks of practitioners and better accessibility to Baseline: 550,000 support web portal. The web portal developed without the contribution of best practices and monitoring information within the Increment: 200,000 will be linked to each of the 12 experiences and investment leveraged SAWAP portfolio on integrated management of natural SAWAP projects’ information from the WB-GEF SAWAP portfolio. resources, climate change, and natural disasters. systems related to knowledge The implementing agencies are management, M&E, geospatial data currently part of an effort to develop a Improved links established between the 12 SAWAP country and analysis, and project comprehensive GGWI platform that projects due to new and existing SLWM knowledge being management, as well as existing includes baseline surveys on sub- disseminated through the various mechanisms including country knowledge/data platforms. regional programs, data collection, and regional and country platforms where they exist. reporting on GGWI progress in Sahelian West Africa. Improved understanding of methods for delivering investment in sustainable landscapes at scale. The TLF is financing the maintenance of the TerrAfrica regional Knowledge With better access to information and data, investments in Base, website, and land and climate data the SAWAP portfolio will be better prepared to deliver platforms in three Sahelian countries. global benefits described in each individual project such as reduced land degradation, greater carbon accumulation in soil and biomass, habitats and ecosystems more conducive to biodiversity conservation, forest better managed to generate a range of carbon and biodiversity benefits, and to help close the adaptation deficit facing land use sectors in rural and urban settings. Identifying and disseminating best GGWI action plans established without Improved, methodical identification and deployment of Baseline: 800,000 land use and terrestrial carbon knowledge and investment leveraged evidence and technical guidelines on proven best practices Increment: 200,000 management practices (as well as from the WB-GEF SAWAP operations beneficial to broader GGWI region and globally. improved practice on biodiversity in 12 countries. planning and climate adaptation), Improved sharing between people and projects under the including from the SAWAP The implementing agencies are SAWAP umbrella and GGWI portfolio leading to stronger portfolio and the broader GGWI. currently part of an effort to develop investment and policy dialogues, and greater understanding The work will rely on diverse baseline surveys on best drought and of methods for delivering investment in sustainable 79 sources of information including land management practices related to landscapes at scale. documentation of best practices and the GGWI, and technology transfer existing networks of land users and opportunities between West Africa and Global environmental benefits to be secured indirectly community and producer the Sahel. through BRICKS activities as described above. organizations. The TLF is supporting the identification of best SLM practices inside and outside the SAWAP and the broader region- wide TerrAfrica multi-agency country investment portfolio. Holding regular south-south The TLF is financing NEPAD and other Global and regional knowledge and innovations put to Baseline: 1,700,000 learning events, training, and actors to organize TerrAfrica learning greater use in the SAWAP country projects, contributing to Increment: 600,000 periodic study tours for the 12 events continent-wide, but this does not scaling up and monitoring investment in sustainable SAWAP project teams. The GEF yet include CILSS, OSS and IUCN. landscapes, and expansion of the related knowledge base and increment focuses on deploying There is an opportunity to network communities of practice. expertise from CILSS, OSS and CILSS, OSS and IUCN and their IUCN on key topics, as well as partners, as well as other GGWI actors This will indirectly lead to greater carbon storage in soil and bringing in lessons from other to expand south-south learning biomass and reduced land degradation strengthening the regions such as Maghreb countries opportunities for the purpose of country teams implementing the 12 investment operations in which are part of the GGWI, and bringing best practices to scale using the SAWAP. other regions. This will solidify a Bank’s and others’ large-scale community of practice around what investment capacity coupled with local works under what conditions, and and global know-how and commitment. how to scale up. Regional innovation competitions Use of existing databases and Cost-effective improvements in ICT developed that can put Baseline: 0 for developing knowledge oriented knowledge bases (TerrAfrica data and information into better use by stakeholders in the Increment: 200,000 ICT tools related to monitoring Knowledge Base, land and climate data SAWAP country projects. This would contribute to scaling sustainable landscapes, and portal at CILSS, on-going dialogue on up and monitoring investment in sustainable landscapes, and “extending extension� on best regional HydroMet expansion and expand the related knowledge base, and enhance practices in landscape management integration into investment planning, participatory monitoring approaches of environmental assets for multiple benefits including etc.). such as biodiversity/vegetation cover and soils. numerous global environmental public goods. 80 Establishing an operations services In some cases, reliance on a limited pool Enhanced access of SAWAP country operations to scientific Baseline: 0 facility for SAWAP projects on key of national consultants and experts who expertise on key global challenges such as carbon emissions Increment: 482,500 implementation topics related to could otherwise benefit from stronger from land use and land use change, soil degradation, environmental public goods. This connections to a global/regional ecosystem management, community forest and biodiversity facility would function as a multi- community of practice. Experts are conservation, etc. agency, multi-partner help desk that often focused primarily on conventional would convene expertise around approaches to agriculture and rural technical peer review and development. operations support. Carrying out a series of regional The TLF is supporting studies (e.g. Enhanced regional economic information available to the Baseline: 1,050,000 economic analyses (such as benefit- Economics of Drylands Resilience led GGWI and SAWAP projects and to other regional initiatives Increment: 300,000 cost, ecosystem valuations) on by the World Bank) that will support the successful NRM approaches that work of the SAWAP portfolio and the conserve biodiversity, accumulate broader TerrAfrica multi-agency soil and biomass carbon, and country investment and policy safeguard ecosystem services. dialogues. Development and use of strategic The TLF is financing region-wide Communication activities between SAWAP projects is Baseline: 1,300,000 communication products at regional communication work on SLM and initiated and strategically planned, and a community of Increment: 373,000 level, linked to the communication climate adaptation. In addition, IUCN, practice around communication is created. GEF support will activities already financed in each OSS, and CILSS are each maintaining allow the implementing agencies and the 12 SAWAP country project under SAWAP and their own communication programs on country project teams to do more, with more consistent building on existing region-wide their areas of expertise. There is an messaging, more strategically, and more cost-effectively communication work on SLM.. opportunity to network these programs with regional economies of scale. These efforts will along with those of large-scale country contribute to improved accessibility to best practices that projects under SAWAP, and the efforts country project teams can promote to generate global of other GGWI partners such as the AU. environmental benefits appropriate for their discrete projects. Component 2 81 Aggregating and benchmarking TLF is financing the development of Improved WB/GEF SAWAP portfolio monitoring using new Baseline: 200,000 results and M&E system simple project benchmarks that can be and adapted tools and methodologies Increment: 280,000 development support in the customized to the SAWAP and GGWI SAWAP portfolio of 12 projects. to include global environmental Information on SAWAP portfolio project progress parameters. aggregated at regional level to provide an evidence base for further up-scaling. Performance benchmarking supports improved performance among individual projects, leading to enhanced results including to help secure the global commons. Delivering participatory training The TLF has financed the development Improved capacity among project teams on process and Baseline: 750,000 and expert support on M&E to or identification and collection of M&E impact monitoring with a special emphasis on biophysical Increment: 280,000 country project teams, with tools (such as the landscape metrics change, via greater use of new and adapted tools and emphasis on measuring biophysical center, and some key indicators, LADA) methodologies to monitor global environmental benefits change (vegetation cover, soil that will be continued to be further (i.e., carbon, vegetation cover). health) and carbon flux in land use promoted for dissemination in and management systems in the investment planning and discrete portfolio. projects. In addition, CILSS, OSS and IUCN have developed indicators and analytical tools for relevant themes such as drought indicators, geospatial analyses of soil moisture, flood risk and extent, and vegetation cover. The opportunity is to put these indicators and tools into use into large-scale investment operations and policy dialogues. Monitoring, modeling and mapping While there is significant work on-going Improved quality of publically available geospatial datasets Baseline: 1,550,000 land and water resources and land on mapping natural resources and land for better management of regional natural resources and Increment: 850,000 use change in the regional SAWAP use change in the Sahel, there is not yet contributing to natural resources and terrestrial carbon portfolio using existing natural a suite of geospatial and monitoring knowledge bases. resource M&E tools, including tools available for the GGWI. In carbon modeling to help estimate addition, no tools for the overall Strengthened research and knowledge products on critical the portfolio’s contribution to SAWAP portfolio have been put in variables important for managing and monitoring sustainable carbon storage in biomass and soil. place pending the development of the landscapes available. 82 BRICKS Project. Current geospatial This activity will also facilitate the datasets, tools, and technical capacity of Greater use of new and adapted GIS tools and methodologies establishment of a multi-sectoral OSS could be mobilized to a greater used for reporting on global environmental benefits and for public-domain repository of GIS extent through the SAWAP country underpinning investment decisions to scale up improved and remote sensing datasets, and projects to report on a range of global practice. supporting OSS in helping network environmental benefits. Africa’s national geospatial agencies. OSS and other national agencies are currently not fully networked. OSS is currently supporting some West African countries on GIS approaches yet there is an opportunity to connect these services to Bank/GEF financed investment operations under SAWAP given the large financing available in many of the projects and the potential for large-scale scaling up and stronger investment and policy dialogues. The IAs currently meet on an ad hoc basis, on GIS and remote sensing datasets, at global conferences and through the GGWI. Establishing and promoting an Impact evaluations relevant for Improved information sharing and understanding on of the Baseline: 0 impact evaluation platform that landscape management and the GGWI best evidence-based design options for new sustainable Increment: 240,000 improves the sharing of existing have been carried out in isolated settings landscape operations in Africa available. through greater use relevant impact evaluations, in Africa, but there is an opportunity to of new and adapted impact evaluation methodologies findings, methodologies, and promote its use in investment and policy expertise, advocates for using dialogues among key decision makers impact evaluation in project and and investment planners. For this policy development and activity, additional baseline financing implementation from the World Bank’s Program on Forests is yet to be confirmed but could be brought to bear on this activity in parallel and in addition to the current project budget. Component 3 83 Supporting administrative functions In-kind resources from the three With efficient and effective improved project management Baseline: 2,100,000 including monitoring of BRICKS agencies will provide office space, staff using 10% of total GEF funds available for this operation, Increment: 624,130 implementation and establishment time and consultancies, computers, the project will deliver its results. of a BRICKS/SAWAP Project travel and other overheads important for Coordination Unit hosted by project implementation. CILSS. GEF will finance goods, services, operating costs, travel, and training for all three IAs to provide administrative functions including monitoring of BRICKS activities to ensure that the project remains focused on providing useful and demand-driven services to the project portfolio. Baseline financing, IAs: 23 BRICKS Project Total: 14,629,630 5,000,000 Baseline financing, TLF: 24 5,000,000 GEF increment: 4,629,630 23 In-kind and parallel cash co-financing from Implementing Agencies: CILSS (US$2.5M), OSS (US$1.80M), IUCN (US$0.70M). This primarily includes overheads, staff time and the use of the agencies’ equipment (ICT, GIS, remote sensing etc.) over the life of the project. 24 Parallel associated cash financing from the multi-donor TLF managed by the World Bank. 84 Annex 8: Summary of Successful Practices and Scaling Strategies Country: Africa Project Name: Building Resilience through Innovation, Communication and Knowledge Services (P130888) 1. Many lessons have been drawn from failures, but by the end of the 1980s, increasing attention was paid to learning from successes in natural resource management across the continent. The number of success stories in land management, particularly drylands, has further increased in the 1990s and 2010s due to (i) increased involvement of land users in all stages of the project cycle; (ii) the development of new or “re-discovered� soil and water conservation and water harvesting techniques; (iii) new more participatory approaches in research and extension; and (iv) innovations in community-based natural resource management. 2. Successful land-use practices ready for scaling up in the region. There is no one miracle solution to solve the problems which land users in SSA face. But there is a movement afoot to promote new techniques for managing land and water under the banner of sustainable land and water management. This is a suite of practices that integrate land, water, biodiversity, and environmental management (including input and output externalities) to meet rising food and fiber demands while sustaining ecosystem services and livelihoods. Application of such practices protects and enhances the productive capabilities of land in cropped and grazed areas— as well as in upland areas, downslope areas, and flat and bottom lands; forest areas ( commercial and noncommercial) all while maintaining the integrity of watersheds for water supply. The choice of the most appropriate SLWM practice in a particular situation will be determined by local stakeholders, based on the local topographic soil and vegetation conditions and the socio-economic context. Below is a small sample of successful practices that have a track record of success, wide-spread adoption, and potential for up-scaling. Farmer-managed natural regeneration: Successes in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Ethiopia, among others 3. Two of the most well-known experiences include Ethiopia’s Humbo carbon finance project which rehabilitated a drylands landscape in 5 years, generating multiple local and livelihoods and environmental benefits. In Maradi, Niger, 5 million hectares have been rehabilitated by farmers themselves, typically in a spontaneous manner with limited outside inputs, and brought back into production for multiple benefits including crop and livestock yields, medicine, and fire wood. Zai or tassa pits 4. One of the most appreciated techniques by farmers in northern Burkina Faso was the plant-pit system (demi-lunes) or “Zai� in the local language. The technique originated in Mali in the Dogon area and was adopted in Niger and Mali. In Illela District in Niger a project sought to promote contour bunds and the zai technique to rehabilitate barren, crusted land. Zaï is a planting pit with a diameter of 20-40 cm and a depth of 10-20 cm - the dimensions vary according to the type of soil. Pits are dug during the dry season and the number of Zaï pits per hectare varies from 12,000 to 25,000. After digging the pits, organic matter is added at an average, recommended rate of 0.6 kg/pit and, after the first rainfall, the matter is covered with a thin layer of soil and the seeds placed in the middle 85 of the pit. The excavated earth is ridged around the demi-circle to improve the water retention capacity of the pit. Zaï fulfills three functions: soil and water conservation and erosion control for encrusted soils. The application of the Zaï technique can reportedly increase production by about 500% if properly executed. In one project in Niger, the economic rate of return was 20% which does not factor in off-site benefits. Erosion management through the construction of stone ridges 5. The construction of stone ridges consists in digging a furrow of 10cm deep by about 30cm wide according to the topography lines of the area to be rehabilitated. Blocks of stones of 15-20cm edge are fixed together into low walls that will rise about 20cm above the land surface once the structure is completed. Soil removed from the preparatory trenches will be used to reinforce further the load of supporting stones in the trench. 6. Lines of stones ridges are drawn every 20m to 50m according to slope and rainfall. The more the land is sloppy and the climate dry, the closer the stone ridges. Stones ridges are not suitable beyond 10% of slope. The rehabilitation of 1ha requires about 40m3 of stones in Sahelian areas (about 8 trips of a tipping – lorry of 6m3 at the rate of 0.8 m3 of maximum stone per metre of row). 7. Ridges can measure about 15 metres long or even tens of metres based on the size of the farms and topography. The construction process is completed by slanting shields that are built at the extreme ends of ridges in order to reduce gully erosion at those ends. For longer ridges, it is advised to provide for some lightly lower levels (10cm) in order to prevent these big ridges from being swept away by the pressure of running water. Bigger ridges should not be constructed (above 100m) because it may likely be swept away by water: several average overlapped ridges will be preferred. 8. Once ridges are constructed, they can be strengthened by growing herbaceous plants on them (for example Andropogon gayanus) or by planting some trees upstream of ridges or with grains placed in the supporting furrow. These plants and grains will use the humidity conserved by ridges to ensure their rapid growth. 9. The rehabilitation of pastoral lands with stone ridges allows for the generation of an abundant herbaceous layer ahead of the ridges (at least 20% gain in dried matters), even if lands were previously bare. This contributes to providing food for livestock and even human beings (the growth of acha is noticeable - a much appreciated cereal in the Sahel). 10. The statistical analysis of gains derived from yields also shows a significant increase in production resulting from the construction of stone ridges. These gains in yields vary from 33% to 55% according to the nature of lands and recorded rainfall. The combination of stone ridges with zaï is more effective for it ensures high yields. In fact, the gains in cereal yields by 114%, 116%, and 124% have been observed in the Bam province, Burkina Faso. An increase in peanut yields by 27.4% and millet by 14.1% has also been observed in 2008 in the Thiès region (Samel and Ndjack), Senegal. 11. Besides, the rehabilitation of agricultural lands with stone ridges allows for the salvage of cereal harvests in case of irregular rain. Couples with the use of organic manure in large quantity, rehabilitated lands can double cereal yields (especially sorghum, which adapts well to these rehabilitations). Stone ridges can therefore be profitable within 4 years with cereals gains of 400kg/ha every year. 86 Rehabilitation of rugged lands through the crescent-shaped holes techniques 12. The crescent-shaped hole is a basin in form of a semi-circle, which collects rain water and focuses it in a place earmarked for crops cultivation. The crescent- shaped holes are alternately arranged at equal distance according to topographic lines to collect a maximum of water and reduce erosion effects. Organic manure is put in the basin in order to ensure an optimum growth of plants. 13. Crescent-shaped holes are realised on rugged lands or in farms in arid areas. They are generally constructed on less sloppy lands (less than 3%). The topographic lines of areas to be rehabilitated are determined by spacing them out by 4m (or 6m in arid areas) with pitot tubes and pitch triangles. 14. With a compass, semi-circles of 4m diameter, perpendicular to the slope, are drawn on the lines, with the opening of the "crescent" pointing to the top of the slope. Each semi- circle is spaced out by 4m on the same line. The crescent- shaped holes are spaced out in such a way that they are arranged alternately at equal distance from one line to another. Thereafter, a hole of 15cm to 25cm deep is dug inside the semi-circles. The surface arable soil is put aside and the soil removed from the hole is put on the edge by the lower side of the semi-circle (outside the dug area) and compacted into an earthen collar. 15. The floor of the hole is loosened a bit and the arable soil mixed with the organic manure (about one wheel barrow of manure per crescent-shaped hole). The hole is ready for cropping; about 300 crescent-shaped holes are required per hectare. 16. The improvement of soil fertility through the application of the crescent-shaped holes method enables to obtain high yields (often above 800kg/ha) right from the first year on lands, which were faced with water deficit. In effect, it generates some surpluses, which strengthens food-self sufficiency of households and even provide them with substantial income. 17. The rehabilitation of forest lands or restoration of pastures through the use of crescent- shaped holes can allow for the regeneration of pastures (rapidly) or groves (at least after 4 years) that will be very useful in terms of food, medicinal plants or commercialisation of forest products (woods, fruits, leaves, roots, etc.). Silt control (sand dunes fixation) 18. The principle consists in stabilising moving sand. The objective is, on the one hand, to put off the source of moving sand and on the other hand, prevent sand from moving thereby protecting lands and infrastructures from sand silting. 19. Several techniques can be adopted for the control of silting. These techniques involved two important procedures: the mechanical and biological control of silting. The most adopted methods in the Sahel are described as follows: i. Mechanical methods (mechanical fixation): The mechanical method consists in stabilising the movement of dunes by establishing a protection network against the wind transportation of sand by putting in place a sand fixation mechanism. The sand fixation mechanism can be linear or partitioned. The linear sand fixation or non-partitioned palisade is generally used in the protection of infrastructures threatened by silting. This method enables to stop and prevent the movement of sand. The partitioned sand fixation mechanism is used to stabilise live dunes. It is a network of palisades called screens. These screens are square, 87 rectangular or lozenge-shaped in form and their sizes vary according to the movement of mobile dunes (20m x 20m, 30m x 30m, 40m x 40m). Their length vary between 900 ml/ha and 2000 ml/ha, and their apparent height from 1 to 1.20m. Sand fixation is constructed with unmovable plant materials (Leptadenia pyrotechnica, calotropis procera, Euphorbia balsamifera, Guiera senegalensis, palm trees' leaves, branches of thorny shrubs, etc.). The choice of materials depends on the cost, characteristics of the area and supply facilities. Sand fixation can also be realised with synthetic grille (plastic film, polyethylene, etc.). Sand fixation mechanism reduces sand movement within the partitioned area and by so doing, allows the regeneration of the vegetation cover. It also plays the role of wind-break until the planted trees are able to perform this function. ii. Biological methods (biological fixation): The biological method comes after the mechanical method. It involves the planting of trees among screens. The unmovable materials used for the fixation of sand dunes cannot provide a permanent protection due to their limited life span. Therefore, the biological intervention ensures the continuity of the sand fixation after the wear out of the unmovable materials. The establishment of a vegetation cover through the plantation of trees or restriction of an area also require the best plant species suitable for the ecological conditions of the zone meant for rehabilitation at relatively low cost (of the nursery, plantation and maintenance). For example, the widely used species in the Sahel for sand dunes stabilisation are the following: Panicum turgidum, Prosopis jujiflora, Zizyphus mauritiana, Balanites aegyptiaca, Leptadenia pyrotechnica, Acacia senegal, Acacia radiana, Parkinsonia, aculeata, Australian pine (casuarina equisetifolia), Eucalyptus camaldulensis. iii. Economic effects • Improvement of soil fertility and protection of production sites (market garden basins, oasis, ephemeral stream, etc.) and protection of basic socio- economic infrastructures (boreholes, wells, schools, earth roads/highways,); • Improvement of dunal pasture; • Production of firewood and timber. Conservation agriculture 20. Conservation agriculture (CA) is a sustainable cropland management system that conserves, improves, and makes more efficient use of natural resources through integrated management of soil, water and biological resources. The principles behind CA are: minimum soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, and crop rotation. In Ghana a study on the impact of no-till showed a significant reduction of labor. No-till reduced labor requirements for land preparation and planting by 22%. Labor for weed control fell by 55%. However there was a slight increase in labor from an uptick in harvest activities. This was largely a consequence of higher yields obtained. The vast majority of no-till users (99%) reported that it was less physically demanding than traditional technology and that labor requirements at critical moments were reduced. However, inputs to help control weeds are often necessary. Nevertheless, reduced tillage strategies are being scaled up in various settings including Zambia, Brazil, and the eastern US -- each places where the technology has been shown to be profitable. 88 Integrated crop-livestock management 21. In Senegal the Rodale Institute Regenerative Agriculture Research Centre has worked closely with 2,000 farmers in 59 groups to improve soil quality, integrate stall-fed livestock into crop systems, add legumes and green manures, improve the use of manures and rock phosphate, incorporate water harvesting systems and develop effective composting systems. The result has been 75-195 % improvement in millet yields from 330 to 600-1,000 kg/ha, and in groundnut yields from 340 to 600-900 kg/ha. Yields are also less variable year to year, with consequential improvements in household food security. Improved well distribution for sustainable pastoralism 22. In Niger pastoralists move their herds between rich pastures in the northern pastoral zones (rainy season) and the southern areas (dry season) according to seasonal availability of water, grazing land, and fodder (including residual cropland vegetation). Because of climate change, expansion of cropland, overstocking and overgrazing pastoralists are facing increasing water and fodder availability problems. In response the government developed Pastoral Modernization Zones based on the concept of ‘semi-pastoralism and centered around a distributed network of water points to improve passageways for herds, and improve fodder production. As a result pastoral areas have been utilized in a more balanced manner and overgrazing problems have been reduced by 30-45% since 1990. Sustainable forest management 23. In the Kaboure Tambi National Park in Burkina Faso, villages around the park were surveyed and the contribution of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) to rural household incomes was analyzed. NTFPs are an important additional source of income that supplements annual sedentary crop production. The most important product collected within the park was firewood which accounts for 28% of the household environmental and forest income. Fruits and shea nuts were the second most important wild forest product at 22% and grass for roof thatching contributed 14% of the environmental and forest income. Integrated rangeland and water development (based on ecosystem assessment and CEMP (PRA) approach at landscape scale 24. The pastoralist systems of many pastoralist systems are largely regulated by water use and wrong water point placement and governance can destroy large areas of pasture and encourage land degradation. Investments in Chad by the PROHYPA project have taken into account the times of the year when that water must be available in order to provide a sustainable pasture use, and governance systems of the water points coupled with education initiatives to empower local users have been developed so to guarantee future sustainability. 25 Herder managed pasture regeneration 25. Pastoralists have indigenous monitoring systems that are able to monitor the state of pastures, as it happens in Northern Kenya and Uganda and Southern Ethiopia. When their 25 http://www.fidafrique.net/rubrique1147.html 89 rights on land are guaranteed in the long term, they actively care for pasture and land health by using the indigenous indicators and applying management measures. 26 Sustainable management of migratory or biological corridors 26. Pastoralists need corridors for maintaining mobility, a fundamental part of their sustainable use of natural resources. These migratory corridors are used also by wild animals, and livestock can also serve as vector for different dispersal events; these corridors therefore function as powerful biological corridors. Pastoralists have the capacity to denounce any occupation or disruption of these corridors to the authorities and can keep them open to other biological processes, as has been proven in developed countries such as Spain. 27 Integrated sustainable land management and rangeland biodiversity conservation 27. Conservancies in Laikipia have witnessed the shared use of wildlife tourism and livestock for the last 20 years. Not only has this served for benefit sharing and for reducing the conflict of conservation ventures with local population, but there are also examples where livestock is used as an environmental management tool that enhances wildlife numbers. Not surprisingly, Laikipia is maybe the only East African area where wildlife numbers have increased in the last years, and the model is being copied in other zones such as the surroundings of Masai Mara or Northern Kenya. 28 Complementary biodiversity-based livelihood development 28. A major challenge of land-use change in favor of more profitable activities is the loss of complementary activities that may be contributing decisively to additional incomes to the communities. Wild products and incomes derived from biodiversity (such as forest products, honey or ecotourism) have been shown to provide decisive complementary income for pastoralists in Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia to prevent land use change into uses that conserve less biodiversity. 29 Commercialization of pastoral goods and services 29. Increased prices in livestock commodities have facilitated cultural changes in the commercialization of some products such as milk. In Mauritania and in Puntland (Somalia) diverse examples show how former taboos related to milk commercialization have been discarded in favor of lucrative milk businesses when a minimal infrastructure is provided. 30 Communal rangeland management agreements 30. Communal rangelands are advantageous compared with subdivided ranches because they spread the risk of local climate fluctuations in highly variable zones such as arid lands. Indigenous management agreements such as the Agdal in the Maghreb or the Hima in 26 http://www.iucn.org/wisp/resources/publications/regional_studies/eastern_africa/indigenous_knowledge_for_drough t_resilient_livelihoods 27 https://sites.google.com/site/pablomanzanobaena/Home/bienvenida/Manzanoetal2005.pdf http://www.iucn.org/wisp/resources/publications/regional_studies/med_basin/white_book_spain/?10405 28 http://www.wcs-ahead.org/book/AHEADbook27MB.pdf 29 www.iucn.org/wisp/resources/publications/regional_studies/eastern_africa/nrm___biodiversity_conservation_in_eas tern_africa/?9492 30 http://www.iucn.org/wisp/resources/publications/economics_of_pastoralism/niche_marketing/?4712 90 Middle East have guaranteed sustainable agreements through traditional knowledge and mysticism. 31 Rangeland/pastoral adaptation learning groups 31. Mobility in pastoralist systems is the major factor facilitating adaptation to climate variations. Understanding the value of this mobility has shown to facilitate agreements between different pastoralist groups when the legal frameworks have discouraged former mobile systems, as e.g. in Tanzania. 32 31 Dominguez P., Bourbouze A., Demay S., Genin D. & Kosoy N. (in press), « Culturally mediated provision of ecosystem services: The agdal of Yagour », Environmental values Journal, 28 p. Dominguez P., Zorondo F. & Reyes-Garcia V. (2010), « Relationships between saints’ beliefs and mountain pasture uses », Human Ecology Journal, nº 38 : 351-362 http://www.iucn.org/about/union/secretariat/offices/rowa/?5853/ 32 http://www.iucn.org/wisp/resources/publications/good_practice_studies_/appropriate_policies/ Annex 9. Regional Stakeholder Analysis and Dialogues 91 Annex 9: Regional Stakeholder Analysis and Dialogues Country: Africa Project Name: Building Resilience through Innovation, Communication and Knowledge Services (P130888) Capacity of regional institutions 1. Both OSS and CILSS face capacity issues, partly due to the fact that natural resource based development in the region has historically been paid insufficient attention. This is now starting to change, requiring a special effort to ensure that the region’s existing institutions can carry out their mandates in service to country programs that are increasingly prioritizing the role that environmental public goods play in creating economic growth and job opportunities for the poor. The selection of the implementing agencies reinforces the ownership of the agenda and underpins the ability to act technically at a regional level to better integrate country actions around the GGWI. Summary of implementing agencies and partner organizations 2. CILSS, which is an international organization including thirteen member countries in the Sahel (Burkina Faso, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Togo, and Chad), has its headquarters in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and has two specialized institutions based in Niger (CRA for information and training) and Mali (INSAH for research and capitalization). It will be responsible for the regional knowledge management and dissemination component, in close collaboration with CGIAR centers such as the World Agroforestry Center , as well as WOCAT and regional institutions. CILSS’s position as the lead agency in this project underscores its historic, and well respected voice on land, water and climate issues to inform investment and policy dialogues through the SAWAP portfolio and beyond. CILSS serves as a coordinating fulcrum for partnering with regional and international organizations such as OSS and IUCN West and Central Africa office. All of the partner agencies have standing operational relationships with CILSS. 3. CILSS’s Agrhymet Regional Centre was established in 1974 as an institute of the CILSS specialized in agro-hydro-meteorology. It is based in Niamey, Niger. Its main objectives are achieving food security and increased agricultural production in the CILSS member states and improving natural resources management in the Sahelian region. It will be responsible for providing accurate forecasts to the program countries. This center could work in collaboration with IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Center (ICPAC), based in Nairobi. 4. The OSS is an international organization based in Tunis. It was founded in 1992 to improve early warning and monitoring systems for agriculture, food security, and drought in Africa. The OSS community includes 22 member countries including four sub-regional organizations--representing West Africa (CILSS and Côte d’Ivoire), East Africa (IGAD) and North Africa (AMU and Egypt), a sub-regional organization covering the whole circum-Sahara (CEN-SAD), regional organizations, as well as UN organizations and civil society. Working with key partners, the OSS would be responsible for aggregating country M&E project data into regional M&E framework and to monitor the indicators of the program presented in the results framework of the SAWAP Program Framework Document. 92 5. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has regional offices that cover Central and West Africa (i.e. IUCN/PACO) with its headquarters in Burkina Faso and a regional office covering Eastern and Southern Africa with its headquarters in Kenya. IUCN is a knowledge-based organization with core business in managing knowledge for biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources. It also develops cutting-edge scientific tools and processes in natural resource management and is a prolific publisher of information grounded in local applications. IUCN’s knowledge generation structure made of (a) country and project offices such as in Senegal, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Ghana, etc. (b) its members, made of governments and civil society organizations, located in all African countries as well as (c) its expert commissions mostly located in centers of excellence, specialized in the development of cutting-edge scientific tools and processes in natural resource management. IUCN operates a Global Program on Drylands headquartered in Nairobi. In West, Central and East Africa, IUCN has been leading work on dry forest landscapes and Sahelian wetlands restoration in all Sahelian countries and areas, and on conservation of biodiversity including protected areas and trans-boundary efforts in the regional and biological/wildlife corridors. The Regional IUCN office for West and Central Africa would be responsible for supporting countries and their project teams to prepare biodiversity management plans, networking strategies, and M&E-guided landscape investment methodologies in their discrete operations as needed. 6. These organizations would collaborate as needed with such organizations as the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA) of the African Union (AU), the Pan-African Agency for the Great Green Wall Initiative, ECOWAS, IGAD, CEN-SAD, CGIAR centers, and ACMAD (African Center for Climate Applied to Development), Rural Hub, credible NGOs and faith organizations, and Senegal’s Centre de Suivi Ecologique, among others. 7. NPCA is a technical body of the African Union. It plays an important role in policy dialogue and advocacy and support for leveraging co-financing as well as in learning exchange, peer review, and mentoring. It manages the TerrAfrica Secretariat and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program. The Bank has played a founding and implementation role in both of these programs, working closely with NPCA. 8. The African Union Commission (AUC) plays a coordination role for the Great Green Wall Initiative, which has evolved into a sustainable landscapes program. The main actors are: the African Union Commission / Pan-African Agency for the Great Green Wall; Regional Economic Communities, particularly the Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS) for West Africa, the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) for North Africa, the Economic Commission of Central African States (ECCAS) for Central Africa, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) for East Africa, and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States CEN-SAD. To date, the role and responsibilities of these actors remains to be specified, particularly as current imprecisions are a handicap to the harmonized implementation of the initiative and effective coordination of partners and actions. Because the political leadership of the AUC is recognised by all, this institution is responsible for clarifying terms of reference and establishing a coherent continental institutional system to implement the GGWI. One of the possible options in this regard would be to make the Pan-African Agency for the Great Green Wall a specialised AUC agency attached to the Rural Economy and Agriculture Department, like other specialized pan-African institutions. The Pan-African Agency for the GGWI was created in June 2010 to coordinate activities relating to the GGWI and to mobilize resources. This 93 agency, located in Ndjamena, Chad, is embryonic and lacks staff and experience at the moment. Summary of partner support to the GGWI 9. The Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative is increasingly rallying partners for coordinated action in the region. Under the coordination of the African Union Commission, a number of partners are supporting, through different projects, GGWI countries to implement long-term, integrated interventions to tackle the cross-cutting nature of land degradation and desertification by promoting good local practices in environmental management and sustainable development See Table 9.1 below for a selected list of projects contributing to this effort in support of the GGWI. Partners include the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall, the European Commission, the Food and Agricultural Organisation, the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the West African Monetary and Economic Union, the African Forest Forum (AFF), the Association pour la promotion de l’Education et la Formation à l’Etranger (APEFE), CILSS, OSS , the NGO network Drynet, the Réseau Sahel Désertification (RéSaD), ECOWAS, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the MDG Center West and Central Africa, the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) Partnership, Wallonie Bruxelles International, WOCAT / Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), the World Bank and many others. Summary of regional dialogues on Bank support to the Great Green Wall Initiative 10. The Bank has engaged in numerous regional consultations and investment dialogues over the past two years that are directly related to informing the modality of Bank support to the GGWI. Table 9.2 below lists these consultations. 94 Table 9.1. Selected projects supporting regional GGWI objectives as of July 24, 2013 Project International Financing Time- Project description and key implementation agencies Name partners (US$ frame million) Support to the FAO 2.35 On-going Geographic coverage: circum-Sahara implementation AUC until Sept Main focus: of the Great EU 2013 • Supporting development of GGW action plans in 13 North and Green Wall for GM-UNCCD sub-Saharan countries the Sahara and • Development of a harmonized strategy of the Great Green Wall the Sahel • Development of a capacity development strategy and action Initiative plan • Development of a web-based GGW umbrella platform for knowledge management, good practices, and partnership platform (US$161,000 for 2013) • Development of a communication strategy and action plan Implementation: FAO, GM-UNCCD, AUC and other partners CILSS implements (US$42,500): • Baseline survey on regional programs, data collection, best practices relevant to the GGW • Reporting on GGW implementation progress in CILSS and ECOWAS regions OSS implements (US$62,000): • Baseline survey on regional programs, data collection, best practices relevant to the GGW and reporting on GGW implementation progress made in North Africa, including Egypt; • Preparation of a concept note/ validation workshop for the development of web platform. Action against FAO 26.6 March Geographic coverage: Includes GGW Sahelian region: desertification AUC 2014 to Main focus: for sustainable EU Oct 2018 • Capacity Development (US$2M) livelihoods and GM-UNCCD • Knowledge management and sharing platform (US$532,000) productive • Partnership and resource mobilization (country level, south – landscapes in south and triangular cooperation) (US$532,000) ACP countries • Communication (US$266,000) • Field action (Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and The Gambia) (US$16M) Implementation: Governments (national and local levels), NGOs, grassroots organizations. South-South GM-UNCCD 4.9 Ongoing Geographic coverage: Sub-Saharan GGW countries (Burkina Cooperation on until Dec Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Land and 2013 Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan) Environment in Main focus: African, • South-South cooperation SLM Finance and GGW Platform Caribbean and (US$360,000) Pacific (ACP) • Capacity building for the implementation of the UNCCD countries • Inter- and intra-ACP South-South cooperation Implementation: GM-UNCCD, overall coordination of the umbrella program “Capacity-building related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements� by UNEP. AUC is the African Regional hub. 95 Front local GM-UNCCD 10.7 Sept 2013 Geographic coverage: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Mali, environnemental AUC to Sept Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Chad, Tunisia. pour une union EU 2017 Regional level activities- Countries in which national activities will verte (FLEUVE) FAO be implemented in order to optimize synergies with on-going GGW Project projects, and will focus on local authorities and CSOs. Main focus: • Knowledge management and partnership platform development (contribution to GGW platform for local stakeholders) (US$3.7M) • Testing of field action approaches (US$4M) • Capacity-development (US$3M) Implementation: GM-UNCCD, CSO networks: Drynet, RADDO (Maghreb network of NGOs on oasis sustainable development), and RESAD (Sahel desertification network), local authorities Support to the West African 9.6 2013 to Geographic coverage: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Senegal, implementation Economic and 2015 regional of national Monetary Union Main focus: Support the implementation of GGW national action action plans of (UEMOA - plans the GGW Union Implementation: Governments Économique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine) SolArid - South- GM-UNCCD 0.160 Started Geographic coverage: North, West Africa and Chad South 2006. No Main focus: Cooperation end date • South-south cooperation between North and West Africa (+ between North scheduled Chad) and West Africa • Technology transfer to combat Implementation: GM-UNCCD, UNCCD focal points and research desertification institutions OSS implemented (US$45,000): • Study on technology transfer opportunities between North and West Africa • Organization of a study validation workshop and elaboration of an action plan. Knowledge, World Bank, 1.5 On-going Geographic coverage: Sub-Saharan Africa (23 countries in monitoring, TerrAfrica until 2015 TerrAfrica) coordination Leveraging Fund Main focus: support project TerrAfrica secretariat function at NPCA, knowledge management for and dissemination, portfolio monitoring for TerrAfrica, networking, implementation building coalitions and communities of action, communication of TerrAfrica Implementation: NEPAD Agency West African World 549 2010 to Geographic coverage: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote Agricultural Bank/IDA, 2025 d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Productivity Comprehensive Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Togo, regional Program Africa Main focus: (WAAPP) Agriculture Generate and disseminate improved technologies in the Adaptable Development participating countries' top priority areas that are aligned with the Program Loan Program region's top priorities, as identified by West Africa Council for (CAADP) Trust Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF) Fund Implementation: Governments, CORAF East African World 120 (30 for 2010 to Geographic coverage: Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Agricultural Bank/IDA, Ethiopia) 2015 regional Productivity CAADP Trust Main focus: Program Fund To invest in regional approaches to agricultural research through 96 (EAAPP) supporting the strengthening and scaling up of agricultural research Adaptable in Eastern Africa, focusing on dairy, wheat, cassava and rice. Program Loan Implementation: Governments, Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) Economics of World Bank, 0.600 On-going. Geographic coverage: Sub-Saharan Africa dryland TerrAfrica End date: Main focus: resilience in Leveraging Fund 2015 Series of analyses on dryland sustainability. Includes land and Africa water management, climate adaptation scenarios and alternative (Analytical development pathways work) Implementation: World Bank Economics of UNCCD Estimated On-going. Geographic coverage: Global Land Secretariat, 2.0 End date: Main focus: To prepare a cost-benefit analysis in the context of Degradation Deutsche 2020 land degradation, to enable decision-makers in politics and business (Analytical Gesellschaft für to take the necessary measures for better rural development and work, global) Internationale food security and promote sustainable land management. Zusammenarbeit Implementation: GIZ (GIZ), International Food and Development Policy Institute, and other partners 97 Table 9.2. List of Regional Dialogues on Bank support to the Great Green Wall Initiative Event and date Location Bank role at event July 3, 2013: GGW Technical coordination Ouagadougou, Burkina Discussion on joint communication strategy (Bank meeting on communication and outreach Faso participated remotely) April 2013: UNCCD annual meeting side Bonn, Germany Bank presentation delivered on SAWAP/BRICKS event on the GGWI partnership, organized by the AU, FAO and UNCCD-GM April 2013: Appraisal mission for BRICKS Bonn Germany Appraisal mission including FAO at AUC, GM-UNCCD concurrently with teams in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and Tunis, Tunisia Jan 2013: Pre-appraisal mission for BRICKS Ouagadougou, Burkina Pre-appraisal mission including FAO at AUC, GM-UNCCD Faso Nov 2012: Validation workshop on Tunis, Tunisia - Discussion on BRICKS design as part of Bank knowledge management and partnership contribution to GGWI platforms for GGWSSI regional partners - Getting organized for BRICKS PAD Nov 2012: One day informal BRICKS scoping workshop at OSS, with CILSS, IUCN, OSS, FAO and GM-UNCCD Aug 2012: Steering Committee Meeting of the Ouagadougou, Burkina - Share perspectives on GGWI implementation and Bank GGWSSI Faso support through SAWAP - Due diligence for BRICKS Project Concept Note) March 2012: World Bank Sustainable Washington DC, USA - Discussion on BRICKS design and targeting of support to Development Week 2012: Task leaders’ and participation of SAWAP project teams Roundtable on SAWAP - Due diligence on BRICKS Project Concept Note Dec 2011: Expert Meeting on the GGWSSI Ouagadougou, Burkina - Share perspectives on GGWI implementation and Bank regional harmonized strategy Faso support through SAWAP - Due diligence for BRICKS Project Concept Note Oct 2011: UNCCD COP10 Changwon, South Korea - Discussion on BRICKS design with stakeholders, possible 1. Side meeting with CILSS, OSS, implementing agencies, and potential partners IUCN on SAWAP/BRICKS - Presentation on SAWAP by World Bank 2. Side event on SAWAP (World Bank) - Informal discussion with potential implementing agencies for BRICKS on expectations, accountabilities, and Bank project cycle - Due diligence for BRICKS Project Concept Note (named DSSP at the time) Feb 2011: UNCCD Committee for the Review Bonn, Germany Share perspectives on GGWI implementation and Bank of Implementation of the Convention support, with the proposal of SAWAP support 98 Annex 10: Communication Strategy and Action Plan Country: Africa Project Name: Building Resilience through Innovation, Communication and Knowledge Services (P130888) 1. This annex outlines the communication strategy for the BRICKS Project and the broader SAWAP umbrella that it supports. The strategy provides an overview of communication objectives and activities at various levels. It identifies primary and secondary stakeholders, main communication channels and indicators. It also incorporates the emerging communication approach for the GGWI based on the communication plan of the Regional Harmonized Strategy for the Implementation of the “Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative� (GGWSSI) elaborated by FAO and other partners. The communication strategy will also incorporate GEF branding guidelines, as detailed in the GEF Communication and Visibility Policy 33, which outline how GEF Agencies communicate and present GEF-funded activities to donors and other stakeholders. 2. Communication approach in the GGWI. There is wide recognition that a comprehensive, coherent and sustained communication effort is key to achieve the GGWI’s goals. In particular, a strategic approach to communication will help define the Initiative and build support for it. Specific objectives of such overarching communication strategy for the GGWI are (with regard to the intended audiences): (a) to raise awareness (media, general public); (b) to clarify the landscape approach (institutional actors); and (c) to rally support for the initiative (NGOs, development practitioners). 3. Communication approach in the BRICKS project and SAWAP. Deploying strategic communication to build out networks on innovative technologies and M&E will be crucial to realize BRICKS’ goal of improving the SAWAP portfolio quality. 4. To support the BRICKS development objective of improving accessibility of best practices and monitoring information within the SAWAP portfolio, the communication objectives are integrated throughout project and program design. The objectives are: (i) to promote collaboration and build a community of practice among the project teams and key stakeholders of the SAWAP portfolio as well as with the implementing institutions of the BRICKS; (ii) to effectively share knowledge on innovations in managing natural resources, climate change, and natural disasters and (iii) provide communication support and enhance the communication capacity of the 12 country project teams in the SAWAP umbrella. 5. Key stakeholders identified are the country project teams of the SAWAP portfolio, country level actors and regional institutions active in multiple sectors, decision makers, NGOs, academic institutions, and, ultimately, the beneficiaries of the country projects at local level. 33 www.thegef.org/gef/sites/thegef.org/files/documents/C.40.08_Branding_the_GEF%20final_0.pdf 99 6. To validate the communication approach and further map stakeholders, a workshop will be held with the SAWAP country project team coordinators and team members in charge of communication activities, and communication staff of the three regional implementing agencies for BRICKS, and representatives of international and regional partners. Then regular (e.g. biannual) monitoring workshops between the implementing agencies and project coordinators in each country will follow for the purposes of coordination among the implementing agencies, and between the agencies and the SAWAP projects. A survey instrument will also be prepared to assess the communication needs of the direct beneficiaries of the project -- the country project teams and key country stakeholders implementing the SAWAP projects -- and identify motivational factors that would facilitate portfolio-wide knowledge sharing and production, as well as benchmarking and monitoring. The main components of the survey will be identified prior to and further discussed during the first SAWAP communication workshop. 7. To achieve the communication objectives a working group on strategic communication will be established within the BRICKS Project Implementation Unit under the leadership of the IUCN to develop an Action Plan coordinated among the three implementing agencies of the BRICKS. The working group will include bilingual communication and Knowledge Management experts, and the communication staff of the BRICKS implementing agencies. The Communication Action Plan will be updated on a yearly basis. 8. Communication Objective 1. Build a community of practice and promote collaboration among the project teams and key stakeholders of the SAWAP portfolio as well as with the implementing institutions of the BRICKS. 9. An integrated approach to communication is needed to establish an information infrastructure, networking and innovative solutions to SAWAP projects teams and to mobilize people to act and cooperate. To achieve this objective the communication strategy will need first to position the BRICKS project and market the services offered at regional level to the country teams. 10. The strategy will also support the engagement of the SAWAP project teams in knowledge production and sharing activities and the creation of a learning and networking platform. Through the regional web portal a consistent flow of information will be established to ensure the gathering, processing and dissemination of lessons learned and knowledge produced in each project among the SAWAP projects teams. The web portal could include a virtual collaborative space for the country project teams and implementing agencies to allow knowledge exchanges across projects and across teams. The working group on strategic communication will play an important role in this process by acting as moderators of the web-based platform (requesting inputs from contributors, highlighting current and new functionality, etc.). For harmonization purposes the regional web portal should be designed in a way compatible for being integrated in the GGWSSI umbrella platform. The umbrella platform is being developed by the African Union Commission (AUC), the Pan African Great Green Wall Agency, in collaboration with the GGWSSI 100 technical committee and other partners 34 to promote the networking of scientists and practitioners working on GGWSSI and encourage wider dissemination of scientific and technical information. 11. Communication Objective 2. Effectively disseminate knowledge on integrated management of natural resources, climate change, and natural disaster. The strategy will help make widely accessible and understandable regional and global best practices to support outreach to country level actors and regional institutions, decision makers and beneficiaries at local level. Formal and informal communication channels, a mix of media and formats tailored to the intended audiences will be used to disseminate innovations in a broad range of natural resource management technologies and approaches, from science-based to grassroots-driven traditional approaches. Effective communication initiatives to facilitate the uptake of innovations by local communities (where applicable) should address resistance/aversion to innovation that is reported by many development practitioners working with local communities. The strategy will include media outreach and advocacy initiatives, making use of existing communication platforms of stakeholders, including websites and social media, such as Connect4Climate 35 and TerrAfrica/NEPAD’s advocacy and mutual learning activities. 12. Communication Objective 3. Provide communication support and strengthen the communication capacity of the SAWAP project teams. The project will support coordination and enhance implementation of each country project’s communication strategies financed within the SAWAP portfolio. As communication support is an integral part of the demand driven knowledge services provided by BRICKS, a crucial component of the strategy is to enhance communication capacity and skills at project level with the ultimate goal of creating a region-wide network of communicators. To optimize resources, learning opportunities provided by BRICKS to the SAWAP project teams will include modules on strategic communication. The BRICKS working group on strategic communication would promote and coordinate the preparation of a series of guidance notes on lessons learned and tips for effective communication. 13. Communication staff will collaborate and work jointly with the regional BRICKS project and country projects’ M&E officers to track and evaluate the results of communication activities during project implementation. Periodic surveys will track increased performance in the SAWAP portfolio with regards to (i) innovation, (ii) communication, and (iii) knowledge. 14. The following table describes the monitoring framework for the strategy and includes communication objectives, proposed interventions, expected outcomes, indicators and means of measurement. A detailed communication action plan will be included in the Project Implementation Manual. 34 These include: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands (LADA), World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT), Climate for Development in Africa Program (ClimDEV), African Monitoring of the Environment for Sustainable Development (AMESD) 35 See www.connect4climate.org 101 Table 10.1. Monitoring Framework for the BRICKS Communication Strategy BRICKS Project Communication Communication Communication Communication Communication Development challenge objectives to intervention Outcomes Impact Objective (PDO) support the PDO (Contribution of of BRICKS communication to BRICKS outcomes) Harmonize strategy, Related donor Liaise with the working group of Comprehensive vision and actions and tools in projects in support of communication experts consistent messages on progress support of the GGW the Great Green Wall established within GGWSSI, to and accomplishments of the and sustain multi- Initiative in the agree on common visual and Initiative emerge from the partner regional region (see Table 9.1 textual definition of the “noise� of multi actors dialogue in the PAD) initiative, and develop and fine communication efforts tune messages (symphony instead of cacophony) BRICKS web portal designed in such a way to be integrated in The evolution of the Great Green the GGWSSI umbrella platform Wall Initiative into a sustainable landscape program is understood by the relevant regional institutional actors Improve accessibility Lessons learned contribute to of best practices and Increased support for long term, influence investment and monitoring integrated initiatives to address policy dialogues and information within the cross-cutting nature of land improved project the Sahel and West degradation implementation at national Africa Program Promote Coordination among Biannual workshops between the Lessons learned and knowledge and regional level portfolio on collaboration and SAWAP project implementing agencies and produced in each project are sustainable land use build a community teams and project coordinators in each gathered, processed and and management. of practice among implementing country disseminated the project teams agencies and key Establish a consistent flow of Country projects benefit from stakeholders of the information among the SAWAP lesson learned in similar projects SAWAP portfolio as projects teams to feed the and global and regional best well as with the BRICKS web portal practice implementing institutions of the Establish a virtual collaborative BRICKS space for the country project teams and implementing 102 agencies to allow knowledge exchanges across projects and across teams (i.e. intranet website or on-line forums) Effectively share Accessibility of Media outreach (beyond project Regional and global best knowledge on scientific knowledge positioning and visibility, to practices are widely accessible innovations in and innovative include training for journalists) and understandable managing natural technologies at resources, climate grassroots level Capitalization and dissemination change, and natural workshops disasters Regional diffusion of grassroots-driven Use of existing communication traditional platforms and networks of approaches stakeholders, including rural radios, websites and social media, such as Connect4Climate and TerrAfrica/NEPAD’s advocacy and mutual learning activities to establish information channels to and from the local level Side events and exhibitions (documentary and photos) in major international events (conferences, workshops, etc.) Provide Low communication Strategic communication Outreach to country level actors communication capacity of SAWAP modules included in south-south and regional institutions, support and enhance implementing learning events organized within decision makers and the communication agencies BRICKS beneficiaries at local level is capacity of the 12 facilitated country project isolated and sporadic On-demand communication teams in the communication assessment carried out in A region-wide network of SAWAP umbrella activities at project SAWAP projects; communicators is created level; duplication of communication efforts 103 Table 10.2. Communication Indicators and Measurement Methods Communication Strategy Outcome Indicator Measurement Methods Comprehensive vision and consistent messages on % of public aware of the initiative and its Survey (relevant survey population) progress and accomplishments of the Initiative emerge accomplishments from the “noise� of multi actors communication efforts # of news items reporting on the GGWI Media content analysis The evolution of the Great Green Wall Initiative into a % of institutional actors who are knowledgeable about the Survey (relevant survey population) sustainable landscape program is understood by the landscape approach Key informant interviews relevant regional institutional actors Increased support for long term, integrated initiatives # of coalition initiatives advocating for integrated NRM, Special study to address the cross-cutting nature of land degradation climate change and natural disaster and desertification Lessons learned and knowledge produced in each # of knowledge products available on the portal Project reports project are gathered, processed and disseminated Web portal traffic analysis Country projects benefit from lesson learned in similar Virtual collaboration space established and used Observation and web portal traffic analysis projects and global and regional best practice % of country projects teams satisfied with the services Survey (relevant survey population) offered through the web portal Regional and global best practices are widely accessible # of multi format dissemination toolkits produced Project reports and understandable Scale 1-5 on quality and usability of products Survey (relevant survey population) # of news items reporting on innovations in managing Media content analysis natural resources, climate change, and natural disasters Outreach to country level actors and regional # of requests for communication support from SAWAP Project reports institutions, decision makers and beneficiaries at local project teams level is facilitated Level of satisfaction of project teams requesting Key informant interviews communication support A region-wide network of communicators is created Existence of a regional network characterized by regular Observation, project reports, records meetings/workshops, mailing list, newsletter, virtual venues for exchange purposes 104 IBRD 40025 Medite rranea n Sea MAURITANIA CAPE VERDE Nouakchott SUDAN MALI NIGER ERITREA CHAD Khartoum Asmara Praia Dakar SENEGAL Niamey THE GAMBIA Banjul Bamako Ouagadougou Bissau N’Djamena DJIBOUTI BURKINA FASO Djibouti GUINEA-BISSAU GUINEA BENIN NIGERIA Conakry Addis Freetown CÔTE Abuja Ababa D’IVOIRE GHANA SOUTH SIERRA LEONE Lomé CENTRAL ETHIOPIA Monrovia Yamoussoukro Accra AFRICAN REP. SUDAN Porto-Novo CAMEROON SOMALIA LIBERIA Bangui Juba INDIAN TOGO Malabo Yaoundé EQUATORIAL GUINEA OCEAN UGANDA Mogadishu SÃO TOMÉ AND PR�NCIPE Libreville CONGO Kampala KENYA São Tomé GABON Nairobi DEM. REP. OF RWANDA Kigali Bujumbura BURUNDI SEYCHELLES Brazzaville CONGO Victoria ATLANTIC OCEAN Kinshasa Dodoma TANZANIA Luanda COMOROS Moroni ANGOLA BRICKS–BUILDING RESILIENCE ZAMBIA Lusaka MALAWI Lilongwe Mayotte (Fr.) THROUGH INNOVATION, Harare MOZAMBIQUE MADAGASCAR Antananarivo COMMUNICATION AND Windhoek NAMIBIA BOTSWANA ZIMBABWE Port-Louis Réunion (Fr.) MAURITIUS KNOWLEDGE SERVICES PROJECT Gaborone Pretoria Maputo Mbabane SWAZILAND COUNTRY INVESTMENT OPERATIONS Maseru LESOTHO INDIAN SOUTH AFRICA OCEAN This map was produced by the Map Design Unit of The World Bank. The boundaries, colors, denominations and any other information shown on this map do not imply, on the part of The World Bank Group, any judgment on the legal status of any territory, or any endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. MAY 2013