Report No. 23532 Report No: I073578 <--Please check for duplicates! Integrated Safeguards Data Sheet (Updated) Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 03/11/2002 Section I - Basic Information A. Basic Project Data Country: ARGENTINA Project ID: P073578 Project: AR Social Protection VI Task Team Leader: Theresa Jones Authorized to Appraise Date: March 5, 2002 IBRD Amount ($m): 350.00 Bank Approval: May 21, 2002 IDA Amount ($m): Managing Unit: LCSHS Sector: SA - Social Assistance Lending Instrument: Specific Investment Loan (SIL) Status: Lending I.A.2. Project Objectives: The project would support the fourth phase of Trabajar, a social safety net self-targeted to poor households. Through the construction and rehabilitation of small infrastructure facilities and the execution of productive projects (on a pilot basis), the program contributes to improvements in the living standards of the communities where the sub-projects are located and creates temporary employment for poor workers. The project builds on the experience of the Social Protection I-III Projects. The Social Protection I Project safeguarded critical social programs, including the first phase of Trabajar, during the 1995-96 tequila crisis. The Social Protection II-III Projects financed the continuation of the Trabajar program during 1997-2001. These projects shared the objective of supporting improvements in the Trabajar program, particularly in the areas of targeting, transparency of implementation procedures, the quality of sub-projects, and evaluation, which have wide applicability to other social programs in Argentina. The Social Protection II Project (Loan 41950-AR) closed as scheduled on June 30, 1999 and received a satisfactory rating in the Implementation Completion Report (ICR) and from OED. The Social Protection III Project is due to close on June 30, 2002 and has had a satisfactory ranking during implementation. I.A.3. Project Description: 1. Subprojects. These will be small projects (less than $75,000 in most localities; less than $200,000 in large metropolitan areas) of economic and social infrastructure, as well as in the poorest areas, small projects for productive activities, sponsored mainly by either municipalities or nongovernmental organizations. 2. Project Administration. This would include the costs to the national government of administering the project, including financial charges for processing payments to beneficiaries, providing technical assistance, supervising program implementation at the local level, preparing progress reports, including the agreed indicators, computers and operational expenses such as travel and per diems. 3. Monitoring and Evaluation. This would include an evaluation of the impact of the projects financed under Trabajar in the community, beneficiary assessments, and the monitoring of the beneficiary selection process. Components: Subprojects Project Administration Monitoring and Evaluation I.A.4. Project Location: (Geographic location, information about the key environmental and social characteristics of the area and population likely to be affected, and proximity to any protected areas, or sites or critical natural habitats, or any other culturally or socially sensitive areas.) The TRABAJAR program can finance projects nationwide, and as this is a demand-driven project, it is not known at this time what projects will be financed where. However, projects will not be financed in protected areas, and checklists used during project preparation and evaluation should ensure that projects are not implemented in fragile or critical natural habitats. B. Check Environmental Classification: B (Partial Assessment) Comments: C. Safeguard Policies Triggered Policy Applicability Environmental Assessment (OP/BP/GP 4.01) Yes Forestry (OP/GP 4.36) No Natural Habitats (OP/BP 4.04) No Safety of Dams (OP/BP 4.37) No Pest Management (OP 4.09) No Involuntary Resettlement (OP/BP 4.12) No Indigenous Peoples (OD 4.20) No Cultural Property (OP 4.11) No Projects in Disputed Territories (OP/BP/GP 7.60)* No Projects in International Waterways (OP/BP/GP 7.50) No *By supporting the proposed project, the Bank does not intend to prejudice the final determination of the parties' claims on the disputed areas Section II - Key Safeguard Issues and Their Management D. Summary of Key Safeguard Issues. Please fill in all relevant questions. If information is not available, describe steps to be taken to obtain necessary data. II.D.la. Describe any safeguard issues and impacts associated with the proposed project. Identify and describe any potential large scale, significant and/or irreversible impacts. The project requires an environmental assessment, which has been completed and submitted to the Infoshop and disclosed on the TRABAJAR program's web site. The Trabajar subprojects to be financed under the Loan are expected to remain small (under $75,000). Most of the environmental impacts should be predictable and subsequently avoided or mitigated with common practices. Checklists and other environmental tools have been incorporated into the evaluation methodology. The description of the -2 - methodology together with forms, etc. is included in the Operational Manual. Environmental considerations are also incorporated into promotion and supervision activities. An environmental assessment was carried out in late 2001. For the assessment 110 sub-projects which had been financed under the Trabajar Program under the Third Social Protection Project were visited. Discussions were held with the individuals involved in the processing and implementation of the projects, and whenever possible, beneficiaries of the projects were interviewed as well. The objective of the assessment was to determine to what extent the projects had an impact on the environment and how effectively mitigating measures had been applied during project execution. In addition, the assessment reviewed the screening and scoping procedures for potential environmental impacts within the project cycle of the Trabajar Program; the adequacy of the evaluation process in incorporating environmental considerations into project design; and the extent to which environmental aspects of the sub-projects had been supervised adequately during implementation. Specifically the following aspects were reviewed for each project: the consistency between actual conditions in the field and supporting documentation, risks that existed, management of the activities related to water, soils, contamination sites, efforts to improve environmental conditions, and the relative importance of environmental aspects. At the same time the capacity of the various actors involved in the process - sponsoring agencies, evaluators and supervisors was reviewed. The results of the assessment showed that about half of the projects had some impact on the environment and about half showed no impact. Of those that had an environmental impact, slightly over 60 percent had applied adequate mitigating measures, about a quarter were deficient and about 10 percent had not applied any mitigating measures. About 20 percent of projects had a positive impact on the environment. In general, the most common impact of the sub-projects is the increase in the volume of residual waters caused by the larger number of users in a facility, especially the projects that increased capacity of schools, health centers, and community centers. Another issue associated with the increase in the number of users is related to the adequacy of sanitary facilities. There were some projects which had not included this activity in the activities and as a result problems ensued. The main recommendation of the assessment is that project evaluation criteria be modified to ensure that future projects incorporate necessary increases in water supply and sanitary facilities to deal with the increase in usage of the facility. In addition, to implementing the recommendation described above, the Trabajar program will also improve upon its current environmental evaluation system by creating separate environmental checklists for each type of subproject that the program will finance. Each checklist will have sections for the various stages of the project cycle: preparation, evaluation, and supervision. These documents will be reviewed by the Bank during project appraisal. In addition, the appraisal mission and Trabajar staff will meet with the Ministry of Environment and other pertinent line ministries to confirm that Trabajar subprojects meet national environmental standards, to understand the full legal framework for environmental issues in Argentina, and to establish a relationship between the Trabajar program and appropriate line ministries. - 3 - II.D.lb. Describe any potential cumulative impacts due to application of more than one safeguard policy or due to multiple project component. The only safeguard policy triggered is EA, so cumulative effects from the applicatoin of more than one safeguard policy is not envisaged. II.D.lc Describe any potential long term impacts due to anticipated future activities in the project area. None. II.D.2. In light of 1, describe the proposed treatment of alternatives (if required) N/A II.D.3. Describe arrangement for the borrower to address safeguard issues The Borrower has already completed an EA for the project, which has determined that the environmental screening and evaluation system currently in place for TRABAJAR subprojects is adequate, but that checklists on environmental issues used for subproject preparation and evaluation could be improved. The Bank appraisal mission will review the checklists and make recommendations accordingly. II.D.4. Identify the key stakeholders and describe the mechanisms for consultation and disclosure on safeguard policies, with an emphasis on potentially affected people. The key stakeholders are poor workers, municipalities and non-governmental organizations. The Trabajar program has used a demand-driven mechanism to select sub-projects since its establishment by the Government in 1996. The share of organizations of civil society sponsoring sub-projects was slightly above 20% during Trabajar III. During the preparation of previous projects as well as during supervision, visits have been made to about half of the provinces participating in the program (and all of those accounting for a signficiant share of resources) to discuss the program with municipal authorities, NGOs, and beneficiaries. Discussions with municipalities, organizations of civil society and beneficiaries have also taken place during preparation of the social assessments and as part of the management of the program by the project coordination unit. Municipalities and non-governmental organizations participate in the project by sponsoring and implementing projects which employ poor workes during their execution. E. Safeguards Classification. Category is determined by the highest impact in any policy. Or on basis of cumulative impacts from multiple safeguards. Whenever an individual safeguard policy is triggered the provisions of that policy apply. I S1. - Significant, cumulative and/or irreversible impacts; or significant technical and institutional risks in management of one or more safeguard areas [XI S2. - One or more safeguard policies are triggered, but effects are limited in their impact and are technically and institutionally manageable I S3. - No safeguard issues I SF. - Financial intermediary projects, social development funds, community driven development or similar projects which require a safeguard framework or programmatic approach to address safeguard issues. - 4 - F. Disclosure Requirements Environmental Assessment/Analysis/Management Plan: Expected Actual Date of receipt by the Bank 2/20/2002 2/21/2002 Date of "in-country" disclosure 3/6/2002 3/7/2002 Date of submission to InfoShop 3/7/2002 3/7/2002 Date of distributing the Exec. Summary of the EA to the ED (For category A projects) Resettlement Action Plan/Framework: Expected Actual Date of receipt by the Bank Date of "in-country" disclosure Date of submission to InfoShop Indigenous Peoples Development Plan/Framework: Expected Actual Date of receipt by the Bank Date of "in-country" disclosure Date of submission to InfoShop Pest Management Plan: Expected Actual Date of receipt by the Bank Date of "in-country" disclosure Date of submission to InfoShop Dam Safety Management Plan: Expected Actual Date of receipt by the Bank Date of "in-country" disclosure Date of submission to InfoShop If in-country disclosure of any of the above documents is not expected, please explain why. Signed and submitted by Name Date Task Team Leader: Theresa Jones 03/08/02 Project Safeguards Specialists 1: Karla J. McEvoy 03/08/02 Project Safeguards Specialists 2: Project Safeguards Specialists 3: Approved by: Name Date Regional Safeguards Coordinator: Juan D. Quintero 03/08/02 Sector Manager/Director: Ana-Maria Arriagada 03/08/02 For a list of World Bank news releases on projects and reports, click here - 5 -