ESSD Page 1 of 9 23127 9AW,4, IFC I MIGA I IDA I ICSID I WB External Site June 2000 qpp W ilM@d U,x G.roup t n i T t41RA N~ £ l: Regions I Sectors I VPUs I ESSD Network The monthly newsletter of the Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Network Vo 3 no 3. Jue20 ESSD NEWS ESSD European Forum a success The second annuat World Bank European Forum on Sustainable Development was held June 5-6, 2000, at the World Bank's Paris office. Thirty-nine participants concerned with environment, development, agriculture, and rural development attended, comprising representatives from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, the European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, as well as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In Plenary, participants heard and discussed presentations on progress on environmentally and socially sustainable development, community-driven development, and science and technology. Later, the meeting split into parallel discussion groups on rural development and environment. At a closing plenary, the small group discussions were summarized and future meeting plans discussed. Representatives agreed that the Forum is an important space for informal dialogue, goal- setting, and issue prioritization. After two rounds, everyone agreed that the Forum should become a regular annual rendez-vous. Contact: Nick van Praag, ESDVP (x89262). SECTOR NEWS ENVIRONMENT Environment strategy consultations kick into action The World Bank has taken its emerging environment strategy on the road, with a first stop in Tokyo beginning June 25th. A second consultation was held in Paris as part of the ESSD European Forum. The goal of the consultations, set to run for the next six months, is to get feedback from client countries, partners, and non-governmental organizations to help guide the Bank as it prepares a new strategy that mainstreams environmental concerns into implementable poverty alleviation and economic development programs. The central thrust of the proposed strategy is that poverty reduction is possible only if the environment is able to provide the services people depend on, and if natural resources are used in a manner that does not undermine long-term development. Over the next six months, consultations will be held in all regions. A final strategy paper is scheduled for December 2000. Contacts: Magda Lovei, ENV (x33986) or Judith Moore, ENV (x89301). http://essd.worldbank.org/essd/in ... /41F89AE56F28B79D85256A620053A65E?OpenDocumen 11/6/01 ESSD Page 2 of 9 Global public opinion and the environment Doug Miller of Environics International presented the findings of his latest surveys of global public opinion on a variety of environmental and natural resource issues to Corporate Day and a brown bag lunch on May 12th. This third annual Environmental Monitor is based on the results of face-to-face or telephone surveys with representative samples of about 1,000 citizens in each of 27 countries on all continents and at varying stages of economic development, representing 65 percent of the world's population. The topics of his two presentations included the fact that environmental concern is rising; stress and pollution are seen as the greatest threats to human health; and, if forced to choose, majorities across much of the world choose environmental protection over economic growth. Copies of the presentation can be obtained from Kristyn Ebro, ESDVP (x82736) or Juan Blazquez, ESDVP (x30242). The report itself will shortly be accessible via the Bank's intranet. GEF council approved 12 new Bank-GEF projects The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council at its May 9-11, 2000 meeting in Washington, DC. approved its second largest ever single work program of $225 million, including 12 projects worth $132 million for the Bank. Of the $132 million, $77 million will go in support of conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, $49 million for climate change mitigation, and $6 million for other areas. Among the Bank- GEF projects approved is the Uganda Rural Energy for Transformation (GEF funding of $30.0 million). This is the first proposal submitted under the Bank-GEF Strategic Partnership on Renewable Energy Development. The Councit also approved the GEF Corporate Budget of $19.6 million for FY01 of which $2.8 million for the Bank-Group as an implementing agency (representing an 11 percent increase over FY00) and $784,000 as Trustee (2 percent decline from FY00). Also, the meeting provided Bank management with the opportunity to brief Council members on the preparation of the Bank Group's Environment Strategy. Contact: Lars Vidaeus, ENV (x34188). RURAL World's FIRST coffee park A national park dedicated to the ecologically friendly production of coffee has just been established in El Salvador. Its purpose is to demonstrate that the production of the world's most traded agricultural commodity can be economically viable as well as environmentally and socially friendly. This working finca will commercially grow coffee and other tree crops under an integrated forest canopy and include an education and demonstration area with different varieties of coffee. This type of coffee cultivation can yield higher incomes and helps to sustain or restore the biodiversity and natural resources in rural areas. The pilot GEF project has been well received and the El Salvadoran government is now promoting this approach in other parts of the country. The park is a collaborative venture, involving a number of local civil society partners coordinated by the Coffee Cluster of the World Bank-financed National Competitiveness Project with the support of three ministries: Economy, Environment, and Agriculture- Livestock. Contacts: Paola Agostini (Paola.Agostini@FAO.org), Daniele P. Giovannucci (Dgiovannucci@worldbank.org), and Marco Castro [El Salvador Finance Min. Competitiveness Project] (marco@ureach.com) Dryland management and combating land degradation and desertification Senior managers from UNDP, UNEP, GEF, UNESCO, UNCCD Secretariat, the Global Mechanism, FAO, WMO and the World Bank met in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 26 and 27, to discuss the implementation of the 'Land and Water Initiative for Africa". The initiative was prompted by the need and urgency to develop a holistic and integrated approach to reverse the rapid trends of land and water degradation. There is agreement that the environmental problems facing the continent are not only a serious threat to the future of the economies and well-being of African societies, but also constitute a major global concern. Contact: Guenter Riethmacher, ENV (x88451). SOCIAL http://essd.worldbank.org/essd/in ... /41F89AE56F28B79D85256A620053A65E?OpenDocumen 11/6/01 ESSD Page 3 of 9 Finalizing Preparations for the Geneva Social Summit (June 26-30) Judy Edstrom and colleagues from PREM, HD, EXT, and ESSD are finalizing preparations for the Bank's participation in the World Summit on Social Development (Geneva, June 26-30). Mr. Wolfensohn will lead the Banks high-Level delegation, accompanied by Managing Director RampheLe Mamphela and Vice Presidents Eduardo Doryan, Mats Karlsson, Ian Johnson, and Jo Ritzen. A flagship publication produced for the meeting, New Paths to Social Development: Community and Global Networks in Action, was launched June 21st. The new book, which draws on Bank work across four networks and ten departments, points to the growing importance of forms of social cooperation outside the framework of the nation state. In addition, Bank staff will participate in 20 panel discussions, many in collaboration with other UN agencies and NGOs. Please visit the Social Summit website (click here) for more information. Contacts: Judith Edstrom, SDV (x33621) or Bonnie Bradford, SDV (x80316). June is "Social Development Month" Staff at headquarters will have seen that in anticipation of the World Summit on Social Development, ESSD is hosting Social Development Month in June. It is an opportunity for the Bank to engage in a dialogue about how the central issues of social development have been addressed and how they may evolve in the future. There are more than 15 panels, presentations, brown bag gatherings, and conferences in the month of June. Each of the events, with topics ranging from AIDS in Africa to community-driven development, are designed to highlight a different aspect of the wide-ranging social development agenda. For more information on the calendar of events and overall mission of Social Development Month, just type "sdmonth" (or click here) in your intranet browser. Update on Participation Cluster work program The Participation Cluster's work program supports the participatory processes in PRSPs. The activities fall into three main components -- country operational work, Action Learning Program on Participatory Processes in PRSPs, and PRSP Training. Within this framework, the Participation Team is conducting several activities: offering country briefs and preparing to offer pre-mission clinics to country teams; facilitating country-to-country dialogues among PRSP stakeholders; commissioning several issue papers to elaborate on how participation can increase the effectiveness of poverty profiles, budgeting, public expenditure management, and macro-economic reforms; designing a country support facility; writing a monthly newsletter; and offering training and design workshops for stakeholders involved in the PRSP. They have also been collaborating with PREM on the PRSP Sourcebook, preparing the chapter on organizing Participatory Process, and providing input into the chapters on gender, rural development, governance, poverty diagnostics, and community-based development. Contact: Seema Tikare, SDV (x88445). Conflict at Oxford Kazuhide Kuroda and Colin Scott represented the Post-Conflict Unit at the sixth meeting of the Conflict Prevention and Post-Conflict Reconstruction Network (which brings director-level officers from donors, UN agencies, NGOs, and WB) held May 14-17 in Oxford, U.K. The meeting was organized by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and brought together some 60 participants. The sessions covered issues such as conflict assessment, business and conflict, and recovering from conflict. DFID allocated a considerable portion of the meeting to the issue of security sector reform and military expenditure. There was also interest in the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) discussion in which many participants inquired about the Bank's role. The next Conflict Prevention and Reconstruction meeting will take place in Geneva late-October/early-November and will be hosted by UNOPS/the War Torn Societies. Contact: Frode Davanger, SDVPC (x31658). Japan Social Development Fund launched The Government of Japan and the World Bank launched the Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) on June 2nd at a meeting in Tokyo. The main objective of the JSDF is to finance activities to help alleviate the damaging social consequences of the 1997-99 global economic crisis that began in East Asia, and which subsequently spread to other parts of the developing world. $50 million for JSDF activities will be made http://essd.worldbank.org/essd/in... ./4l F89AE56F28B79D85256A620053A65E?OpenDocumen 11/6/01 ESSD Page 4 of 9 available in two rounds over the next six months. The deadline for submission of the first round of proposals to the Steering Committee is cob Friday, June 30, 2000. The criteria for design of the proposals, eligible activities, and selection are more fuLly set out in the attachment below. All proposals require endorsements by concerned Country Directors. Decisions by the Japanese authorities will be made by end- July. A second announcement for the receipt of proposals for the remainder of the $50 million will be issued after the Japanese authorities announce their decisions on the proposals submitted for the first round. The entire $50 million is expected to be allocated by the end of this six-month period. Contacts: Sajjad Shah, JSDF Administrator (x35878) or Arif Zulfiqar, TFC (x35943). Design of Proposals.doc ILLUSTRATIVE ACTIVITIES.doc REGIONAL NEWS EAP International conference on family violence An international conference on family violence was held in Seoul, Korea, May 24-25. Family violence is a major problem in South Korea, and although two Acts have been introduced to address the issue, it is proving challenging to translate policy into practice. Family violence is often perceived as a family matter rather than a criminal matter. The Assistant Minister of Health and Welfare opened the conference and Gillian Brown from the World Bank gave a short address. A number of academics and practitioners working on family violence in Korea, USA, the Philippines, Thailand, the UK, Canada, and Australia presented papers. The presentations were focused on experiences with integrated strategies to both prevent and address family violence in different countries. The conference was part of a PHRD-funded project to strengthen the services provided being implemented by the ministry of Health and Welfare for the prevention of family violence. Contact: Gillian Brown, EASES (x85517). Gender capacity building workshop A capacity building workshop on gender was held in the World Bank office, Jakarta, on May 4-5, 2000. This was the Bank's first effort ever of its kind in the region, and participants included local and international Bank staff, staff from JICA, USAID, DFID, UNFPA, UNICEF, ADB, and government officials. Five themes were raised about gender in Indonesia: inequalities in Indonesia are structural in nature, such as, the proportion of women in public life; women's participation in political and executive decision-making positions has gone down, and the well-placed women in Indonesia are often relatives of well-placed men; the playing field is not level for women because they are less able to compete with men in corrupt environments, such as in Indonesia; the existence of gender gaps in education, including aspects such as gender-biased and uninspiring books; and gender analysis cannot be done without the availability of sex-disaggregated data -- such data are often lacking. Contact: Gillian Brown, EASES (x85517). [ ECA Regional workshop on the implications of the restitution of forested land Early in 2000, the World Bank - WWF Forest Global Alliance on Forests launched a series of workshops and studies (funded by the Alliance, and Finnish and German governments) to assist countries in Eastern Europe to learn from the experience of forested land restitution processes at different stages -- from countries where private sector involvement is still minimal to countries where restitution is largely complete. In order to provide immediate assistance to Romania -- which is about to commence its forested land restitution process -- and to help provide input to subsequent workshops and studies, an "inception workshop" was held in Brasov, Romania, May 15-16, to facilitate the exchange of experience and professional opinions between Romanian stakeholders and representatives from various Eastern European countries. Some 23 participants from 8 different countries attended the workshop -- representing http://essd.worldbank.org/essd/in ... /41F89AE56F28B79D85256A620053A65E?OpenDocumen 11/6/01 ESSD Page 5 of 9 governments, NGOs, and international technical co-operation agencies. Contacts: Gerhard Dieterle, ECSSD (x87334) or Kerstin Canby, ENV (x31407). LAC Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC) meetings stress improved coordination Participants at high-level MBC meetings on June 16 discussed regional and interagency coordination, mainstreaming, public-private partnerships, and the communications strategy. Bank staff, led by David de Ferranti, met with Global Environment Facility Chairman Mohamed El-Ashry, and a delegation from the Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD) headed by Ricardo Anguizola (CCAD President and Minister of Environment for Panama) and Ana Maria Majano (Minister of Environment for El Salvador). A second meeting included the other main actors implementing MBC activities (USAID, IADB, OAS, WWF, Cl, TNC, FFI, and IUCN). Contact: Arsenio Rodriguez, LCSEN (x87699). Dialogue with civil society organizations during LAC Development Conference This year's World Bank Conference on Development in Latin America and the Caribbean included an interactive session with civil society organizations (CSOs) on June 21. The session analyzed the implications of a regional study on social and economic policy formulation and promote national dialogues at the country level. Representatives of LCR management, the regional study team, other Washington- based organizations, and almost 20 regional civil society participants attended at HQ while World Bank civil society specialists and members of local CSOs participated by videoconference from country offices. Contact: Roby Senderowitsch, LACSPP (85344). Bogota conference on crime and violence in cities On May 4-5 the World Bank and the Universidad de los Andes co-hosted an international conference in Bogota on "Crime and Violence: Causes and Policy Responses." The event featured numerous papers on the causes and characteristics of crime and violence, as well as different policies and approaches to dealing with these problems. One important set of papers were case studies commissioned by the World Bank of violence in major Latin American cities. For more information go to the conference website at www.worldbank. org/laccrime Inter-agency meeting on indigenous peoples The Third Inter-Agency Meeting on Indigenous Peoples, organized by the Regional Unit for Technical Assistance (RUTA) together with the International Labor Organization (ILO), was held in San Jose, Costa Rica, May 24-26. The meeting brought together diverse organizations including the World Bank, GTZ, IDB, IFAD, IICA, ILO, PAHO, UNDP, and UNESCO to share experiences and ideas on indigenous peoples' development and seek collaboration between the various agencies' activities. Participants agreed on specific activities to operationalize the major proposals and agreements discussed during the meeting, including an expanded Indigenous Peoples Development Network (Red Indigena), analysis of social sector policies, alternative financial services and legislative norms for indigenous peoples, and a collaborative Central American indigenous peoples strategy meeting to be organized by RUTA and the Indigenous Peoples Fund. The participants also agreed that the next inter-agency meeting would be organized in the Andean region by IFAD and the World Bank. Contacts: Juan Martinez, LCSEO or Karen Beretowitz, LCSES (x20374). Ecomarkets project approved to conserve Costa Rican forests and biodiversity The Costa Rica Ecomarkets Project was approved June 6. The project will provide financial incentives to small and medium-size landowners to conserve primary forests, encourage sustainable management of secondary forests, and promote reforestation efforts. These measures are intended to help conserve biodiversity in areas surrounding national parks and biological reserves, and support the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor. Contacts: John Kellenberg, LCSEN or Esteben Brenes, LCSEN (x34683). Honduras disaster management credit http://essd.worldbank.org/essd/in .../41F89AE56F28B79D85256A620053A65E?OpenDocumen 11/6/01 ESSD Page 6 of 9 An IDA credit approved by the Board on May 31 will help Honduras to better prepare for natural disasters such as the devastation wrought by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. The project will recommend specific disaster mitigation work projects and develop maps and preventive land-use plans for 60 target municipalities. It will also lead to a nationwide flood forecasting and early-warning system. Contact: Tova Solo, INFWP (x34760). SAS Workshop on compliance and enforcement in Southeast Asia -- Bangkok, June 19-22 This workshop was designed to assist countries in setting goals and priorities for capacity building in environmental compliance and enforcement, and identify mechanisms to rationalize assistance both within the region and from outside donors. Participants included public prosecutors handling enforcement matters; leading environmental managers responsible for compliance and enforcement; police and customs officials; judicial representatives; and inspectors. Partners for this program include the Asia-Pacific Center for Environmental Law (APCEL)/Government of Singapore, ASEAN, the Government of the Netherlands, the Hanns Seidel Foundation, the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE), UNEP, USAEP, and USEPA. Contacts: Adriana Bianchi, WBIEN (x36371) or A(exandra Klopfer, WBIEN (x34645). Resettlement Management Workshop -- Bangalore, June 19-22 The Social Development Team, New Delhi Office, hosted an Experience Sharing Workshop for Project Managers in Resettlement Management in India. This seminar sought to learn from the experiences and problems faced by the Project Managers in the field. Speakers from the Bank and from organizations like Coal India, NTPC, Upper Krishna Project, etc. shared their experiences with the participants so as to help them enhance their handling of the resettlement issue. Contact: Monica Fernandes, SASSD (x585+108) PUBLICATIONS New coral reef research released Coral reef managers and government officials trying to save their valuable national resources have turned to research on coral reefs for help. The research presented in "Integrated Coastal Zone Management of Coral Reefs: Decision Support Modeling", by editors Kent Gustavson, Richard M. Huber, and Jack Ruitenbeek, is useful for decision support and training tools in integrated coastal zone management. Ecological economic decision support models can play a critical role in the development of effective integrated coastal zone management policies and programs and three case study sites in the developing tropics are explored: Curacao, the Netherlands Antilles; the Republic of the Maldives; and Montego Bay, Jamaica. Advice is offered regarding policy applications and research priorities. An interactive CD is included to allow researchers and decision-makers to explore the behavior of select models through the effects of development and environmental management strategies on coral reef health. Contact: Richard Huber, LCSEN (x38581). New Post Conflict book Nat J. Colletta and Michelle L. Cullen have launched a new study entitled "Violent Conflict and the Transformation of Social Capital: Lessons from Cambodia, Rwanda, Guatemala, and Somalia". The book is an attempt to better understand the interactions between armed conflict and social capital. Based on four-country studies, the book discusses: changes in social capital due to conditions of conflict; the interaction between social capital and conflict; and methods for civil society, government, and international actors to nurture social capital for conflict prevention rehabilitation and reconciliation measures. Recommendations for social policy and practices are also presented. For copies, please see the InfoShop website at: http://www.wortdbank.org/html/pic/PIC.htmI or contact Frode Davanger, SDVPC (x31658). http://essd.worldbank.org/essd/in .../41 F89AE56F28B79D85256A620053A65E?OpenDocumen 11/6/01 ESSD Page 7 of 9 Anti-Corruption Handbook The "Anti-Corruption handbook" has been published and us available both on the web and in hard copy. Based on experiences of EAP staff, the handbook uses anecdotes to help explain corruption as it affects Bank-funded projects. It identifies the pitfalts, methods used to spot corrupt practices, and innovative ways to prevent leakage. Contact: William Rex, EAPVP (x88108) or visit the website at: http:/Ieap.worldbank. org/eap/anticorruDtion/handbook TRAINING Post-Conflict training The Post-Conflict Unit held a training workshop May 23-24, on the "The Transition from War to Peace: An Overview". There were 36 participants, including ten from outside the Bank (IMF, IADB, UNDPA, ILO, USAID, JICA, American RC, two NGOs). The workshop was followed by a Training of Trainers course on May 25-26, with 16 participants (most of whom first attended the workshop). To access the full training module, please visit the PCU website at http://www.worldbank.org/postconflict. Contact: Frode Davanger, SDVPC (x31658). UPCOMING SEMINARS Seminar on the arsenic problem in Bangladesh -- MC Lobby and JB1-080, June 26th, 9:00 am-12:30 pm The Government of Bangladesh, with support from UNDP, the World Bank, and the Water and Sanitation Program, is sponsoring Fighting Arsenic Poisoning in Bangladesh, a traveling photo exhibition, as part of a broader multi-donor supported program to raise awareness about the arsenic problem and the options available to cope with it. With an estimated 20 million of its 126 million people assumed to be drinking from wells contaminated by naturally-occuring arsenic, Bangladesh is facing a massive environmental health crisis of unprecedented scope. The Bank is holding a similar exhibition in the MC building lobby from June 26-July 10 to help raise awareness about the problem. Following the photo exhibition, a 2.5 hour seminar starting at 10:00 am will be held in the J Building to discuss the issues in more detail. Contact: Water Help Desk (email address: WATER HELPDESK/Service/World Bank) Internet Seminar on biodiversity conservation and use -- June 26-July 19 The Environment and Natural Resources Division of the World Bank Institute invites you to join an electronic discussion, beginning June 26, that will examine and push forward the dialogue on biodiversity conservation and use, focusing on the role of biodiversity in poverty alleviation. The objective is to invite individuals and organizations from all sectors. Subsequent training activities will then build upon the directions and priorities emerging from this e-discussion. This e-discussion will follow the format of a face- to-face seminar, consisting of a plenary at the beginning, three parallel breakouts focusing on subtopics, and concluding with a final plenary as a wrap up. To join, simply send a blank email to: join- biodiversity@lists.worldbank.org For additional information, go to: http://www.worldbank.org/devforum/forum biodiversity. html ANNOUNCEMENTS Teresa Serra became the new Environment Sector Manager for LCR, effective May 15. A Brazilian national, Teresa joined the Bank in 1992. Her most recent position was Senior Environmental Specialist in LCSES and Environment Sector leader for Bolivia and Paraguay. She was selected for the sector manager position based on her strong client orientation and teamwork, together with her hands-on experience in strategy formulation and in mainstreaming environmental and social concerns across sectors. For more details see the Kiosk announcement. http://essd.worldbank.org/essd/in.. ./41F89AE56F28B79D85256A620053A65E?OpenDocumen 11/6/01 ESSD Page 8 of 9 Peter Raven, lead speaker at ESSD's Environment Retreat this past spring, and Robert Goodland have been honored with the Millennial Conservation Award on June 8th. Last year's recipient was Al Gore, so they are in good company -- congratulations! Tony Bebbington (SDV), Michael Woolcock (DECRG), and Scott Guggenheim (EASES) recently received a grant from the Ford Foundation. The grant is for the preparation of a collection of case studies analyzing how a social capital lens influences conceptions of development and poverty reduction and tracing ways in which the concept has affected operational and analytical work in the Bank. The cases will be prepared by Bank staff and academics familiar with the institution and will be collected together in a book. The project will also be supported by the University of Colorado at Boulder, where Tony will return in mid- July. With her work on indoor air pollution, Kseniya Lvovsky was one of five people awarded a prize in the contest of real-life examples of poverty-energy links. It was announced by James Bond at the closing session of Energy Week. Her prize was $1.00, contributed by ESMAP -- the $1.00 was chosen as a reminder of the $1.00 a day income the poor have to live on. Congratulations to Kseniya! ESSD CALENDAR 20-21 6th ABCD-LAC Conference 2000 lVenue: World Bank, Preston Auditorium 26-30 World Summit for Social Development and Beyond (Copenhagen +5) Venue: Geneva, Switzerland Sponsor: The United Nations 26-July 10 Bangladesh Arsenic Photo Exhibit Venue: MC Lobby Sponsor: World Bank 5-7 Urban Cultural Heritage Forum Venue: Beijing, China 9 International Day of the World's Indigenous People Sponsor: The United Nations 14-17 10th Stockholm Water Symposium Venue: Stockholm 22 Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) Launch Venue: Pasadena, CA Sponsor: World Bank, Conservation International Contributors: Nilufar Ahmad, Sabine Alkire, Tony Bebbington, Bonnie Bradford, Gillian Brown, Kerstin Canby, Fiona Clark, Frode Davanger, Concepcion del Castillo, Monica Fernandes, Daniele Giovannucci, Robert Goodland, David Hanrahan, Richard Huber, Alexandra Klopfer, Magda Lovei, William Rex, Guenter Riethmacher, Roby Senderowitsch, Yumi Sera, Julie Slok, Christine Stover, Ricardo Tarifa, Seema Tikare, http://essd.worldbank.org/essd/in.../41F89AE56F28B79D85256A620053A65E?OpenDocumen 11/6/01 ESSD Page 9 of 9 Bob Thompson, Lars Vidaeus, Michael Walton "ESSentials" is the monthly internal newsletter of the Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Network of the World Bank Group. Its purpose is to unify the 800 network staff, including 100 in field offices and share important news on sustainable development with network staff and interested Bank colleagues. Please send ideas or articles to Kristyn Ebro, editor, MC4-119, x82736. To obtain prior issues of "ESSentials" or more information on ESSD, check our website: http://essd http://essd.worldbank.org/essd/in ... /41F89AE56F28B79D85256A620053A65E?OpenDocumen 11/6/01 Design of Proposals -- Criteria for Eligible Activities and Selection The following are elements to be considered for selection of activities to be financed under the Fund. 1. JSDF activities should be compatible with the development objectives set out in the Country Assistance Strategy, Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper or Sector Strategies and should support World Bank Group-financed operations and activities. The Fund may also be used to expand or enhance activities, which have received support from the Development Grant Facility (DGF) (including Institutional Development Fund [IDF]) grants for poverty-related activities. 2. The Grants are intended to directly benefit the poorest and most vulnerable groups in eligible countries and should not be used to cover the cost of research work or academic training. In the case of Capacity Building Grants, there must be a clear "exit strategy" and a demonstrated mechanism for long-term sustainability after funding has ended. 3. Priority would be given to activities with innovative, untested approaches to social development, as well as "demand driven" proposals advanced by community groups and initiative of local/international NGOs (particularly Japanese NGOs) that can effectively carry out social development activities. Pilot activities should have a clear linkage to the design or processing of a subsequent World Bank Group-supported project or program. 4. Activities should have: (a) a comparatively wide coverage; and (b) a significant impact on meeting the "basic needs" of the poor. Proposals should define the mechanisms planned for identification, establishment and monitoring of priority beneficiaries, and arrangements to ensure that the proposed interventions will reach the targeted beneficiaries. 5. Proposals should provide assurance of proper project execution, and the standard level of World Bank Group accountability and oversight for such activities. 6. Proposals should list the performance indicators to monitor and evaluate the proposed activities, including measures of implementation progress and the outcome or impact. They should describe the performance monitoring and impact evaluation systems that would be used or established for these purposes. 7. Activities in support of regional or global activities should help developing countries avail themselves of lessons learned from transnational experiences in undertaking local level programs. Regional or global proposals should focus on community-driven activities. They should also provide the World Bank Group opportunities to benefit from these learning experiences, develop a broader range of products, and increase their capacities to deliver more effective and efficient services to client countries. ILLUSTRATtVE ACTIVITIES The following is an illustrative list of activities which might be proposed for financing under JSDF. Project Grants 1) Establishing or scaling up the activities of a "Social Fund" directed at poverty alleviation or relief of "financial crisis" problems. (These funds directly finance small community-managed projects, generally identified by local populations. They have typically been involved in water supply and sewerage rehabilitation; construction of school and health posts; nutrition programs for mothers and infants; building rural access roads; and support of micro-enterprises.) Proposals centered on Social Funds may serve in situations relying on communities' own efforts, institutional flexibility, low administrative costs and the capacity to quickly adapt to changed circumstances. At the same time, World Bank experience has shown the need for certain precautions, which Social Fund proposals should reflect. Since Social Funds' outreaches may not always reach the very poor, targeting methods should be well documented, and be supplemented by provisions to ensure sufficiently wide coverage. As the Social Funds have generally had limited success in implementing credit programs, plans for these activities need to be especially well justified. Adequate attention should be given as well to enlisting community participation in the operation and maintenance of the new or improved facilities over their full lives (subject to the precaution indicated below about "community privatization" proposals). Moreover, proponents of new Social Funds should consider whether measures need be taken to avert their functioning as virtually parallel local governments. 2) Public employment programs such as employment creation or promotion schemes. Proposals for public employment programs should give priority to projects located in poorer areas, yielding larger public benefits, endorsed by well regarded community groups or NGOs, and reducing labor costs below the minimum wage. 3) Alleviation of housing problems. For example for creation, reconstruction or improvement of small-scale housing or other community infrastructure, perhaps through the provision of vouchers for purchases of needed equipment, goods and services. Alternatively, testing a market-based micro-credit program for housing improvements focused on providing small loans to low income persons. Proposals to alleviate severe housing problems should indicate whether there are basic issues of property rights, housing finance, building regulations and truck infrastructure, and, if so, what remedial measures are being taken or planned. 4) Funding for support of indigenous people's development programs which relate to poverty alleviation. 5) Undertaking special preventive and rehabilitation measures to safeguard risky, distressed groups (out of school, children, disabled) from further harm. Capacity Building Grants 1) Capacity building for the provision of basic services by community groups, for example when neither the public nor private sectors adequately respond to demands for such services. In the "community privatization" instances, the proposals should describe the technical and institutional capacities of those who would design and implement the works. Proposals should also address the related issues of citizens' rights, security, participation, transparency and accountability. 2) Capacity building for community-driven public works schemes to enable the poor to expand their income-earning potential. Experience has shown that such schemes can screen out the non-needy and increase equality across households. Proposals for such assistance should describe how they would be targeted to mainly benefit the most needy, and how the potential clients would obtain a full understanding of the nature of the assistance. 3) Provision of small amounts of materials needed for training the unskilled or persons unemployed because of economic or social problems. 4) Provision of the necessary ingredients for public service and community institutions to better deliver and expand poverty alleviating goods and services to distressed groups or regions. 5) Expansion of the mission or otherwise altering the tasks of development agencies executing on-going activities in order to address poverty problems caused or aggravated by the recent crises.