The World Bank Report No: ISR6523 Implementation Status & Results Tajikistan Social Safety Net Strengthening Project (P122039) Public Disclosure Copy Operation Name: Social Safety Net Strengthening Project (P122039) Project Stage: Implementation Seq.No: 3 Status: ARCHIVED Archive Date: 08-May-2012 Country: Tajikistan Approval FY: 2011 Product Line: IBRD/IDA Region: EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA Lending Instrument: Specific Investment Loan Implementing Agency(ies): Key Dates Board Approval Date 16-Jun-2011 Original Closing Date 31-Dec-2015 Planned Mid Term Review Date 16-Sep-2013 Last Archived ISR Date 30-Nov-2011 Effectiveness Date 11-Oct-2011 Revised Closing Date 31-Dec-2015 Actual Mid Term Review Date Project Development Objectives Social Safety Net Strengthening Project (P122039) Project Development Objective (from Project Appraisal Document) The development objective of the Project is to improve the capacity of the Government of Tajikistan to plan, monitor, and manage social assistance for the poor through the development of a national registry of social protection and the provision of training, equipment and related items for improving said capacity. Has the Project Development Objective been changed since Board Approval of the Program? Yes No Component(s) Component Name Component Cost Component 2: Capacity building 1.20 Component 3: Project Management 0.30 Component 1: National Registry for Social Protection 1.40 Overall Ratings Public Disclosure Copy Previous Rating Current Rating Progress towards achievement of PDO Satisfactory Moderately Unsatisfactory Overall Implementation Progress (IP) Satisfactory Moderately Unsatisfactory Overall Risk Rating Implementation Status Overview The Government of Tajikistan initiated a reform of its system of social assistance to make more equitable and efficient use of the scarce budget resources that it allocates for social assistance. The reform will consolidate several social assistance programs, direct payments of social assistance to the poorest households, and will impose financial controls on the payments. Page 1 of 6 The World Bank Report No: ISR6523 The Government requested technical assistance for the reform from both the World Bank, during discussion of the Country Partnership Strategy, and from the European Union (EU). The World Bank and the EU signed a Memorandum of Understanding on June 11, 2010 on cooperation to support the Government#s reform. Next, the World Bank team prepared a report, "Tajikistan: Delivering Social Assistance to the Poorest Households" (December 2010) that identified ways to improve the system. Public Disclosure Copy Importantly, the team mobilized grants to help the Government build its capacity to reform social assistance throughout the country. These are the: ---USD 3.2 million IDA Grant for the Social Safety-net Strengthening Project, signed on July 13, 2011; and the ---USD 2.2 million Rapid Social Response (RSR) Trust Fund Grant for Poverty-targeting of Social Assistance, signed on July 15, 2011. With support from the EU, the Government launched a pilot of poverty-targeting of social assistance in Yavan and Istarafshan districts in January 2011. The pilot tests the mechanism of identifying the poor (proxy-means test) developed by the World Bank team. The Government plans to continue these pilot activities at least through the end of 2012. The World Bank project team visited Dushanbe from March 1 to 22, 2012 to support and advance the Government's reform of social assistance. The team also visited Yavan district to meet with the staff of the Agency for Social Protection, which is implementing the pilot there, and to meet with statistical survey workers. During the field visit, the team heard concerns about ineligibility of some single elderly people, under the identification mechanism, for the poverty-targeted social assistance benefit. The work supported by the RSR grant is advancing slowly. At the present rate of advance, it appears that the Government may not be able to complete the work supported by the RSR grant even by the revised closing date of November 30, 2012. Implementation of the IDA grant has not yet begun. Locations No Location data has been entered Results Project Development Objective Indicators Indicator Name Core Unit of Measure Baseline Current End Target Eligibility compliance: Percentage Value 90.00 Date 30-Jun-2011 22-Mar-2012 31-Dec-2015 Comments The evaluation study for the The evaluation of the Pilot is pilot of social assistance, due not complete and the national Public Disclosure Copy in June 2012, will establish reform has not started, so the baseline. there are no figures to report. Payments compliance Percentage Value 95.00 Date 30-Jun-2011 22-Mar-2012 31-Dec-2015 Comments (i) percent of payments from The evaluation of the Pilot is i. 95% the Treasury that are not complete and the national ii. 90% disbursed by the payment reform has not started, so agent; and (ii) the estimated there are no figures to report. percent of payments from the payment agent that are Page 2 of 6 The World Bank Report No: ISR6523 received by the beneficiaries. The evaluation study for the pilot of social assistance, due in June 2012, will establish Public Disclosure Copy the baseline. Coverage of the registry. Percentage Value 1.30 1.30 25.00 Date 30-Jun-2011 22-Mar-2012 31-Dec-2015 Comments The pilot of social assistance The Ministry of Labor and The objective is for the covers 1.3% of the national Social Protection has not registry to include about 25 population of households. started to build the Registry, percent of all households in so it is too soon to measure Tajikistan. its coverage. Use of the registry for planning and budgeting. Text Value No Yes Date 22-Mar-2012 31-Dec-2015 Comments Since the IDA Grant became effective on Oct. 11, 2011, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection has not started to build the Registry. Intermediate Results Indicators Indicator Name Core Unit of Measure Baseline Current End Target Government district and jamoat-level staffed Text Value 0 trained. Date 30-Jun-2011 22-Mar-2012 Comments Baseline established by The capacity assessment Objective established by a capacity-assessment at start report that will determine the capacity assessment at the of Project training program is not yet start of the Project. complete and training has not been planned and started. Proportion of district-level offices equipped with Percentage Value 90.00 adequate computers and connected to the Public Disclosure Copy Date 30-Jun-2011 22-Mar-2012 31-Dec-2015 Internet. Comments Baseline established by The Project Coordination Objective established by a capacity-assessment at start Group just began capacity assessment at the of Project. This study should procurement of computers for start of the Project. be delivered by April 2012. the two pilot districts. Number of jamoats piloting electronic input of Number Value 0.00 0.00 20.00 applications through the NRSP. Date 30-Jun-2011 22-Mar-2012 31-Dec-2015 Comments The work plan is for jamuats to pilot electronic input of applications through the Page 3 of 6 The World Bank Report No: ISR6523 NRSP during the second half of the Project. Payments tracked by the NRSP. Text Value No Yes Public Disclosure Copy Date 30-Jun-2011 22-Mar-2012 31-Dec-2015 Comments The registry has not been built, so it cannot track payments of social assistance. Use of mechanism for recertification. Text Value No Yes Date 30-Jun-2011 22-Mar-2012 31-Dec-2015 Comments The Government has not yet launched the national reform of social assistance, so it is too early for adoption of the mechanism for recertification. Policy and Planning Unit in the MLSP is staffed Text Value No Yes and functioning Date 30-Jun-2011 22-Mar-2012 31-Dec-2015 Comments The Project Coordination Group started procurement of the consultants for the Policy and Planning Unit in the MLSP. Data on Financial Performance (as of 18-Oct-2011) Financial Agreement(s) Key Dates Project Loan No. Status Approval Date Signing Date Effectiveness Date Original Closing Date Revised Closing Date P122039 IDA-H7260 Effective 16-Jun-2011 13-Jul-2011 11-Oct-2011 31-Dec-2015 P123704 TF-98826 Effective 15-Jul-2011 15-Jul-2011 11-Oct-2011 30-Nov-2012 Public Disclosure Copy Disbursements (in Millions) Project Loan No. Status Currency Original Revised Cancelled Disbursed Undisbursed % Disbursed P122039 IDA-H7260 Effective USD 3.20 3.20 0.00 0.00 3.31 0.00 P123704 TF-98826 Effective USD 2.20 2.20 0.00 0.25 1.95 11.00 Disbursement Graph Page 4 of 6 The World Bank Report No: ISR6523 Public Disclosure Copy Key Decisions Regarding Implementation This ISR reports on the implementation support visit for the IDA Grant for the Social Safety-Net Strengthening Project conducted from March 1 to 22, 2012. The World Bank team also supervised the RSR Grant, since this co-financed the IDA Grant for the Social Safety-Net Strengthening Project. IDA Grant and RSR Grant. To speed implementation of both grants, the World Bank team agreed to schedule a further visit in May 2012. During the visit, the team will prepare an evaluation report on the pilot of poverty-targeted social assistance. Furthermore, the team will learn more complaints from single elderly people who did not receive benefits under the pilot and communicate its conclusions in the report. The evaluation report will inform the Government decision on whether to expand the pilot of poverty-targeting of social assistance in 2013. IDA Grant. The rating of prospects for realization Project Development Objectives is downgraded to Moderately Unsatisfactory for the following reasons: the national roll-out of poverty-targeted Public Disclosure Copy social assistance could be delayed to 2014 or even to 2015. Slow progress in training personnel in the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, automating key district offices, and in building the control systems increase the risk of a prolonged delay. A further complicating influence is turnover of key experienced staff at the central and regional levels or the Ministry. The rating of Implementation Progress is rated Moderately Satisfactory for the following reasons: there have been no disbursements of grant funds (including the advance) and key procurement steps are running far behind schedule. For example, there are as yet no Terms of Reference for the firm that will design the the National Registry of Social Protection. Importantly, procurement for the company that will evaluate the capacities of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection has not been completed. This is a key step since the company's report will inform decisions about procurement of training and computing equipment for the Ministry. The Project Coordination Group agreed to withdraw the advance on the IDA Grant for the Social Safety-Net Strengthening Project. Moreover, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection and the Project Coordination group will also prepare the Terms of Reference for the company that will design the Registry. The World Bank team will advise the Government on technical aspects of the Terms of Reference. Page 5 of 6 The World Bank Report No: ISR6523 Restructuring History There has been no restructuring to date. Public Disclosure Copy Related Projects P123704-Tajikistan Government-implemented grant for targeting and payment of social assistance Public Disclosure Copy Page 6 of 6