INTEGRATED SAFEGUARDS DATA SHEET APPRAISAL STAGE Report No.: ISDSA462 Public Disclosure Copy Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 10-Feb-2012 I. BASIC INFORMATION 1. Basic Project Data Country: West Bank and Gaza Project ID: P105403 Project Name: Second Land Administration Project (LAP-2) (P105403) Task Team Leader: Soraya Goga Estimated Appraisal Date: 15-Feb-2012 Estimated Board Date: 17-Apr-2012 Managing Unit: MNSSD Lending Instrument: Specific Investment Loan Sector: Central government administration (68%), Law and justice (18%), Sub-national government administration (14%) Theme: Land administration and management (33%), Personal and property rights (33%), Legal institutions for a market economy (17%), Adminis trative and civil service reform (17%) Financing (In USD Million) Financing Source Amount Borrower 0.00 Special Financing 3.00 Financing Gap 7.00 Total 3.00 Environmental Category: C - Not Required Is this a Repeater project? Yes 2. Project Objectives Project Development Objectives A. PDO Public Disclosure Copy 13. The project development objective is to improve the design and implementation of the land registration system in the project areas. The project area is defined as municipalities, villages and project committees in the Dura district and in an adjacent area of not less than 180,000 dunums. B. Project Beneficiaries 14. Project beneficiaries would include (i) owners in the project areas targeted for systematic land registration (Dura and an adjacent area) (estimated 80,000 owners ); (ii) the public using the services of the regional office targeted for improved service delivery (Hebron, Jericho, Nablus and Jenin); (iii) businesses, lawyers and other private sector interests that require access to land registration information in the project areas targeted for systematic land registration (Dura and an adjacent area) and in regional offices targeted for improved service delivery (Hebron, Jericho, Nablus and Jenin) areas; (iv) PA institutions, included municipalities and the Ministry of Finance, who would benefit from the fiscal impacts of the land registration process. C. PDO Level Results Indicators 15. Achievement of the PDO will be measured using the following indicators: (i) increase in customer satisfaction with the services provided by the PLA in the project areas; (ii) decrease in time required for land transactions processing in at least 4 PLA offices; (iii) reduction in costs of SLR activities in the Project areas by at least 60% by end of Project. 3. Project Description Component 1: Systematic Land Registration in Selected Areas (US$, 6.9 million, of which US$ 2.4 million financed by WBGTF, US$ 4.15 million co-financed): This component will provide resources to the PLA to complete systematic land registration in at least 180,000 dunums of land in the West Bank to be implemented in two phases, and to develop their capacity to further implement SLR in the rest of the West Bank. Phase 1 would register 90,000 dunums of land in the Dura district over 24 months. Phase 2 would extend the systematic land registration process to at least an additional 90,000 dunums of land in an area most likely in the southern West Bank. The possibility of including an area greater than 90,000 dunums will be reviewed towards the end of phase 1, depending on the work progress of the SLR process. The procedures refined through the implementation of this Component would be institutionalized within the PLA for implementation across the West Bank . Component 2: Institutional Development of the PLA (US$ 0.63 million of which US$ 0.28 financed by WBGTF, US$ 0.35 co-financed): This component will assist the PLA in effectively implementing its mandate and, in particular, managing systematic land registration, through institutional strengthening, capacity building and provision of enabling technology. Sub-Component 2.1: Institutional Strengthening of the PLA will assist the PLA in (i) conducting an institutional needs assessment; (ii) formulating a Page 1 of 3 corporate strategy and subsequent annual business plans, (iii) establishing a monitoring and evaluation system, (iv) improving service standards through re-organization of work processes and training, (v) improving its public relations and outreach and (vi) formulating a human resources development strategy; (vii) provision of subsequent required training. Subcomponent 2.2: Implementation of Enabling Technologies will assist the PLA in i) preparation of an IT Strategy; (ii) development of software to extend the computerized land registration system (CLRS); (iii) extension of the CLRS to four regional offices (Hebron, Jericho, Nablus and Jenin); (iv) improvement of the land registration process; (v) a feasibility study for a Continuous Operation Reference System (CORS); and (vi) upgrading Public Disclosure Copy survey equipment for the Survey Department. Subcomponent 2.3: Modernization of PLA’s Offices would support the design, works, equipment, installation of systems, and improvement of work process in Hebron and Jericho. Component 3: Project Management and Technical Assistance (US$ 0.95 million of which US$ 0.07 is financed from WBGTF and US$ 0.88 co- financed): This component would support: (i) consultants for the Project Management Unit (PMU); (ii) incremental operating costs; (iii) project monitoring and evaluation. 4. Project location and salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) West Bank and Gaza - areas under Palestinian Authority's administrative responsibility. 5. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists Tracy Hart (MNSEN) Nina Bhatt (MNSSO) Hana Salah (MNSSO) 6. Safeguard Policies Triggered? Explanation (Optional) Environmental Assessment OP/BP 4.01 No The project is registering land for which people demonstrate some form of pre- existing title or ownership. These lands have been previously owned and are therefore not being shifted in their land use designation. There is expected to be no change in land use management. Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 No Forests OP/BP 4.36 No Pest Management OP 4.09 No Physical Cultural Resources OP/BP 4.11 No Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 No Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP 4.12 No The proposed LAP2 does not trigger the Bank’s Operational Policy 4.12 on Involuntary Land Acquisition and Resettlement. The main safeguards related risk Public Disclosure Copy would be potential eviction of encroachers found on state lands (which are only an estimated one percent of LAP2 sites based on estimates from the known locations of the state lands for Phase I of LAP2.) during the land registration process, but this risk has been assessed as negligible. An array of due diligence measures, including field investigations reviewing the extent of illegal occupancies on state lands, a Social Assessment exercise, evaluation of laws and procedures governing encroachment on state lands, and a robust project level grievance redressal mechanism combined with the LAP1 experience all point to a low-risk scenario. This is mainly because encroachments on unregistered state lands are rare, and if found, the Palestinian state favors providing recourse to the illegal occupants. Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 No Projects on International Waterways OP/BP No 7.50 Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP 7.60 No II. Key Safeguard Policy Issues and Their Management A. Summary of Key Safeguard Issues 1. Describe any safeguard issues and impacts associated with the proposed project. Identify and describe any potential large scale, significant and/or irreversible impacts: N/A 2. Describe any potential indirect and/or long term impacts due to anticipated future activities in the project area: N/A 3. Describe any project alternatives (if relevant) considered to help avoid or minimize adverse impacts. N/A 4. Describe measures taken by the borrower to address safeguard policy issues. Provide an assessment of borrower capacity to plan and implement the measures described. Page 2 of 3 N/A 5. Identify the key stakeholders and describe the mechanisms for consultation and disclosure on safeguard policies, with an emphasis on potentially affected people. This project does not trigger any of the Bank’s safeguards policies thus the issue of project affected people consultations on safeguards policies does not apply. The impacts of the project are expected to be positive and are expected to result in increased tenure security, including for women, the poor and vulnerable. The main project beneficiaries include (i) owners in the project areas targeted for systematic land Public Disclosure Copy registration (Dura and an adjacent area) (estimated 80,000 owners); (ii) the public using the services of the regional offices targeted for improved service delivery (Hebron, Jericho, Nablus and Jenin); (iii) businesses, lawyers and other private sector interests that require access to land registration information in the project areas targeted for systematic land registration (Dura and an adjacent area) and in regional offices targeted for improved service delivery (Hebron, Jericho, Nablus and Jenin) areas; (iv) PA institutions, including municipalities and the Ministry of Finance, who would benefit from the fiscal impacts of the land registration process. While not related to safeguards compliance, the project nonetheless has an array of consultation and dispute resolution mechanisms. A Social Facilitation team, comprising of a lawyer, a social scientist and a trainer, will provide public awareness, community training, information activities and advice throughout the project and in parallel to the demarcation team. During the course of systematic registration, block representatives - one woman and one man - will provide advice to the demarcation team, helping to ensure that owners or their representatives are honestly advising on the ownership and boundary information. If disputes arise, the demarcation team will refer the case back to the settlement officer for mediation initially by a local village or neighborhood land committee. If mediation fails, the case will go to the settlement officer for resolution according to the established procedure outlined in the law and the settlement manual. If necessary appeals can be made to the settlement judge and then the high court as provided for in the law. B. Disclosure Requirements Date If the project triggers the Pest Management and/or Physical Cultural Resources policies, the respective issues are to be addressed and disclosed as part of the Environmental Assessment/Audit/or EMP. If in-country disclosure of any of the above documents is not expected, please explain why: C. Compliance Monitoring Indicators at the Corporate Level (to be filled in when the ISDS is finalized by the project decision meeting) The World Bank Policy on Disclosure of Information Have relevant safeguard policies documents been sent to the World Bank's Infoshop? Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] Have relevant documents been disclosed in-country in a public place in a form and language Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] that are understandable and accessible to project-affected groups and local NGOs? All Safeguard Policies Have satisfactory calendar, budget and clear institutional responsibilities been prepared for Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] the implementation of measures related to safeguard policies? Have costs related to safeguard policy measures been included in the project cost? Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] Does the Monitoring and Evaluation system of the project include the monitoring of safeguard Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] impacts and measures related to safeguard policies? Public Disclosure Copy Have satisfactory implementation arrangements been agreed with the borrower and the same Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] been adequately reflected in the project legal documents? III. APPROVALS Task Team Leader: Soraya Goga Approved By: Sector Manager: Name Franck Bousquet (SM) Date: 15-Feb-2012 Page 3 of 3