The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Resilience for South Asia (P171054) Concept Environmental and Social Review Summary Concept Stage (ESRS Concept Stage) Public Disclosure Date Prepared/Updated: 12/09/2019 | Report No: ESRSC00911 Dec 09, 2019 Page 1 of 9 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Resilience for South Asia (P171054) BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country Region Project ID Parent Project ID (if any) South Asia SOUTH ASIA P171054 Project Name Climate Adaptation and Resilience for South Asia Practice Area (Lead) Financing Instrument Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Urban, Resilience and Investment Project 2/28/2020 5/12/2020 Land Financing Borrower(s) Implementing Agency(ies) The Regional Integrated The Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Multi-Hazard Early Warning Warning System for Africa System for Africa and Asia and Asia (RIMES), Asian (RIMES), Asian Disaster Disaster Preparedness Preparedness Center (ADPC) Center (ADPC) Public Disclosure Proposed Development Objective(s) To create an enabling environment for climate resilient policies and investments across South Asia Financing (in USD Million) Amount Total Project Cost 36.00 B. Is the project being prepared in a Situation of Urgent Need of Assistance or Capacity Constraints, as per Bank IPF Policy, para. 12? No C. Summary Description of Proposed Project [including overview of Country, Sectoral & Institutional Contexts and Relationship to CPF] The project will work at two levels - (i) at the regional level, ensuring a strong evidence base to inform and guide policy dialogue, guidelines, standards and decision making; and (ii) at the national level, supporting a whole-of- government approach to mainstream climate risk management in policy planning and sectoral investment design. Dec 09, 2019 Page 2 of 9 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Resilience for South Asia (P171054) The regional project will focus on key thematic areas, aligned with the WBG’s new Action Plan on Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience, that are critical to achieving climate resilience in SAR. The following thematic areas will be prioritized for this project - these themes have been selected based on thorough consultations with GPs and CMUs: 1. Climate Smart Agriculture. 2. Integrated Water Resource Management. 3. Resilient infrastructure. D. Environmental and Social Overview D.1. Project location(s) and salient characteristics relevant to the ES assessment [geographic, environmental, social] The proposed project is a Recipient-Executed Regional TA that supports Type 2 (supporting policies, programs, plans, strategies or legal frameworks) and Type 3 (strengthening capacity) TA activities. It will not support TA Type 1 activities (supporting future investments such as feasibility studies, detailed design, bidding documents, etc.) nor will it finance any civil works. Component 1 will focus on regional partnerships to improve access to climate data and analytics, policy dialogue and knowledge sharing among SAR countries, and develop regional guidelines and standards on climate resilience. Component 2 will focus on national-level climate resilience mainstreaming through (a) supporting policy reform dialogue on resilience in support of a whole-of-government approach; and (b) providing technical support to national clients for preparing climate-smart operations, through regional thematic partners. The project will focus on a sub-set Public Disclosure of countries in the region, in particular Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan. Country-specific investments will not be part of this project. Rather, the project centers on knowledge sharing, capacity building, increased finance, and policy action around climate change adaptation and resilience in South Asia. As such, it will establish the enabling conditions for a range of GP-led investment projects, to be prepared and implemented at a future time. If and when they are identified and proposed to be financed by the Bank, these priority sectoral, country-specific investments will be processed separately, following Bank preparation and approval processes and meeting Bank ESF and related requirements. D. 2. Borrower’s Institutional Capacity The project will be implemented through two regional organizations including the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) and the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES). The project would also have a Strategic Coordination Committee (SCC) which would comprise of representatives from each beneficiary country’s Ministry / Departments of Planning and Climate/Environment as well as the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). RIMES is an international and intergovernmental institution, owned and managed by its Member States, for the generation and application of early warning information. RIMES evolved from the efforts of countries in Asia and Africa, in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, to establish a regional early warning system within a multi- hazard framework for the generation and communication of early warning information, and capacity building for preparedness and response to trans-boundary hazards. Dec 09, 2019 Page 3 of 9 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Resilience for South Asia (P171054) ADPC is an inter-governmental organization that aims to build resilience of people and institutions to disasters and climate change. Based out of Bangkok, ADPC was established in 1986 and works in Asia and the Pacific. ADPC supports countries in building the capacity of their systems and institutions in regard to disaster risk resilience to ensure countries increase their resilience to numerous hazards, such as floods, landslides, earthquake, cyclones, droughts, etc. The organization has a strong track record of collaborating with countries in the South Asia Region to deliver comprehensive technical services within the area of climate adaptation and resilience. One of the key departments of ADPC is its Climate Resilience department. While E&S risk from this TA project is considered "Moderate" overall, the E&S risk management capacity of RIMES and ADPC will be assessed during preparation and a capacity building program, as required, will be outlined in the Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP) of the Borrower. II. SCREENING OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL (ES) RISKS AND IMPACTS A. Environmental and Social Risk Classification (ESRC) Moderate Environmental Risk Rating Moderate The proposed project is mainly a TA that supports the development of regional policies, guidelines and standards and capacity strengthening for climate resiliency of participating SAR countries. It will not support preparation of future investments such as feasibility studies, detailed designs, bidding documents, etc. nor will it finance any civil works. By its very nature, the project is expected to have positive impacts and benefits to the region and to the participating Public Disclosure countries as it helps develop regional capacity, policies, guidelines and standards that promote and support climate- resilient development. It will also promote knowledge sharing and best practices on climate-resilient development. The likely environmental risks and impacts from project activities, if any, will be indirect and downstream and will be related to designing and implementing priority climate-resilient infrastructure, which will be processed and evaluated separately from this project. If downstream investments are financed by the Bank, the said investments will be processed and approved according to Bank policies and requirements. The indirect and downstream risk, however, lies with other investments that will not be financed by the Bank and for which the Bank will not have any say over the E&S standards that apply to them. The project will be implemented by two regional organizations that have good track record of generating and applying early warning information systems and of supporting member countries in building the capacity of their systems and institutions with regard to disaster risk and climate change resilience. Based on this information, the environmental risk of the project is assessed to be Moderate, which will be continuously assessed during preparation and throughout the life of the project and adjusted accordingly following an adaptive management approach. Social Risk Rating Low The likely social risks and impacts from project activities, if any, will be indirect and downstream and will be related to designing and implementing priority climate-resilient investment projects, which will be processed and evaluated separately from CARE. While this implies a certain amount of indirect risk, the greater risk, in the context of the immediate project, will come from an investment projects selection and siting prioritization process that may provoke Dec 09, 2019 Page 4 of 9 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Resilience for South Asia (P171054) concern (or outright criticism) if it is not handled properly. Moreover, given that climate change-related natural disasters and related impacts tend to have a disproportionate impact on poor and vulnerable groups and individuals, the project will need a transparent and inclusive stakeholder engagement process, during both project preparation and project implementation, on the policies, guidelines and standards to be developed. The social risk of the project is therefore deemed to be Moderate, although this will be assessed continuously during preparation and throughout the life of the project and adjusted as needed. B. Environment and Social Standards (ESSs) that Apply to the Activities Being Considered B.1. General Assessment ESS1 Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts Overview of the relevance of the Standard for the Project: The proposed project is expected to have positive and beneficial impacts for SAR as a whole and for the participating countries as it will support capacity strengthening, knowledge sharing and development of policies, guidelines and standards that support climate-resilient development. Nevertheless, this standard is relevant as policies, guidelines and standards to support climate resilient development may have indirect E&S risks and impacts downstream during design and implementation of priority climate-resilient investment projects, which will be outside the scope of this project and which will be processed and evaluated separately based on their own merits. The requirements set out in paragraphs 14–18 of ESS1 will be applied to TA activities as relevant and appropriate to the nature of the risks and impacts. Public Disclosure The analysis of E&S implications, risks and impacts of the different TA activities will be embedded in project implementation to help shape the design, TORs of TA activities and execution of project outputs. E&S capacity building will also be embedded in the project design. TA activities will be screened and, where relevant, and E&S risk assessment and management will be integrated into the TORs of various activities. TORs, work plans or other documents defining the scope and outputs of TA activities will be drafted in such a way that they are consistent with the ESF. A Stakeholder Engagement Plan will also be developed during preparation to promote broad, inclusive stakeholder engagement and participation at all critical phases of the TA. Labor Management Procedures for direct workers will also be developed proportional to the level of risk involved and will be integrated into the ESCP given the low risk of the project related to ESS2. Areas where “Use of Borrower Framework” is being considered: The use of Borrower Frameworks will not be considered by this regional project. ESF requirements will apply. ESS10 Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure The CARE project will be implemented by two regional organizations, ADPC and RIMES, that have good track record of establishing early warning information systems and of supporting member countries in building the capacity of their systems and institutions with regard to disaster risk and climate change resilience. These organizations--ADPC in Dec 09, 2019 Page 5 of 9 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Resilience for South Asia (P171054) particular--are also working with a diverse set of partners, from the United Nations to government agencies and line- ministries, multi- and bilateral donors, community-based organizations, universities, technical agencies, international non-governmental agencies, and private sector companies. These types of partnership networks, and the entities they contain, will be mapped during project preparation, so that they might feed into the development of a Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) for the project. The SEP will be prepared drawing on the latest understanding of the views, needs and interests of those who have a stake in, or otherwise stand to gain from, climate resilience mainstreaming at multiple levels, especially in those countries (Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan) where national-level actions will be supported. In a general sense, consultations will aim to raise public awareness of the climate adaptation and resilience topics and processes to be covered by the project. Consultations that are part of a national prioritization process--relating to the selection and siting of climate resilient infrastructure under sub-component 2.2, for example--will penetrate down to the level of community-based organizations and their constituents wherever possible, given that poor and marginalized people tend to be most vulnerable to climate change-induced impacts and shocks. Finally, both ADPC and RIMES have some kind of standing grievance redress policies or mechanisms, which will be assessed during preparation to determine their suitability to serve as project-specific GRM(s) for a wide range of stakeholders. B.2. Specific Risks and Impacts A brief description of the potential environmental and social risks and impacts relevant to the Project. ESS2 Labor and Working Conditions The project will employ direct workers such as project staff, consultants, enumerators, etc. to help implement the TA Public Disclosure activities. Labor Management Procedures proportional to the project's labor and working condition risk will be developed to meet the requirements of the standard. ESS3 Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management Based on the information to date and the given definition of project activities, this standard is deemed to be not relevant. This will be further assessed and confirmed during preparation. Just the same, the TORs for developing policies, guidelines and standards for climate resilient development will promote resource efficiency. ESS4 Community Health and Safety This standard is assessed to be not relevant to the project as there will be no civil works or use of hazardous materials in the project that would expose communities to health and safety risks. This will be further assessed and confirmed during preparation. ESS5 Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement This standard is assessed to be not relevant to the project as there will be no civil works or other activities with an on- the-ground footprint that would require land acquisition or restrictions on land use. This will be further assessed and confirmed during preparation. Dec 09, 2019 Page 6 of 9 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Resilience for South Asia (P171054) ESS6 Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources This standard is deemed to be not relevant as there will be no activities that would have an impact on biodiversity and living natural resources. All project activities are TA type 2 and type 3 activities. ESS7 Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities This standard is deemed to be not relevant as there will be no activities that would have an impact on indigenous peoples/ tribal peoples/ ethnic minorities, including in the three focal countries. All project activities are TA type 2 and type 3 activities. Just the same, the TORs for developing policies, guidelines and standards for climate resilient development will reflect the needs and interests of local-level stakeholders who are most vulnerable to climate change-induced shocks, including indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities. ESS8 Cultural Heritage This standard is assessed to be not relevant as there will be no activities that would have an impact on cultural heritage. All project activities are TA type 2 and type 3 activities. However, the TORs for developing policies, guidelines and standards for climate resilient development will promote protection and conservation of cultural heritage. ESS9 Financial Intermediaries Public Disclosure The project will not involve any financial intermediaries. B.3 Other Relevant Project Risks Inter-country coordination will be a real challenge that could pose an implementation risk to the project. C. Legal Operational Policies that Apply OP 7.50 Projects on International Waterways No OP 7.60 Projects in Disputed Areas No III. WORLD BANK ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL DUE DILIGENCE A. Is a common approach being considered? No Financing Partners No other financing partner is identified at this stage. B. Proposed Measures, Actions and Timing (Borrower’s commitments) Dec 09, 2019 Page 7 of 9 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Resilience for South Asia (P171054) Actions to be completed prior to Bank Board Approval: Actions to be completed prior to Appraisal: - Screening of TA activities to inform TORs of various TA activities; - Preparation and disclosure of the Stakeholder Engagement Plan; - Assessment of institutional GRMs - Environmental and Social Commitment Plan with E&S staffing and capacity building program and Labor Management Procedures. Possible issues to be addressed in the Borrower Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP): - E&S staffing of RIMES and ADPC, with capacity building actions specified; - Implementation of SEP and ESCP; - TORs of various TA activities that imbed E&S considerations into their design and implementation. C. Timing Tentative target date for preparing the Appraisal Stage ESRS 06-Jan-2020 IV. CONTACT POINTS World Bank Public Disclosure Contact: Atishay Abbhi Title: Young Professional Telephone No: 5220+31805 Email: aabbhi@worldbank.org Contact: Haris Khan Title: Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist Telephone No: 473-1565 Email: hkhan1@worldbank.org Borrower/Client/Recipient Borrower: The Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES) Borrower: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) Implementing Agency(ies) Implementing Agency: The Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES) Implementing Agency: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) V. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Dec 09, 2019 Page 8 of 9 The World Bank Climate Adaptation and Resilience for South Asia (P171054) The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20433 Telephone: (202) 473-1000 Web: http://www.worldbank.org/projects VI. APPROVAL Task Team Leader(s): Atishay Abbhi, Haris Khan Practice Manager (ENR/Social) Magda Lovei Recommended on 22-Nov-2019 at 00:48:38 EST Safeguards Advisor ESSA Charles Ankisiba (SAESSA) Cleared on 09-Dec-2019 at 17:21:28 EST Public Disclosure Dec 09, 2019 Page 9 of 9