23120 .00~. g X w s ~~~~~~~~~ F~ank The monthly newsletter of the Environmentally and Sodally Sustainable Development Network Vol 2 no I Jan 1999 FY2000 Strategic Forum to chart Bank's direction Bank's 10 environmental and social safeguard operational On Jan 13-14 senior management will discuss the FY2000-and- policies that fall in ESSD's mandate. The eight are Environ- beyond strategies submitted by each network and region in Dec. mental Assessment, Natural Habitats, Pest Management, ESSD's proposed 3-year strategy emphasizes (1) staff develop- Indigenous Peoples, Cultural Property, Involuntary Resettlement, ment, (2) quality assurance, (3) communications, (4) new Forestry, and Dams. development framework, (5) natural resources, (6) internal NGOs call for forest policy review improvements partnerships, and (7) the ESSD Council's strategic role. Full texts of all VPUs' strategies are available on the Notes database by On Jan 6 NGOs and other interested Washington-based clicking on the 'FY2000 Strategic Forum Templates" icon, organizations heard an Lipdate on the Forest Policy available from the ESSD Advisory Service. Implementation Review and Strategy (FPIRS). The meeting was cosponsored by ESSD and the Operations Evaluation Post-conflict reconstruction brainstorming Department and chaired by Ian Johnson. NGOs' major concerns On Jan 15 Mr. Wolfensohn will participate in an informal round were apparent biases in the OED study of the forest policy and table on the transition to peace in war-torn societies, focusing inadequate information dissemination by the ESSD FPIRS team. on the "gap" between shorter-term humanitarian assistance and OED agreed to take into account the comments received, and longer-term development interventions. A paper co-authored by the FPIRS team decided on steps to ensure that information is the Bank president and UN High Commissioner for Refugees better shared, specifically through resident missions and IUCN Sadako Ogata, "The Transition to Peace in War-Torn Societies: offices worldwide. Details: Forest Policy website at Some Personal Observations," is one of the papers that will be http://wblnO01 8.worldbank.org/essd/forestpol-e.nsf/MainView. discussed. Convened by the Brookings Institution, the meeting Progress on resettlement O.P conversion will include 25-30 senior representatives from governments, international agencies, and nongovernmental organizations. The latest draft of the conversion of the Bank's involuntary resettlement O.P. will be distributed for comment to regional and network vice presidents in the week of Jan 11. Gloria Davis The Netherlands announced in Dec a US$14.5 million package will brief the Operations Policy Committee on progress on Jan of grants for 20 environmental initiatives. The resources will be 15, when a decision on whether and how to post the revised funded through the Bank for expenditure in 1999. These initia- text externally is expected. After 20 hours of meetings with the tives include the Aral Sea Basin Program-Water and Environ- technical committee in Nov, as well as numerous sectoral mental Management Project, support to the Mesoamerican meetings, understanding and ownership of the conversion Biological Corridor, and managing natural disasters and the among technical staff has increased. The Steering Committee, environment. The 20 projects were selected from a list proposed chaired by Ian Johnson, met twice in Dec to review outstanding by the Bank based on jointly agreed criteria. The projects are issues, after which the draft OP was retLirned to a drafting group regional rather than local and benefit poor rather than middle- with representatives from SDV, LEG, and various sectors. income countries. Favored in the selection were initiatives fostering natural resource conservation, promoting alternative B energies, and enhancing cooperation with UN agencies. On Dec 15 President Wolfensohn and WWF-US President Kathryn Fuller discussed progress in the WB-WWF Alliance for Safeguardpolicies compliance Forest Conservation and Sustainable Use. Issues ahead are Kathryn McPhail will provide coordination, and Colin Rees (1) follow-up on the budget in Brazil, where the alliance project technical assistance, to monitor compliance with 8 of the World to establish 25 million ha of new protected areas in the Amazon "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. Please send all ideas and articles to Alicia Hetzner, MC 4-101, ext 33379. To obtain previous issues of "ESSentials" or more information on ESSD, check our website: htp:l//essd. runs the risk of being defunded; (2) a possible visit to the Bank Systems Renewal-Coming in July! by Peruvian President Fujimori to announce 5 million ha of new protected areas in the Peruvian Amazon; and (3) an invitation to As part of the Bank's Information Systems Renewal, a new electronic the Bank president from the King to come to Bhutan for the platform using SAP (System Applications and Products) will replace announcement of new corridors linking protected forest areas. more than 60 separate Bank Group computer systems. Each VPU is organizing training in Apr-Jun. SAP will integrate most existing Bank Water Week-water reform in South Africa and more data into one source to reduce work duplication and improve A presentation on water reforms in South Africa against a accuracy. Changes will include standardized procedures for stafi background of political change opened the 1998 Water Week in worldwide, electronic workflows and approvals, integrated the keynote given by Michael Muller, Director General for procurement and disbursement processes and data, standardized Water Affairs and Forestry in South Africa. The Dec 15-1 6 codes, real-time access to global information and drill down to source documents, travel advances througl7 corporate charge cards, conference in Annapolis, Maryland was attended by 100 Bank ansrael a roval siplfcatiot. water professionals and borrowers. Focus sessions examined Q (1) rural-urban competition for water, (2) role of dams in and its impacts on biodiversity and cultural heritage. A draft of development, (3) impact of climate change and variability on the workshop report can be obtained from Tony Whitten, EASES. water resources management, and (4) groundwater management. Closing presentations covered the Bank's Water website, the Thailand using non-grant financing to reduce emissions Quality Assurance Group's perspective on the water sector, Thailand and the World Bank have launched an innovative progress on the OED/Bank review of implementation of the Water Resources Management Policy Paper, and observations project to demonstrate using concessional financing, rather than from the regions and Ian Johnson. grants, to achieve specific environmental goals. Approximately US$5 million from the Executive Committee of the Multilateral PCF design and timetable finalized Fund of the Montreal Protocol and the Global Environment Final Prototype Carbon Fund design and a timetable that proposes Facility will be channeled to the country's major energy utility Board discussion of the PCF in mid-April were decided during the through a new revolving fund. This fund will replace 24 CFC Fourth Consultative Group Meeting on Dec 14-16 in Washington. chillers (building air conditioning systems) with high efficiency, The meeting for potential contributors was attended by 26 non-CFC chillers. If the demonstration stage is successful, the representatives from the public and private sectors. project will be expanded to reduce demand for CFCs by some Johnson says desertification key to poverty alleviation 440 tons and carbon emissions by some 1,390 ktC. Attending the Second Conference of the Parties (COP 2) to the New media monitoring service arrives UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Dakar, A morning ESSD news service will be launched on Jan 12 to Ian Johnson said on Dec 7 that the Bank sees the linked keep staff abreast of global press coverage of their fields. Details problems of land degradation and land management as central keep affeareast oal pess cvag il to its mission of alleviating poverty. Noting that this Convention wl Y is as much about development as environment, he added that Calendar the Bank is expanding its efforts to ensure that sustainable is cntrl toitswor in ll iels, icluingThe new ESSD calendar is now on line. Selected events appear development is central to its work in all fields, including'below. For details click on http://essd. agriculture and natural resource management. January Flash from the field: Vietnam coast may become model 1 1 "Building Effective Partnerships," Population NGO conf/ The Bank is working closely with central and provincial Pop Action Intl-WB/WB authorities in Vietnam to foster sustainable development in an 1 2 Ian Johnson and NGOs review issues/MC5-414/2:30-4pm important coastal region. The Quang Ninh-Hai Phong area 11-14 Africa Water Resources Policy Workshop/Arusha, Tanzania includes the Ha Long Bay World Heritage Site, rapidly growing 199'v UNEP Task Force Reprti anmentadyndGtutions The urban centers, and extensive coal resources. The April kick-off MC9-500/12:30pm conference will convene relevant parties to consider options for 15 Roundtable, "The Gap between Humanitarian Assistance sustainable growth based on the emergence of livable cities, and Long-term Development'/Brookings Inst/9am-5:3Opm competitive industries, and environment-oriented tourism. This 18-22 Jt NGO-Govt Initiative to Address Underlying Causes of region is projected to play a critical role in Vietnam's long-term Deforestation and Forest Degradation: Global Workshop/ growth, and with the adoption of sound policies and Costa Rica investments, could serve as a model in South East Asia. 19-22 Water Industries Conf/Hong Kong Inst of Engineers/Hong Kong 100 new species discovered in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam 20-23 19th Ann Ecological Farming Conf/Comm for Sust Agri In a related activity, a team of Bank and other biologists con- Asilomar, CA ducted biological surveys among the tower karst (limestone hills) 21-22 Reg Mtg on Soc Issues Arising from E Asia Ec Crisis and of the Halong Bay World Heritage Site and neighboring Cat Ba Policy Implications for Future/Bangkok National Park. The team discovered a stunning 100 or so new February species of fish, snails, crabs, and other beasts. This work will 1-5 20th Sess, UNEP Gov Council/Nairobi feed into a workshop later this month on limestone quarrying 3 Corporate Day Contributors to this issue were John Briscoe, Mary-Ellen Foley, Hassan Hassan, Michael Kiernan, Kerri Poore, Kennan Rapp, Shane Rosenthal, Mariam Sherman, and Tony Whitten.