The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Roads and Employment Project (P160223) Integrated Safeguards Data Sheet Restructuring Stage Restructuring Stage | Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 23-Mar-2023| Report No: ISDSR36007 Regional Vice President: Ferid Belhaj Country Director: Jean-Christophe Carret Regional Director: Paul Noumba Um Practice Manager/Manager: Ibrahim Khalil Zaki Dajani Task Team Leader(s): Mira Morad The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Roads and Employment Project (P160223) Note to Task Teams: The following sections are system generated and can only be edited online in the Portal. . I. BASIC INFORMATION 1. BASIC PROJECT DATA Project ID Project Name P160223 Roads and Employment Project Task Team Leader(s) Country Mira Morad Lebanon Approval Date Environmental Category 06-Feb-2017 Partial Assessment (B) Managing Unit IMNT1 PROJECT FINANCING DATA (US$, Millions) SUMMARY -NewFin1 Total Project Cost 200.00 Total Financing 200.00 Financing Gap 0.00 DETAILS -NewFinEnh1 World Bank Group Financing International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) 154.60 Non-World Bank Group Financing Trust Funds 45.40 Concessional Financing Facility 45.40 2. PROJECT INFORMATION The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Roads and Employment Project (P160223) PROG_INF O Current Program Development Objective The Project Development Objectives (PDOs) are to: (i) improve transport connectivity along select paved road sections; (ii) create short term jobs for the Lebanese and Syrian; and (iii) to support eligible farmers engaged in crop and livestock production to spur COVID 19 emergency recovery . Note to Task Teams: End of system generated content, document is editable from here. 3. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The Lebanon Roads and Employment Project (REP) is a US$200 million project that aims to improve transport connectivity along select paved road sections and create short-term jobs for the Lebanese and Syrians. The REP was approved by the World Bank (WB) Board of Executive Directors in February 2017 and ratified by the Lebanese Parliament in October 2018. The Project is co-financed by a US$45.4 million grant contribution from the Global Concessional Financing Facility (GCFF) which provides concessional financing to middle income countries hosting large numbers of refugees at rates usually reserved for the poorest countries. The project is implemented by the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) in coordination with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT), noting that all the roads under the REP are under the jurisdiction of the MPWT. In response to the devastating impact of the economic and financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic on the agriculture sector and food security, the project was restructured in March 2021: a third objective was added and a US$10 million reallocation approved to provide direct support to farmers engaged in crop and livestock production. In response to the Ministry of Finance’s request (dated October 19, 2022), the project was also restructured in February 2023 to extend the Project Closing Date by an additional 11 months, until May 31, 2024 to allow the completion of project activities that are critical for the sustainability of project’s outcomes. Note to Task Teams: The following sections are system generated and can only be edited online in the Portal. . 4. PROJECT LOCATION AND SALIENT PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS RELEVANT TO THE SAFEGUARD ANALYSIS (IF KNOWN) Lebanon is divided into 4 distinct physiographic regions: coastal plain in the west, Lebanon mountain range in the middle, Beqaa valley in the east, and Anti-Lebanon mountains in far east near Syria. Rural areas are mainly inland areas located within Bekaa valley, Akkar and Northern Governorates. The new planned activities under this restructuring will expand the scope of the parent project intervention to include simple routine maintenance works for international roads (highways and highway expansion joints). The exact roads to be maintained have not been selected yet, however the interventions will take place in the following districts (Casas): Bcharre, Hasbaya, Jezzine, Koura, Marjayoun, Minieh-Dannieh, Rachaya, Tripoli and West Bekaa. The natural physical characteristics in the intervention areas are similar to those of the general Lebanon features. In Lebanon, there are 19 exposed geological formations and deposits. The The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Roads and Employment Project (P160223) hydrostratigraphic units of the country are classified into 3 main groups: aquifers, semi-aquifers and aquicludes. More than 13 rivers cut through Lebanon. The main rivers with recognizable flow rates are the Litani, Orontes (Assi), El Kebir and Hasbani. With the exception of the Litani River, which flows entirely within the country borders, all other main rivers are Transboundary Rivers. Based on the soil map of Lebanon, there are 12 soil types in Lebanon, with Leptosols covering the largest surface area. Land usage in Lebanon can be classified into 4 main categories: agricultural, urban, natural and mixed rural, with natural and agricultural areas expanding mostly over the Bekaa Valley, the South, Nabatiyeh, Akkar, Zgharta, Koura, and Minieh- Dannieh. Due to its location, Lebanon has a rich biodiversity and is considered to be a biodiversity “hotspot� due to its situation in the Mediterranean area. Lebanon population is estimated at 4,842,500, 79.8% of which are Lebanese and 87.31% residing in urban areas. Lebanon remains the country hosting the largest number of refugees per capita, with the Government estimating 1.5 M Syrian refugees + 13,617 refugees of other nationalities (UNHCR Factsheet, April 2022). Given the recent economic and financial crises in the country, it is estimated that ~45% of the Lebanese population now lives in poverty due to currency depreciation and hyperinflation. In addition, the socio-economic downturn, COVID19 pandemic and Beirut blast have all contributed to 9 out of 10 Syrian refugees in extreme poverty 5. ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SAFEGUARDS SPECIALISTS ON THE TEAM Ehab Mohamed Mohamed Shaalan, Environmental Specialist Noushig Chahe Kaloustian, Social Specialist SAFEGUARD_TABLE 6. SAFEGUARD POLICIES TRIGGERED Safeguard Policies Triggered Explanation The main Project is classified as Category B. All environmental instruments (ESMF, 25 site specific ESMPs) for the main project have been cleared and disclosed. According to the ESMF, any category “A� sub-projects will be excluded from the Project interventions. Under the current proposed restructuring, there will be no need to update the ESMF. Environmental Assessment (OP) (BP 4.01) Yes For the additional activities under this restructuring, the locations have been determined for the routine maintenance and expansion joints. In this regard, the environmental and social impacts have been assessed with corresponding recommendation of mitigation measures as part of the site-specific Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs) which have been cleared and disclosed on the implementing agency’s website. For additional routine The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Roads and Employment Project (P160223) maintenance works, under this restructuring, once the locations are determined and preliminary engineering designs are prepared, site-specific ESMPs will be prepared, cleared and disclosed and prior to the preparation of the tender bidding documents. It may be likely that full-blown ESMPs may not be needed for routine maintenance works at some sites where such works are expected to be minor and of very limited environmental and social impacts, in which case contractual closes and simple C-ESMPs will suffice. The planned routine maintenance activities under the new restructuring will result in moderate negative environmental impacts such as air and dust emissions, noise, solid and liquid waste generation, in addition to occupational health and safety impacts as well as road safety. The planned activities under this restructuring will also result in moderate social impacts predominantly associated with disruption of ongoing traffic along the highways where routine maintenance works will be undertaken and which are in constant use, in addition to some corresponding nuisances to surrounding communities. Environmental and social impacts during the maintenance period are localized, of moderate significance, temporary in nature and of short duration. The environmental and social impacts during the maintenance period can be mitigated with simple and low-cost measures. During operation of the maintained highways, positive socio-economic impacts are expected due to the improved road conditions. Surrounding affected communities have been consulted and there is overall satisfaction with the proposed routine maintenance works. Performance Standards for Private Sector No No private sector involvement is expected. Activities OP/BP 4.03 The activities under this restructuring will be implemented on existing roads and highways in both rural and urban settings. The planned interventions are limited to simple road Natural Habitats (OP) (BP 4.04) No maintenance works which will take place on existing asphalted roads and will not interact with the surrounding natural environment or ecosystems. The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Roads and Employment Project (P160223) Not applicable. The planned activities under this restructuring are limited to simple routine Forests (OP) (BP 4.36) No maintenance which will take place on existing roads and will not interact with any forests. Not relevant to the planned interventions under Pest Management (OP 4.09) No this restructuring. Not applicable. Physical Cultural Resources (OP) (BP 4.11) No None of the restructuring activities has any relevance to PCR. Not applicable Indigenous Peoples (OP) (BP 4.10) No There are no indigenous people in the Project intervention areas. Under the new restructuring component there is no need for any land acquisition for the routine Involuntary Resettlement (OP) (BP 4.12) Yes maintenance activities, which will be expanded to cover international highways. As such, there will be no need to update the RPF. Safety of Dams (OP) (BP 4.37) No Not applicable. Projects on International Waterways (OP) No Not applicable. (BP 7.50) No project activities will take place in any of the Projects in Disputed Areas (OP) (BP 7.60) No disputed areas. KEY_POLICY_TABLE II. KEY SAFEGUARD POLICY ISSUES AND THEIR MANAGEMENT A. SUMMARY OF KEY SAFEGUARD ISSUES 1. Describe any safeguard issues and impacts associated with the Restructured project. Identify and describe any potential large scale, significant and/or irreversible impacts. The planned routine maintenance activities under the new restructuring will result in moderate negative environmental and social impacts such as air and dust emissions, noise, solid and liquid waste generation, in addition to occupational health and safety impacts as well as road safety. Social impacts associated with the planned activities mainly include disruption of ongoing traffic along the highways where routine maintenance works will be undertaken which are in constant use, in addition to some corresponding nuisances to surrounding communities. Environmental and social impacts during the maintenance period are localized, of moderate significance, temporary in nature and of short duration. The environmental and social impacts during the maintenance period can be mitigated with simple and low-cost measures. During operation of the maintained highways, positive socio-economic impacts are expected due to the improved road conditions. Meanwhile, risk of increased vehicle speed without complying with speed limits is high. To manage the environmental and social risks associated with the current proposed restructuring, site-specific Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs), including feedback from stakeholders, have been prepared, cleared, and disclosed on the implementing agency's website. For additional routine maintenance works under this restructuring, once the locations are determined, site-specific ESMPs will be prepared, cleared and disclosed prior to the preparation of the tender bidding documents. Before initiation of routine maintenance works the selected The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Roads and Employment Project (P160223) contractors will prepare CESMPs. In addition, traffic management plans (TMP) in line with the recommendations of the site-specific ESMP addressing maintenance and operation phases, community stakeholder engagements as well as additional mitigation measures will be developed, reviewed, Bank-cleared and disclosed before commencement of the routine maintenance works. All ESMPs and TMPs will be integrated into the contractors’ contracts and their implementation will be supervised by specialized consulting firms and regularly checked and monitored by the implementing agency (CDR). It may be likely that full-blown ESMPs may not be needed for routine maintenance works at some sites where such works are expected to be minor and of very limited environmental and social impacts, in which case contractual closes and simple C-ESMPs will suffice. The activities under this restructuring will not have significant environmental and social impacts on the surrounding physical or ecological environment since all interventions will take place on existing asphalted roads and will be of limited scale and nature, short-lived and can be mitigated with simple technically and economically feasible measures while keeping the affected communities apprised of the schedule of activities and ensuring operational grievance mechanism is widely and effectively disseminated. 2. Describe any potential indirect and/or long term impacts due to anticipated future activities in the project area. There are no foreseen potential indirect or long-term negative environmental or social impacts due to future activities in the project area. 3. Describe any potential alternatives (if relevant) considered to help avoid or minimize adverse impacts. Different alternatives have been determined in the ESMPs to avoid and minimize negative environmental and social impacts. These alternatives include: (i) avoidance of conducting work at night to decrease noise impacts on nearby communities, (ii) Providing personnel to manage traffic at the maintenance site, supported by Municipal police if needed; (iii) Keep close coordination with municipal authorities to avoid any tension escalation and provide working vacancy for local community; and (iv) Prevent any child labour and keep close monitoring to avoid any similar action 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. GOL has a long history cooperating with the Bank in several development project in various sectors e.g. health, environment, power, transport…etc. CDR, the implementing agency for the parent REP, has been engaged with the Bank in implementing past and ongoing operations. CDR proved to have the capacity and experience to comply with the World Bank Safeguards Operational Policies. Under the parent REP, CDR, hired a specialized consulting firm, which prepared an Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF), Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) and 25 Site Specific safeguard instruments according to the World Bank Operational Safeguards Policies OP. 4.01 and OP 4.12. All instruments were publicly consulted, internally reviewed by CDR, got cleared by the World Bank and disclosed between 2018 to 2020 which ensures full familiarity with the Bank OPs. CDR has appointed a qualified environmental and social specialist who is managing and overseeing the compliance with the Bank’s OPs. The E&S specialist has been following up closely with CDR, the contractors and supervisions engineers by conducting regular field visits to ensure implementation of the environmental, social and OHS requirements in line with the site-specific ESMPs and CESMPs. Multiple environmental, social and OHS training and awareness raising sessions were also provided to the PMU and the supervision consultants. In addition, the PMU has been submitting timely progress reporting of good quality with proper documentation of the environmental, social and OHS-related matters. On incident reporting, the PMU has ensured timely reporting to the Bank task team within 48 hours timeline and has been following the Bank’s ESIRT requirements and team’s respective guidance and recommendations in this regard. The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Roads and Employment Project (P160223) All incident reports have been followed up on with the corrective actions which have been adequately implemented on the ground as per the documentation provided by the PMU and checked by the Bank E&S team during the field visits combined with implementation support missions. In this REP Restructuring, CDR will continue to play the role of overseeing and ensuring the full compliance of the selected contractors with the Bank’s triggered OPs. CDR has undertaken the responsibility of preparing the site- specific ESMPs for the restructuring activities which have been cleared and disclosed on the CDR’s website. Once other locations for routine maintenance activities are determined, respective site-specific ESMPs will be prepared, cleared and disclosed on the CDR website prior to the preparation of the bidding documents. Before initiation of routine maintenance works the selected contractors will prepare CESMPs. In addition, traffic management plans in line with the recommendations of the site-specific ESMP addressing maintenance and operation phases, community stakeholder engagements as well as additional mitigation measures will need to be developed. The CDR PMU E&S specialist will follow up with these requirements and provide relevant guidance as needed to ensure compliance with the Bank’s OPs and the site-specific ESMPs. As for the RPF, since land acquisition, physical or economical resettlement are not anticipated under the current restructuring, no additional changes will be required. The project’s GRM will be adopted for the restructuring activities and in the event that stakeholders have grievances or feedback. The GRM will be widely disseminated to reach all vulnerable groups. Moreover, the project GRM has established referral pathways to address SEA/SH related complaints which will follow the principles of confidentiality and survivor centric approach. 5. Identify the key stakeholders and describe the mechanism for consultation and disclosure on safeguard policies, with an emphasis on potentially affected people. Key stakeholders and beneficiaries of the restructuring component include among others relevant local communities where the routine maintenance works will be carried out, some of which are situated in the poorer regions of Lebanon such as in the North Lebanon and Bekaa valley, NGO representatives of vulnerable groups, relevant municipalities, the CDR, and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport. The implementing agency conducted stakeholder consultations with the affected communities and stakeholders and reflected all feedback in the site-specific ESMPs. The project Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) was also communicated with all stakeholders. During the routine maintenance works under the current restructuring and in line with the site-specific ESMPs, the project mobile GRM signs will be installed in a visible manner and will be shared and posted at the relevant municipalities. The current project GRM is comprised of multiple uptake channels including through a direct contact number, email address and postal mailing address and all relevant details can be found at this link. The hours of operation of the GRM are Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm. As per the implementing agency’s latest progress report (December 2022), the CDR PMU received seven complaints including one positive feedback related to the Project. All complaints were registered in a grievance log, were addressed and closed in a timely manner. To date and from the start of the project implementation, the project GRM has registered a total of 25 complaints all of which have been addressed with only one pending comment which is expected to be closed soonest as per the E&S specialist. The team follows up on the GRM log during every supervision mission and the monthly progress meetings. Under the proposed restructuring, the project GRM will continue to be widely disseminated especially in the affected municipalities to ensure all communities and affected stakeholders have access to it. DISCLOSURE_TABLE B. DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Roads and Employment Project (P160223) ENV_TABLE Environmental Assessment/Audit/Management Plan/Other Date of receipt by the Bank Date of submission for disclosure 20-Jan-2023 20-Jan-2023 For Category ‘A’ projects, date of distributing the Executive Summary of the EA to the Executive Directors “In country� Disclosure Country Date of Disclosure Lebanon 07-Feb-2023 Comments RESETTLE_TABLE Resettlement Action Plan/Framework Policy Process Date of receipt by the Bank Date of submission for disclosure 01-Apr-2018 01-Apr-2018 “In country� Disclosure Country Date of Disclosure Lebanon 01-Apr-2018 Comments COMPLIANCE_TABLE C. COMPLIANCE MONITORING INDICATORS AT THE CORPORATE LEVEL EA_TABLE OP/BP/GP 4.01 - Environment Assessment Does the project require a stand-alone EA (including EMP) report? Yes If yes, then did the Regional Environment Unit or Practice Manager (PM) review Yes and approve the EA report? Are the cost and the accountabilities for the EMP incorporated in the credit/loan? Yes The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Roads and Employment Project (P160223) IR_TABLE OP/BP 4.12 - Involuntary Resettlement Has a resettlement plan/abbreviated plan/policy framework/process framework Yes (as appropriate) been prepared? If yes, then did the Regional unit responsible for safeguards or Practice Manager Yes review the plan? PDI_TABLE The World Bank Policy on Disclosure of Information Have relevant safeguard policies documents been sent to the World Bank for No disclosure? Have relevant documents been disclosed in-country in a public place in a form and language that are understandable and accessible to project-affected groups No and local NGOs? ALL_TABLE All Safeguard Policies Have satisfactory calendar, budget and clear institutional responsibilities been No prepared for the implementation of measures related to safeguard policies? Have costs related to safeguard policy measures been included in the project No cost? Does the Monitoring and Evaluation system of the project include the monitoring Yes of safeguard impacts and measures related to safeguard policies? Have satisfactory implementation arrangements been agreed with the borrower No and the same been adequately reflected in the project legal documents? III. APPROVALS Task Team Leader(s) Mira Morad Approved By Practice Manager/Manager Ibrahim Khalil Zaki Dajani 05-Jun-2023 . The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Roads and Employment Project (P160223) Note to Task Teams: End of system generated content