Roads Department of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PLAN (SEP) FOR Project for Modernization of Tbilisi-Sagarejo-Bakurtsikhe of International Tbilisi-Bakurtsikhe-Lagodekhi-Azerbaijan Border (S5) Road Kakheti Connectivity Improvement Project (KCIP) Date: March 2022 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION / PROJECT DESCRIPTION ..................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 4 1.2 Project Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 5 1.3 Purpose and objectives of SEP ..................................................................................................................... 7 REGULATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................................................ 9 2.1 Georgian Requirements ............................................................................................................................... 9 2.2 World Bank Requirements ......................................................................................................................... 10 BRIEF SUMMARY OF PREVIOUS AND UPCOMING STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES...................... 11 3.1 ESIA/RAP public hearings and initial informal meetings ............................................................................ 11 3.2 Community meetings for SEP preparation ................................................................................................ 14 3.3 Informal communication with government agencies ................................................................................ 14 3.4 Communication with non-governmental and business organizations/associations active in the project area .................................................................................................................................................................. 14 3.5 Lessons learned from previous projects .................................................................................................... 15 3.6 Project-affected parties (PAPs) .................................................................................................................. 16 3.7 Other interested parties (OIPs) .................................................................................................................. 17 3.8 Disadvantaged / Vulnerable individuals or groups .................................................................................... 18 3.9 Summary of stakeholder interest in and influence over the project ......................................................... 19 STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM................................................................................................... 20 4.1 Planned stakeholder engagement activities .............................................................................................. 20 4.2 Detail on engagement methods to be used .............................................................................................. 25 4.3 Proposed strategy to incorporate the view of vulnerable groups ............................................................. 26 4.4 Information disclosure ............................................................................................................................... 27 ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND RESOURCES FOR STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT ......................................... 28 5.1 Implementation Arrangements ................................................................................................................. 28 5.2 Roles and Responsibilities .......................................................................................................................... 28 5.3 Estimated Budget ...................................................................................................................................... 29 GRIEVANCE REDRESS MECHANISM (GRM) ................................................................................................. 30 6.1 Grievance Process...................................................................................................................................... 30 6.2 Workers’ Grievance Mechanism ................................................................................................................ 35 6.3 RD Contact Information ............................................................................................................................. 36 MONITORING AND REPORTING .................................................................................................................. 38 7.1 Monitoring reports during construction .................................................................................................... 38 7.2 Monitoring reports during operation ........................................................................................................ 39 7.3 Involvement of stakeholders in monitoring activities ................................................................................ 40 7.4 Reporting back to stakeholder groups ....................................................................................................... 40 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................... 41 ANNEX 1: SEP PUBLIC CONSULTATION MINUTES ................................................................................................. 42 ANNEX 2: GRIEVANCE SUBMISSION FORM ........................................................................................................... 55 APPENDIX 3. PUBLIC GRIEVANCE LEAFLET............................................................................................................ 56 Acronyms Acronym Description AH Affected Household AP Affected Person COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease 2019 CSC Construction Supervision Consultant E&S Environmental and Social EIA Environmental Impact Assessment ESF Environmental and Social Framework ESIA Environmental and Social Impact Assessment ESS Environmental and Social Standard FGD Focus Groups Discussions GRC Grievance Resolution Committee GRM Grievance Redress Mechanism HH Household IDP Internally Displaced People KCIP Kakheti Connectivity Improvement Project KM Kilometre LRP Livelihood Restoration Plan MEPA Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture NGO Non-Governmental Organization OHL Overhead Transmission Line OIP Other Interested Parties PAPs Project-Affected Parties RAP Resettlement Action Plan RD Roads Department of Georgia ROW Right of Way SEP Stakeholder Engagement Plan UNECE United Nations Economic Commission for Europe WB World Bank Introduction / Project Description 1.1 Introduction This report presents the Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP), which has been prepared and will be implemented by the Roads Department of Georgia (RD), in preparation for the Kakheti Connectivity Improvement Project (KCIP) which includes the upgrade and construction of approximately 17.04-kilometer highway between Tbilisi and Bakurtikhe referred to as “Lot 3”, of the Tbilisi-Sagarejo-Bakurtsikhe- highway section. KCIP also contains the construction of a local marketplace adjacent to the Lot 3 Badiauri interchange to provide opportunities for local traders to re-locate the existing businesses on a new place or start a new business, grow their businesses and create jobs for the local community. Tbilisi-Sagarejo-Bakurtsikhe is part of the International Tbilisi-Bakurtsikhe-Lagodekhi-Azerbaijan Border (S5) road, which starts at the eastern part of the Sagarejo and ends near Lagodekhi at the existing Border crossing point to Azerbaijan. This section of the route crosses territories of the Sagarejo and Gurjaani municipalities. Upgrade of the existing road and other structures requires traffic capacity expansion, including artificial structures in medium topographic and geological conditions without interrupting the traffic flow. Lot 3 will be directly connected to the Kakheti highway’s initial 6 sections, from Tbilisi to Sagarejo, referred to as Lots 0, 1, and 2 (35.2 km in length) and from Sagarejo to Bakurtsikhe lots 4 and 5. With lot 0.1 and 2 civil works contracts already awarded and financed by the state budget. Construction of Lots 0-6 of the Kakheti highway will provide an alternative to the existing limited-capacity S5 road and better connect Kakheti with Tbilisi. The section between Sagarejo East (Tokhliauri Interchange) to Badiauri will be constructed with the financial support of the World Bank as part of the KCIP. The RD will be responsible for upgrading and making the highway and land acquisition. Road Department of Georgia (RD) has hired a contractor: AECOM Ltd. ILF CONSULTING ENGINEERS, to complete the final detailed design and hire a company to construct the Highway section. The RD will also employ the company to serve as the supervising engineer, responsible for overseeing the contractors’ design and construction. The responsibility for marketplace development will be shared between RD and the Sagarejo Municipality. This component will facilitate a sustainable arrangement formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), to be signed for the first time between Road Department of Georgia and the Sagarejo Municipality for the arrangement and further maintenance and operation of the marketplace. The MoU between RD and Sagarejo Municipality will define market infrastructure development and maintenance responsibilities. Sagarejo municipality will operate the marketplace while civil works to be carried out by RD and will be supervised by the same Construction Supervision Consultant (CSC) as that of Lot 3. This marketplace development initiative is expected to have a demonstrative effect that will allow RD to internalize the lessons learned from this experience and replicate the development of similar marketplaces in future highway projects, presenting an opportunity to bring greater benefits from highway development to the local communities. 4 1.2 Project Overview 1.2.1 Type of project and location The project-financed highway section (Sagarejo East – Tokhliauri, Lot 3) and the marketplace development will be implemented in a Right of Way (ROW) crossing the lands of one municipality (4 villages) with a total number of population of 7,809 (of whom 4,006 women and 3,803 men): Table 1: Municipalities and villages within the project area of influence Name of municipality Villages covered Population1 Sagarejo Municipality Tokhliauri 983 Sagarejo municipality Manavi 2,769 Sagarejo Municipality Kakabeti 2,771 Sagarejo Municipality Badiauri 1,286 The municipality is located in Eastern Georgia. The municipalities and villages within the project area of influence are represented on the map below. Map 1: Municipalities and villages within the project area of influence Upon completion, the Kakheti highway’s initial 52.2 km (Lot 0 to Lot 3) will reduce travel times between Tbilisi and Badiauri by 15 minutes. Further reductions in travel times are expected as future sections of the highway are completed. 1 The total number of population is presented according to the latest Census conducted in 2014. 5 The construction supervision consulting services to be financed under Lot 3 will comprise a detailed design review, supervision during construction, and performance monitoring during the defect liability period. The construction supervision consultant (CSC) team, consisting of internationally recruited specialists with the required skills, will help RD supervise and monitor civil works. A Socio-Economic Study undertaken to support the preparation of the development of the marketplace examined several potential locations for this market. This multi-criteria assessment recommended a site near the Badiauri interchange within the municipality of Sagarejo as the optimal location, due to its proximity to the interchange as an opportunity driver for the local population, given increased flows of traffic on the highway and tourism attractions in the vicinity—all having high potential to attract marketplace customers. Map 2: Location of Marketplace Near the Lot 3 Badiauri Interchange The marketplace is expected to attract micro-entrepreneurs and traders located in vulnerable areas along the existing S5 road, exposed to road safety, general safety, climate, and commercial risks. Traders from nearby villages in search of increased business and employment opportunities are also expected to be attracted to this marketplace. This project will also provide tailored business advice to at least 50 local women to start and/or expand their micro businesses at the premises of the new marketplace, as well as at other locations in the project-targeted areas. This effort will further contribute towards improving opportunities for female traders to expand their businesses and increase job opportunities. 1.2.2 Summary of potential environmental and social impacts The field and desk studies from following documents have been used during the SEP preparation process: The project ESIA was prepared by Eco-Spectri Consulting Ltd. for EIB financing in 2020 and updated by consultant Tinatin Zhizhiashvili in December 2021 and subsequently also submitted for approval and public hearings as “EIA” to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia. The preparation of ESIA included field studies and a series of consultations, described further in the present document. 6 The preparation of the project Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) socio-economical census (by AECOM Ltd. for WB and revised by RD), included a series of individual and collective meetings in project communities, as well as census of resettlement impacts and socio-economic survey of a sample of affected households. Preparation of a Socio-Economic Study and Improving Local Market Development Opportunities for the Sagarejo - Badiauri Road Section of the Kakheti Highway Corridor (Preparation is started in October ,2021 by DEPA Consulting). This study included focus group discussions and key informant interviews with diverse segments of the population to understand socio-economic needs and opportunities for the project to expand local development benefits. This study also included discussions with project communities on preferred channels and mechanisms for communication and feedback to inform stakeholder engagement strategies to be applied in the project. Potential environmental and social impacts of the project, as identified in the RAP, ESIA, and socio-economic study, which may need to be paid particular attention to as part of the stakeholder engagement activities, include:  Permanent as well as temporary direct and indirect impacts on land use, road vendors and vineyards, as well as temporary restrictions on access to land.  Erosion and topsoil loss due to land clearing and vegetation removal and/or excavation, impacts on soil due to blasting, machinery operations, opening borrow pits, quarries or other excavations and earth works.  Potential impacts on air quality due to movement of vehicles and equipment, earthworks, open piles of topsoil and spoil, and the using of quarries.  Social impact: impact on local infrastructure and agriculture, as well es temporary impact of access roads.  Noise, dust, waste generation and traffic disturbance from construction vehicles and machinery, as well as earth works.  Biodiversity impacts as the project entails risks to birds, including migrant birds and mammals  Visual -landscape changes due to temporary objects (camps), movement of machinery.  Physical or economic displacement due to the acquisition by RD of houses, property, and land in the ROW; as well as possible damage to crops, grapes, perennials, fences and related compensation and land registration procedures  Generation of local income through the recruitment of workers from local communities to the project.  Occupational and public health, safety and security aspects during the construction and operation phases, the risks of impact on personnel health and safety may be associated mainly with predictable and unforeseen cases, such as: o Deterioration of the air quality in the working zone and increased noise levels as a result of faulty equipment and appliances; o Risk of poisoning with drinking water or food; o Occupational injury (fractures, electrical injury, etc.); o The risks of spread of infectious diseases including taking of special prevention and mitigation measures against spread of COVID-19. 1.3 Purpose and objectives of SEP The purpose of the present SEP is to explain how stakeholder engagement will be practised throughout the Project and which methods will be used as part of the process, and to outline the responsibilities of RD, contractors, and other actors in implementing stakeholder engagement activities. 7 In line with World Bank's Environmental and Social Framework (ESF), the broader objectives of the information disclosure and stakeholder engagement activities presented in SEP is to: - Establish a systematic approach to stakeholder engagement and build a constructive relationship with all project-affected parties, specifically targeting traditionally vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. - Assess the level of stakeholder interest and support for the Project and enable stakeholders' views to be considered in project design and environmental and social performance, especially from potentially disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. - Promote and provide means for effective and inclusive engagement with project-affected parties throughout the project cycle on issues that could potentially affect them as well as expand project benefits to all targeted beneficiaries including ones that may be traditionally vulnerable, disadvantaged, disproportionally affected or excluded from partaking in benefits from local development projects. - Ensure that appropriate project information on environmental and social risks and impacts is disclosed to stakeholders in a timely, understandable, accessible, and appropriate manner and format. This SEP intends to activate the engagement of stakeholders on time during project preparation and implementation. Specifically, SEP serves the following purposes: a. stakeholder identification and analysis; b. planning engagement modalities and practical communication tools for consultations and disclosure; c. defining role and responsibilities of different actors in implementing the SEP; d. defining the Project's Grievance Mechanism (GRM); e. providing feedback to stakeholders; f. monitoring and reporting on the SEP. The Project is expected to cause physical resettlement of 2 HHs according to RAP and permanent land acquisition, predominantly of agricultural land, affecting 329 households who own lands within the ROW. The involvement of the local population and other stakeholders is essential to the Project's success to ensure smooth collaboration between project staff and local communities and minimize and mitigate environmental and social risks related to the Project. This SEP considers involvement of the local communities as well as all other interested parties as essential to the success of the Project and seeks to ensure smooth collaboration between project staff and local communities, minimize, and mitigate environmental and social risks related to the Project. 8 Regulations and requirements 2.1 Georgian Requirements 2.1.1 Constitution of Georgia “The Constitution of Georgia was adopted in 1995 and while the constitution does not directly address environmental matters, it does lay down the legal framework that guarantees environmental protection and public access to information with regard to environmental conditions” (SLR Consulting, 2018: 5). Article 37, Part 3 states that “any person has the right to live in a healthy environment, use the natural and cultural environment. Any person is obliged to take care of the natural and cultural environment .” Article 37, Part 5 states that “an individual has the right to obtain full, unbiased and timely information regarding his working and living environment.” Article 41, Part 1 states that “a citizen of Georgia is entitled to access information on such citizen as well as official documents available in State Institutions provided it does not contain confidential information of state, professional or commercial importance, in accordance with the applicable legal rules.” 2.1.2 Public Consultation in the EIA Process “In April 2000, Georgia ratified the Aarhus convention. This UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) convention facilitates and regulates information availability, public involvement in decision making and access to justice for the field of environmental protection. It implements the principle of the need for involvement of all interested parties in order to enable environmentally responsible development. The Georgian legislation requires public consultation only for those projects which require Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). These requirements were recently updated and are set out in the Code of Environmental Assessment (2017). This provides detailed requirements and procedures for conducting public consultations and established timeframes for information disclosure and discussion. The responsibility for the public disclosure now rests with the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture (MEPA), such that the following is required:  The Scoping Report – a preliminary document prepared by the developer, which sets out the type of information to be gathered and examined during ESIA, is made available by the Ministry on its official website as well as on the notice board of the relevant local authorities and/or representative bodies and upon request, provides hard or soft copies. The public has a right to provide its opinions and comments regarding the Scoping Report to the Ministry within fifteen days of publication. In addition, the Ministry is required to organize a public hearing no earlier than 10th working day and no later than 15th working day after the publication of scoping application. This is chaired and protocoled by the representative of the Ministry and is held in the closest appropriate administrative building to the site of the project or within its vicinity. Any person has a right to participate in it.  The EIA Report - the Ministry must place the submitted application and attached documents on its official website as well as on the notice board of the relevant local authorities and/or representative bodies and upon request, provide paper copies. The public has a right to submit their opinions and comments to the Ministry regarding the EIA Report, proposed development and conditions of the Environmental Decision, within forty days after the publication of the application. In addition, the Ministry is required to organize a public hearing no earlier than 25th working day and no later than 30th working day after the publication of the application. This is chaired and protocoled by the representative of the Ministry and is held in the 9 closest appropriate administrative building to the site of the project or within its vicinity. Any person has a right to participate in it.  Environmental Decision - the public must be informed about the decision and be able to access it. Any representative of the public has the right to appeal the decision if it is considered that the public authority in the decision-making process violated the requirements of the legislation” (SLR Consulting, 2018: 5). 2.2 World Bank Requirements The World Bank’s ESF’s Environmental and Social Standard (ESS) 10, “Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure”, recognizes “the importance of open and transparent engagement between the Borrower and project stakeholders as an essential element of good international practice” (World Bank, 201 8). Specifically, the requirements set out by ESS10 are the following:  Borrowers will engage with stakeholders throughout the project life cycle, commencing such engagement as early as possible in the project development process and in a timeframe that enables meaningful consultations with stakeholders on project design. The nature, scope and frequency of stakeholder engagement will be proportionate to the nature and scale of the project and its potential risks and impacts.  Borrowers will engage in meaningful consultations with all stakeholders. Borrowers will provide stakeholders with timely, relevant, understandable and accessible information, and consult with them in a culturally appropriate manner, which is free of manipulation, interference, coercion, discrimination and intimidation.  The process of stakeholder engagement will involve the following, as set out in further detail in this ESS: (i) stakeholder identification and analysis; (ii) planning how the engagement with stakeholders will take place; (iii) disclosure of information; (iv) consultation with stakeholders; (v) addressing and responding to grievances; and (vi) reporting to stakeholders.  The Borrower will maintain and disclose as part of the environmental and social assessment, a documented record of stakeholder engagement, including a description of the stakeholders consulted, a summary of the feedback received and a brief explanation of how the feedback was taken into account, or the reasons why it was not.” (World Bank, 2017: 98). A SEP proportionate to the nature and scale of the project and its potential risks and impacts needs to be developed by the Borrower. It has to be disclosed as early as possible, and before project appraisal, and the Borrower needs to seek the views of stakeholders on the SEP, including on the identification of stakeholders and the proposals for future engagement. If significant changes are made to the SEP, the Borrower has to disclose the updated SEP (World Bank, 2017: 99). According to ESS10, the Borrower should also propose and implement a grievance mechanism to receive and facilitate the resolution of concerns and grievances of project-affected parties related to the environmental and social performance of the project in a timely manner (World Bank, 2017: 100). 10 Brief summary of previous and upcoming stakeholder engagement activities RD has been engaging with various project stakeholders since the beginning of 2020, which coincided with the preparation phase of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the project. The ESIA was prepared by Eco-Spectri Consulting Ltd. A Georgian version of the document was submitted for review and consultation to MEPA under the Environmental Assessment Code of Georgia. Consistent with the Georgian EA Code the document submitted for government review and public hearing has been titled “EIA”. Four main types of stakeholder engagement activities have taken place to date: - Scoping and ESIA (“EIA”) public hearings and initial informal meetings (January 2020 and June 2021); - Community meetings for SEP preparation and finalisation - Informal communication with government agencies (throughout 2020-2021) - Communication with local NGOs (February 2022-till end of 2022) - RD Social team meeting during the RAP preparation and disclosure (June 2020 – till February of 2022) - Updated RAP, SEP LMP Public Consultation meetings (February 2022) - Updated ESIA Public Consultation meeting 3.1 ESIA/RAP public hearings and initial informal meetings As part of the requirements of Georgian legislation, RD started identifying and informally engaging with stakeholders in late 2020 during the preparation of Scoping Report and the EIA2. On February 4-5, 2020, and June 14- 16, 2021, MEPA (By Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia) held public hearings in the municipality affected by the project. In total, more than 100 individuals attended the public hearings. These included representatives from the local government, civil society, and general population. The meetings were chaired by RD’s Environmental Specialist, and RD’s Social Specialist was also involved. During the meetings, participants were principally interested in the details of the project: route, compensation criteria, and employment opportunities. The RD representatives provided relevant available information and noted that further studies need to be conducted for the detailed design, resettlement, and valuation issues. The representatives also informed the participants that the project will have project manager for disseminating further information as it becomes available. The table below summarizes the location, date, and attendance of these public hearings (disaggregated by gender), as well as the key issues that were raised as part of the discussions. Public hearings held to date by MEPA with RD’s involvement The MEPA organized a public hearing of the scoping report of the given project as a part of administrative proceedings: Date&Location Stakeholders Format and Objectives 4-02-2020, 11:00 a.m. Sagarejo Local communities, local Public hearing Municipality, administrative building of governments officials, local Provide information about the project village Giorgitsminda media development 4-02-2020 1:00 p.m. Local communities, local Public hearing governments officials, local Sagarejo Municipality, administrative Present information about the project media building of village Badiauri development 2 As noted above the document submitted for review and consultation under national legislation has been named ‘Environmental Impact Assessment’ (EIA). The same document with selected upgrades forms basis of the Project ESIA to be approved and consulted for purposes of the World Bank-financed project. 11 4-02-2020 3:00 p.m. Local communities, local Public hearing governments officials, local Gurjaani Municipality, Gamgeoba Provide information about the project media building of village Kachreti development 5-02-2020 11:00 a.m. Local communities, local Public hearing governments officials, local Gurjaani Municipality, building of the Present information about the project media House of Culture of village Bakurtsikhe development 5-02-2020 1:00 p.m. Local communities, local Public hearing governments officials, local Gurjaani Municipality, administrative Present information about the project media building in village Chalaubani development 5-02-2020 3:00 p.m. Local communities, local Public hearing governments officials, local Gurjaani Municipality, public school of Provide information about the project media village Melaani. development The MEPA organized a public hearing of the EIA report of the given project as a part of administrative proceedings: Date&Location Stakeholders Format and Objectives 14-06-2021, 12:00 p.m. Sagarejo Local communities, local Public hearing Municipality, administrative governments officials, local Provide information about the ESIA report, building of village Giorgitsminda media project development as well as other relevant topics related to the project 14-06-2021, 2:00 p.m. Sagarejo Local communities, local Public hearing Municipality, administrative governments officials, local Present information about the ESIA report, building of village Badiauri media project development as well as other relevant topics related to the project 15-06-2021, 3:00 p.m. Gurjaani Local communities, local Public hearing Municipality, Gamgeoba building governments officials, local Present information about the ESIA report, of village Kachreti media project development as well as other relevant topics related to the project 16-06-2021, 11:00 a.m. Gurjaani Local communities, local Public hearing Municipality, building of the House governments officials, local Provide information about the project of Culture of village Bakurtsikhe media implementation 16-06-2021, 12:00 p.m. Gurjaani Local communities, local Public hearing Municipality, administrative governments officials, local Provide information about the ESIA report, building in village Chalaubani media project development as well as other relevant topics related to the project 16-06-2021, 3:00 p.m. Gurjaani Local communities, local Public hearing Municipality, public school of governments officials, local Present information about the ESIA report, village Melaani. media project development as well as other relevant topics related to the project Besides the ESIA report, RAP was prepared for the project. Considering the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions the consultation process for RAP was conducted through individual contacts during land acquisition and resettlement survey (June 2020 – May 2021) and a public consultation meeting on February 4, 2022. The census and field survey were conducted during the RAP preparation process, the consultations and information regarding the project 12 impacts were provided to each HH and vulnerable persons affected by the project (14 vulnerable HHs identified during the field survey), information leaflet was provided to HHs (including the HHs with vulnerable family members) in Georgian. The joint public consultations meetings have not been conducted due to COVID -19 related pandemic and quarantine established by the Government (31 March 2020) restricting public meetings. Additional individual and small groups consultations will be also conducted after the RAP approval by WB. Three Public Consultation meetings were conducted in February 2022: Date&Location Stakeholders Format and Objectives 4-02-2022, 12:00 a.m. Local communities, local Public hearing governments officials, local city Sagarejo Provide information about the project media development, RAP, SEP LMP issues. 4-02-2022 15:00 p.m. Local communities, local Public hearing governments officials, local City Sagarejo Provide information about the project media development, RAP, SEP LMP issues. 28-02-2022 15:00 p.m. Local communities, local Public hearing governments officials, local City Sagarejo Provide information about the ESIA report and media Updates. Table 2: Summary of consultations conducted by RD in the frames of RAP preparation Stakeholders Purpose Method Individual meetings with all affected To inform the APs, get their views on likely Likely affected persons households (AHs), (including HHs impacts, eligibility and entitlements, procedures (APs) and their with vulnerable family members) for compensation, relocation, rehabilitation and community during the implementation of the additional assistance for vulnerable HHs socio-economic survey Other devisions of Roads To receive information on government policy, Department (RDMRDI) Frequent individual meetings with guidelines priorities on the project, and seek work including its Resettlement the officials of RDMRDI advice. Unit National Agency for Public Registry under the To collect the cadastral map and to find out the Consultation and discussion with Ministry of Justice details of the affected parcels and people officials Georgia Local Government at To seek cooperation perspectives for Rayon Level (District implementing the impact assessment survey; To Individual meetings with the officials Municipality), work out solutions for possible issues related to of respective rayons and discussions Rtsmunebuli the missing plots (legalizable owners) To explore for partnerships perspectives for Property Recognition implementing the impact assessment survey; To Commission in the Rayon Meeting and training work out solutions for possible issues related to Level and Sakrebulo the missing plots (legalizable owners) 13 3.2 Community meetings for SEP preparation After the draft, the SEP document was reviewed and approved by WB, RD, and local government officials was started to conduct individual and small group meetings in the villages with the Project Area of Influence along the route. The consultations took a place in January -February 2022 and will continue during the pre-construction and construction phases. Importantly, RD representatives will arrange specific consultations to understand the needs and concerns of vulnerable and/or marginalized groups. The RD plans to organize several small groups meetings also before construction started with consideration of national guidelines on social distancing (October 2022). The main topic of the community meetings this far has been to share information, communicate with the local population and identify their needs and interests and information gaps. Further, due to COVID-19 limitations, RD and local government representatives agreed to develop safe but effective channels for engaging stakeholders to deliver project-related information to the communities and provide access to a grievance mechanism while taking all feasible steps to protect the health and safety of those involved, including vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. Specifically:  To have a designated point of contact in the communities and the local government (The designated contact persons in the local government are the representatives of Mayor of city Sagarejo in villages: Kakalatkhevi, Tokhliauri, Badiauri, Melaani, Giorgitsimda etc.  Identify the most critical stakeholder activities, e.g., define essential and nonessential activities.  To develop and adopt multiple channels for communication and grievance mechanism, e.g., informational leaflets, informational boards in the mayors' offices or community houses (where usually locals might gather often) etc., to provide specific information; online communication channels, e.g., WhatsApp groups; messenger, text message etc.  Develop safe engagement outreach strategies for vulnerable groups who might be in-home isolation or gender roles may limit participation 3.3 Informal communication with government agencies In June 14-16, 2021, RD and the consultant responsible for the preparation of the ESIA had a meeting representatives from all relevant government agencies. The meeting objectives were to introduce the participants to the details of the upcoming project and identify preferred mechanisms for communication (take into account the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions) and coordination, as and when needed. In July 2020 and June 2021, RD representatives conducted meeting in the Gurjaani municipality affected by the project. RD representatives explained the scope of the project, the definition of the ROW, general principles of RAP compensations packages, as well as the health, environmental and social impacts of Highway construction. 3.4 Communication with non-governmental and business organizations/associations active in the project area RD has initiated the process of mapping local stakeholders and stakeholder representative organizations such as NGOs, local business organisations (for example wine, cheese producers, with which the area is famous) who have been active in project-affected area. The process of stakeholder identification continued throughout the project preparation, and will be continuously updated in the course of implementation. During the public consultations held February 4, 2022 was announced that local NGOs are invited for further discussions and consultations on 14 SEP, as well as the specific SEP activities listed in this Plan. The main focus of such engagement is to collect feedback from these NGOs and organisations on the proposed project, to assess their interest and eagerness to collaborate with RD, for example in raising public awareness about project or specific aspects of the project, GBV issues and support RD in possible projects for the Project Affected Parties (PAPs) in the Project affected area. RD has identified a preliminary list of NGOs and other community organizations. The preliminary list is presented below, but the number of NGOs/organisations can be changed/increased. Since 2011 this web-portal has been providing relevant information to non-profit legal entities, groups, and individuals interested in civil society activities. Visitors to the web-portal have the opportunity to retrieve information in one space on civil society news, applications and tenders, announcements, research and reports, trainings and conferences. Moreover, the web-portal contains the informative databases of non-profit organizations, bios of experts, projects, and platforms, as well as multiple aspects of information of the Civil Society Regional Network Conception (R-CSN), and topical polls. The field of ethics is an important segment of the web- portal, where the transparency electronic platform of non-profit organizations is placed. Currently active NGOs in Gurjaani municipality are listed in Table 3 below. Table 3: The list of regionally active NGOs – Name of Organisation Scope of Activity Civil Society Development Association Protection and promotion of human rights; Promoting civic "Spectrum" engagement; Advocacy for vulnerable groups; Promoting gender equality and civic integration of ethnic minorities Centre for Civic Activities Protection and promotion of human rights; Promoting civic engagement; Advocacy for vulnerable groups; Promoting gender equality and civic integration of ethnic minorities Youth for a happy future Activation of youth, their maximum involvement in public activities; Conducting various stimulating or cognitive activities; Assistance to people with various diseases and people with special needs Union “Vezdjini” Women's rights and international standards; Community development; Youth activity RD will continue to collect the information regarding the local organizations and contact them for potential future collaboration. 3.5 Lessons learned from previous projects Several key lessons were learned from the previous experience of the E-60 Highway construction project, part of the sections is currently still on-going (F0 and F1 sections) and funded by the World Bank under the East-West Highway Corridor Improvement Project (EWHCIP) and EWHCIP Additional Financing projects. During the implementation of the project, it became apparent that some part of the population had concerns about the indirect social impact, namely loss of common grazing land. RD conducted the numerous public consultations and elaborated the Livelihood Restoration Plan (LRP) for village Agarebi. A roadside vendors survey was conducted under the EWHCIP AF (Chumateleti – Khevi section) and the special compensation package was included in RAP. RD will incorporate several lessons learned and experience from the past and ongoing project in the new project. RD plans to – (i) appoint manager(s) for dedicated project in order to ensure the direct communication between population, contractor and supervision teams, also internally in RD, across the different divisions; (ii) increase engagement of stakeholders, especially project-affected parties, through a range of activities, which are listed in 15 this SEP; (iii) conduct more awareness raising sessions through small meetings on a range of environmental and social issues; and (iv) strengthen and expand the existing project Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) to communities and construction company, by focusing on improved tracking and coordination of submitted grievances and creating a consolidated electronical database of grievances. 3.6 Project-affected parties (PAPs) For the purpose of the SEP, the term “Project-affected parties” includes “those likely to be affected by the project because of actual impacts or potential risks to their physical environment, health, security, cultural practices, well- being, or livelihoods. These stakeholders may include individuals or groups, including local communities” (World Bank, 2018b). They are the individuals or households most likely to observe changes from environmental and social impacts of the project. 3.6.1 People affected by land acquisition In the framework of the current project, a key category of PAPs is going to be people losing assets and/or private land, house, business and/or access to common resources due to project’s land requirements. According to the census and inventory data of losses, mentioned road section will affect 626 land plots with total area of 1,065,976 sqm. From the mentioned 626 plots, 13 plots (33,132 sqm) are in state ownership (not used by private users) and 47 belong to the State-owned company JS Georgian Railway, 381 land plots (626,964 sqm) are registered in private ownership, 185 plots are legalizable, and no plots are used by informal users (non-legalizable plots). People will be paid for land as required by Georgian law and World Bank requirements. People owning or using land in the ROW will thus be a high-priority stakeholder group which will require active and regular engagement as well as the provision of accurate information, in particular around compensation and livelihood restoration schemes. 3.6.2 People residing in the project areas In the framework of the current project, a second key category of PAPs will be people living along the existing road. These PAPs are likely to be affected by construction activities such as disturbances caused by the Project’s heavy vehicles traffic, access limitation, etc., but may also benefit from project-related employment opportunities. In the long term these individuals, households, and business owners may also suffer some economic losses as a result of diversion of traffic from their current location. The project will include designated survey and funds to help offset negative economic impact by providing additional and new economic opportunities along the new highway alignment. 3.6.3 Municipality and village representatives A third category of important PAPs will be municipality and village representatives (general population of villages). Each municipality has a mayor, city council with a chairman, and in each village, there are the trustees of a mayor and governors. Every village has a village representation building, where 6 people are employed (funded from the state budget); these are: village governor, village trustee, deputy, culture specialist, librarian, agricultural specialist, manager. 16 3.7 Other interested parties (OIPs) The term “Other interested parties” (OIPs) refers to “individuals, groups, or organizations with an interest in the project, which may be because of the project location, its characteristics, its impacts, or matters related to public interest. For example, these parties may include regulators, government officials, the private sector, the scientific community, academics, unions, women’s organizations, other civil society organizations, and cultural groups” (World Bank, 2018b). 3.7.1 Other interested parties – External The table below summarizes the key categories of OIPs and the respective justification for their interest in the project. Table 3: Other interested parties - external Other interested parties Interest in the project Ministries and Government agencies Overall: To ensure project compliance with Georgian legislation (e.g. energy policies, environmental performance) during construction and operation  Ministry of Economy and Sustainable  Promote economic development Development (formerly Ministry of  Specific involvement in some project-related mitigation measures Economy), Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure  Ministry of Environmental Protection and  Engage with the public and disclose the Local Georgian EIA Scoping Agriculture Report, EIA Report and Environmental Decision  National Agency of Public Registry  Register land plots as required under the project  Ministry of Culture and Sport & Agency for  Responsible for sites of potential archaeological interest that could National Heritage Preservation be affected by the project, and monuments of national interest in the vicinity of the Project Local government departments Protect the rights of inhabitants in the project area Municipalities and villages Represent the local communities/PAPs; receive and address any feedback and grievances from them Non-governmental organisations (local, Ensure the environmental and social performance of the Project is regional, national) protecting the environment and affected people and complies with international E&S standards Business and labour organisations Interest in procurement and supply chain, potential environmental and social impacts as well as community health and safety Other project developers reliant on or in the May require operation of the Project to enable the export of power vicinity of the Project (e.g. associated facilities) Can help Identify interactions and cumulative impacts with other and their financiers (e.g. ADB, EBRD, KfW, IFC) proposed developments Press and media Inform residents in the project area and the wider public about the Project implementation and planned activities General public, tourists, jobseekers Interest in the general socio-economic impacts of the project, both adverse and beneficial Academic institutions (e.g. universities, think Potential concerns regarding environmental and social impacts tanks, schools) Potential educational/outreach opportunities to increase awareness and acceptance of the project 17 3.7.2 Other interested parties – Internal Internal interested parties with stakes in the project include RD Staff; Supervision Consultants; Contractors; Sub- contractors; service providers, suppliers and their workers. 3.8 Disadvantaged / Vulnerable individuals or groups Disadvantaged /vulnerable individuals or groups are those who may be disproportionally affected by the project and/or less able to benefit from opportunities offered by the project due to specific difficulties to access and understand information about the project and its environmental and social impacts and mitigation strategies. The project area includes some groups of people classified as vulnerable. Kakheti region has not had a high concentration of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) relocated from the adjacent breakaway Autonomous Republic of Abkhazeti or Samachablo. Additional disadvantaged/vulnerable individuals or groups in the project area include:  those registered as poor with the local social services;  women-headed households;  elderly-headed households (pension age), elderly couples or individual living alone;  people with mental of physical disability without any other household member bringing in income and households headed by disabled people.  religious and ethnic minorities (Azeri village) Focus group discussions (FGD) will be conducted to reach all vulnerable and disadvantaged stakeholder groups that might require special attention in consultation, e.g., women/women-headed households, elderly, disabled people, and other identified vulnerable groups. Specifically, the Project aims to enhance rural women's economic opportunities in Kakheti region by addressing the two identified gender gaps: lack of local marketplace and lack of business advisory services for women. Women in rural Georgia, including Kakheti, play an essential role in agriculture, but several gender gaps constrain them. These gaps include unequal access to land, financing, and agricultural training. To address these gender gaps, the Project will construct a marketplace with appropriate facilities conducive to men and women and reserve half of the market stalls for women traders. The advisory support will be provided to women throughout the Project's third year before launching the new marketplace. Further, according to the ongoing socio-economical study for the project there are ethnic and religious minorities present in the project areas, namely, one village is settled with Azeri people and special attention have to be provided to them. The Project will ensure that the different activities for stakeholder engagement, including information disclosure, are inclusive and culturally sensitive. If during the project implementation there will be language or other problems identified with disadvantaged groups/vulnerable individuals, the convenient forms of engagement will be proposed for them: printed information about the project activities in language understood by them; small group consultations, including separate consultations with women will be organized, among other measures. This SEP ensures that the vulnerable groups outlined above will have the chance to participate in discussion on the Project design, impact, and mitigation plans, as well as benefit from project activities. Where other affected parties, interested parties, and vulnerable groups are identified in the project implementation, their needs will also be considered and reflected in the SEP document. 18 3.9 Summary of stakeholder interest in and influence over the project The table provided below summarizes the level of interest in and potential influence over the project of the various stakeholder categories identified above. Table 4: Analysis and prioritization of stakeholder groups based on level of interest in and influence over the project High ability or likelihood to Medium ability or likelihood Low ability or likelihood to influence or impact the to influence or impact the influence or impact the project project (engage at least once project (engage directly and a year) (engage indirectly, e.g., frequently, e.g., every half a through official year or more) announcements and mass media) High level of interest in the  People affected by land  Local Government project acquisition and Physical Departments resettlement  Municipalities and  People residing in villages project areas  Vulnerable households  outside vendors  vineyards’ and other small business owners  National Ministries and Government Agencies Medium level of interest in  NGOs  Businesses and  Academic institutions the project  Press and Media workers’ organisations  General public, tourists,  Vulnerable households jobseekers  outside vendors  Low level of interest in the  Other project project developers and their financiers 19 Stakeholder engagement program The Stakeholder Engagement Plan envisages that consultation meetings will take place with relevant interested parties before the commencement of the project and during the project implementation on an as-needed basis. Consultation and engagement activities are required to address current stakeholder suggestions, ideas or concerns. Consultations will take place, as much as possible in face-to-face interactions within the affected and beneficiary settlements, with consideration of national guidelines on social distancing and other measures given the COVID-19 pandemic (and with such steps updated based on guidance from the Georgian government and the National Centre for Disease Control and Public Health). 4.1 Planned stakeholder engagement activities Stakeholder engagement activities need to provide specific stakeholder groups with relevant information and opportunities to voice their views on topics that matter to them. The table below presents the stakeholder engagement activities envisaged under the project. The activity types and their frequency are adapted to the three main project stages (RAP preparation, implementation and project design; construction; post-construction and operation phase). A more detailed explanation of the stakeholder engagement methods used is included in section 4.2. Table 5: Planned stakeholder engagement activities by project phase Project Target stakeholders Topic(s) of engagement Method(s) used Location/frequency Responsibilities stage Project Affected Parties - Land acquisition process; Preparation and implementation; Detailed Design People affected by land acquisition Assistance in gathering officials Public meetings, trainings/workshops, Project launch meetings in and physical resettlement; documents for early land registration; separate meetings specifically for municipalities; Compensation rates and methodology; women and vulnerable; Monthly meetings in People residing in project area; Project scope and rationale; Mass/Social Media Communication – affected municipalities Vulnerable households RD (Environment & Project E&S principles; Facebook, webpage; and villages; Resettlement and livelihood restoration Disclosure of written information – Survey of PAPs in affected Social Team, project options; Brochures, posters, flyers, website villages; manager, land Grievance mechanism process Information desks – In Municipality Communication through acquisition and and Camps; mass/social media (as registration unit); Information and processes will be Grievance mechanism needed); RAP consultant; tailored to the needs of the affected PAP survey – Upon completion of Information desks with Municipal grievance groups in particular taking into resettlement brochures/posters in committee consideration needs of vulnerable households in terms of language, affected municipalities literacy, timings and locations of (continuous) consultations, and accessibility to information and procedures. 20 Project Target stakeholders Topic(s) of engagement Method(s) used Location/frequency Responsibilities stage Project design; Consultation Meetings, In-depth Project impact, and mitigation plans; interviews; Economic opportunities under the Focus group discussions; Project launch meetings in Project by addressing the two identified Presentations, Project brochures and municipalities; RD (Environment & gender gaps: lack of local marketplace leaflets; Focus group discussions, Social Team, project and lack of business advisory services for Note: In-depth interviews and focus meetings in affected manager, local women; group discussions will involve intensive municipalities, villages, government – Local women Note: Engagement with women groups individual interviews with a few households; Sagarejo mayor will continue during the construction respondents to explore their office); phase, and records of environmental perspectives on a particular idea, Municipal grievance and social issues raised, and complaints program, or situation; committee received during consultations, field visits, informal discussions, formal letters, etc., will be followed up Other Interested Parties (External) Land acquisition process; Face-to-face meetings; Weekly (as needed) RD (Environment & National Agency of Public Registry; Registration of land plots; Joint public/small group/individual Social Team, project Municipalities (including Mayor's Resettlement and livelihood restoration meetings with PAPs manager, land representatives in villages) options; acquisition and Project scope, rationale and E&S registration unit); principles; RAP consultant; Grievance mechanism process Other Interested Parties (External) Land acquisition process; Public meetings, trainings/workshops; Project launch meetings; RD (Environment & Press and media; NGOs; Grievance mechanism process; Mass/Social Media Communication - Monthly meetings in Social Team, project Businesses and business Project scope, rationale and E&S Facebook, web-page; affected municipalities manager, land organizations; principles Disclosure of written information - and villages; acquisition and Labour organizations; Brochures, posters, flyers, public Communication through registration unit); Academic institutions; relations kits, website; mass/social media (as RAP consultant; National Government Ministries; Information desks - In Municipality and needed); Local Government Departments; Camps; Information desks with General public, tourists, jobseekers Grievance mechanism; brochures/posters in Project tours for media, local affected municipalities representatives (continuous) Other Interested Parties (External) Project information - scope and Face-to-face meetings; As needed RD (Environment & Other Government Departments rationale and E&S principles; Invitations to public/community/focus Social Team, project from which permissions/clearances Coordination activities; group meetings manager, land 21 Project Target stakeholders Topic(s) of engagement Method(s) used Location/frequency Responsibilities stage are required; Land acquisition process; acquisition and Other project developers reliant on Grievance mechanism process registration unit); or in the vicinity of the Project and RAP consultant; their financiers Other Interested Parties (Internal) Project information - scope and Face-to-face meetings; As needed RD (Environment & Other RD Staff; rationale and E&S principles; Trainings/workshops; Social Team, project Supervision Consultants; Training on ESIA and other sub- Invitations to public/community manager, land Contractor, sub-contractors, management plans; meetings acquisition and service providers, suppliers and Grievance mechanism process registration unit); their workers RAP consultant; Project Affected Parties - Land acquisition process (land Public meetings, trainings/workshops, Monthly/quarterly RD (Environment & Construction (mobilization, construction, demobilization) People affected by land acquisition; registration; compensation rates and separate meetings specifically for meetings in all affected Social Team, project People residing in project area; methodology; livelihood restoration) women and vulnerable; individual municipalities and villages manager, land Vulnerable households Grievance mechanism process; outreach to PAPs with ongoing construction; acquisition and Health and safety impacts (EMF, Mass/Social Media Communication - Communication through registration unit); Construction-related safety measures); Facebook; webpage; mass/social media (as RAP consultant; Employment opportunities; Disclosure of written information - needed); Supervision Environmental concerns; Brochures, posters, flyers, website Information desks with consultant; GBV awareness-raising Information desks - In Municipality and brochures/posters in Contractor/sub- Information and processes will be Camps; affected municipalities contractors; tailored to the needs of the affected Grievance mechanism (continuous) NGOs/trainers; groups in particular taking into Citizen/PAP survey - Upon completion Municipal grievance consideration needs of vulnerable of resettlement and/or construction committee households in terms of language, literacy, timings and locations of consultations, and accessibility to information and procedures. 22 Project Target stakeholders Topic(s) of engagement Method(s) used Location/frequency Responsibilities stage Other Interested Parties (External) Land acquisition process; Face-to-face meetings; Weekly (as needed) RD (Environment & National Agency of Public Registry; Registration of land plots; Joint public/community meetings with Social Team, project Municipalities (including Mayor's Resettlement and livelihood restoration PAPs manager, land representatives in villages) options; acquisition and Project scope, rationale and E&S registration unit); principles; RAP consultant; Grievance mechanism process Supervision consultant; Contractor/sub- contractors; Contractor/sub- contractors; Other Interested Parties (External) Project information - scope and Public meetings, trainings/workshops; Monthly/quarterly RD (Environment & Press and media; NGOs; rationale and E&S principles; Mass/Social Media Communication - meetings in all affected Social Team, project Businesses and business Coordination activities; Facebook, webpage; municipalities with manager, land organizations; Land acquisition process; Disclosure of written information - ongoing construction and acquisition and Workers' organizations; Health and safety impacts; Brochures, posters, flyers, public headquarters; registration unit); Academic institutions; Employment opportunities; relations kits, website; Communication through National Government Ministries; Environmental concerns; Information desks - In Municipality and mass/social media (as Local Government Departments; Grievance mechanism process Camps; needed); General public, tourists, jobseekers Grievance mechanism; Information desks with Project tours for media, local brochures/posters in representatives affected municipalities (continuous) Other Interested Parties (Internal) Project information - scope, rationale Face-to-face meetings; As needed RD (Environment & Other RD Staff; and E&S Principles; Trainings/workshops; Social Team, project Supervision Consultants; Training on ESIA and other sub- Invitations to public/community manager, land Contractor, sub-contractors, management plans; meetings acquisition and service providers, suppliers and Grievance mechanism process registration unit); their workers RAP consultant; Supervision consultant; Contractor/sub- contractors; 23 Project Target stakeholders Topic(s) of engagement Method(s) used Location/frequency Responsibilities stage Project Affected Parties - Satisfaction with engagement activities Public meetings, trainings/workshops, Meetings in affected RD (Environment & Post-construction and Operation phase (within life of the Project and defect liability period) People affected by land acquisition; and GRM; individual outreach to PAPs municipalities and villages Social Team, project People residing in project area; Grievance mechanism process; Mass/Social Media Communication – (six-monthly); manager, land Vulnerable households Community health and safety measures Facebook, webpage; Survey of citizens/PAPs in acquisition and during TL operation; Disclosure of written information - affected villages; registration unit); Accessing resettlement compensation Brochures, posters, flyers, website Communication through RAP consultant; and completing land transfer (for PAPs Information desks - In Municipality and mass/social media (as Supervision who have not yet received it, if any) Camps; needed); consultant; Information and processes will be Grievance mechanism Information desks with Contractor/sub- tailored to the needs of the affected PAP survey - Upon completion of brochures/posters in contractors; groups in particular taking into resettlement affected municipalities consideration needs of vulnerable (continuous) households in terms of language, literacy, timings and locations of consultations, and accessibility to information and procedures. Other Interested Parties (External) Grievance mechanism process; Public meetings, trainings/workshops; Meetings in affected RD (Environment & Press and media; NGOs; Mass/Social Media Communication - municipalities (six- Social Team, project Businesses and business Community health and safety measures Facebook, webpage; monthly); manager, land organizations; during construction and operation; Disclosure of written information - Communication through acquisition and Workers' organizations; Brochures, posters, flyers, public mass/social media (as registration unit); Academic institutions; relations kits, website; needed); National Government Ministries; Information desks - In Municipality and Information desks with Local Government Departments; Camp.; brochures/posters in General public, tourists, jobseekers Grievance mechanism; affected municipalities Project tours for media, local (continuous) representatives 24 4.2 Detail on engagement methods to be used 4.2.1 Public/community meetings, COVID -19 restrictions At the start of the project, RD and consultants will organise project launch meetings in each village of the municipality. From then on, project manager will help organize community meetings/sensitization sessions in the villages on a quarterly basis and additional ones upon request throughout the project’s lifecycle. Base on socio- economical study conducted in frames of ESIA and RAP reports, the number of HHs with vulnerable family members were identified, the information regarding the project impact was provided directly to them through family visits, beside to this the special job-related trainings will be offered to them. 4.2.2 Mass/social media communication The RD public relations division will engage a dedicated person on the Project in order to post information on the RD’s webpage, Twitter and Facebook page, and to communicate with the local population via social media campaigns and to monitor media/social media and check if there are any project related issues, in case of any complains related to the project, these issues will be immediately forwarded to Environmental and Social Issues division for further review and response. Social media channels will be used as much as possible to disseminate information as rates of social media use (especially Facebook, Twitter) appear to be high across users of different age and background in project affected communities. 4.2.3 Communication materials Written information will be disclosed to the public via a variety of communication materials including brochures, flyers, posters, etc. A public relations kit will be designed specifically and distributed both in print and online form. RD will also update its website regularly (at least on a quarterly basis) with key project updates and reports on the project’s environmental and social performance both in English and Georgian. The website will also provide information about the grievance mechanism for the project (see next sub-section). 4.2.4 Grievance redress mechanism In compliance with the World Bank’s ESS10 requirement, a specific grievance mechanism will be set -up for the project. A Grievance Redress Mechanism will be established to allow a PAP to complain about any decision about activities regarding, assets or source of incomes and their compensation, as well as other problems or concerns regarding the project. All types of grievances will be recorded by the GRM. Anonymous grievances will also be accepted, recorded, and investigated to the extent feasible. A GRM guidebook/manual will also be developed, and suggestion boxes installed in each affected village. The RD planned and established the dedicated GRM electronical System/database to capture and track grievances received under the Project. GRM committees at the municipal level will benefit from training on receiving, responding to, addressing, and closing grievances in line with best international practices. Internal GRM training will also take place for RD contractor staff. The RD’s website will include clear information on how feedback, questions, comments, concerns and grievances can be submitted by any stakeholder and will consist of the possibility to submit grievances electronically. It will also provide information on how the GRM committee works, both in-process and deadlines. Multiple channels for receiving grievances will be provided, including phone, email, mail, web-based comment box, social media. Verbal complaints delivered on-site will also be recorded and processed via the GRM. The Project will create dedicated 25 communication materials (GRM pamphlets, posters) to help residents familiarize themselves with the grievance redress channels and procedures. 4.2.5 Project tours for media, NGOs and local governments’ representatives At appropriate points during the construction phase, site visits or demonstration tours will be organised for selected stakeholders from local media outlets, NGOs or local government with consideration of national guidelines on social distancing and other measures given the COVID-19 pandemic. 4.2.6 Information Desks Information Desk in the municipality will provide local residents with information on stakeholder engagement activities, construction updates, contact details of the RD project manager etc. Brochures and fliers on various project related social and environmental issues will be made available at these information desks in the municipality and Camps. 4.2.7 Citizen/PAP perception survey A perception survey examining citizen’s experience and feedback about the project will be carried out twice during the project’s lifecycle: once around the mid-implementation phase, and once towards the end of the project’s implementation. 4.2.8 Trainings, workshops Finally, trainings on a variety of social and environmental issues will be provided to RD and contractor staff and possibly relevant government or non-government service providers. Issues covered will include submission of information for vulnerable PAPs in appropriate way (printing materials, translation of materials and moderation of consultations in languages understood by them, providing accessible spaces for consultations, tailoring job- related trainings to their needs, etc.) and a sensitization to gender-based violence risks. 4.3 Proposed strategy to incorporate the view of vulnerable groups The project will take special measures to ensure that disadvantaged and vulnerable groups have equal opportunity to access information, provide feedback, or submit grievances, s described in section 4.2 above. The project manager will ensure proactive outreach to all population groups. Training and awareness raising sessions will be conducted in villages rather than municipal centre to ensure higher participation of targeted population (balanced by gender and age). Focus groups dedicated specifically to vulnerable groups and minorities (if any) may also be envisaged as appropriate. 26 4.4 Information disclosure The current RD website (www.georoad.ge) is being used to disclose project documents, including those on environmental and social performance in both Georgian and English. Prior to the project financing support by WB will be affective, RD will create a webpage on the Project on its existing website. All future project related environmental and social monitoring reports, listed in the above sections will be disclosed on this webpage. Project updates (including news on construction activities and relevant environmental and social data) will also be posted on the homepage of RD’s website. An easy-to-understand guide to the terminology used in the environmental and social reports or documents will also be provided on the website. All information brochures/fliers will be posted on the website. Details about the Project GRM will be posted on the website. An electronical grievance submission form will also be made available on RD’s website. Contact details of Social and Environmental Team and headquarters will also be made available on the website. RD will update and maintain the website regularly (at least once a quarterly basis). 27 Roles, Responsibilities and Resources for Stakeholder Engagement 5.1 Implementation Arrangements RD will mobilize human and material resources to implement the SEP and manage the GRM. SEP activities will be led by RD’s Environmental and Social Issues Division with relevant responsibilities and the Public Relations Department. A Social and Environmental Team, specifically the project’s Stakeholder Engagement Specialist, will take responsibility for, lead and coordinate all aspects of the stakeholder engagement. The team will be supported by part-time and full-time consultants, as needed. A communication specialist and facilitator from the Public Relations Department, will be an integral part of the SEP Team. The Social and Environmental Division Manager will be overall in charge of the grievance resolution mechanism. The Project Grievance Focal Point will also be part of the Social and Environmental Team. Furthermore, a number of land acquisition and resettlement experts from the Resettlement Unit will be engaged to implement the RAP(s). Environmental and Social experts will be responsible for the environmental and social impact assessment and performance of the Project. Specific named personnel will be established for these roles as the project progresses. The material resources that RD will mobilize are – (i) a Project specific area on the RD website; (ii) an electronical grievance database; (iii) a stakeholder engagement register; (iv) RD Facebook page; (v) printed documents (manuals, brochures, posters, etc.) that will be used, based on the needs of the SEP. 5.2 Roles and Responsibilities The Environmental and Social Team comprised of RD and the Public Relations Department will take responsibility for and lead all aspects of the stakeholder engagement. However, to implement the various activities envisaged in the SEP, the Social and Environmental Team will need to closely coordinate with other key stakeholders – other national and local government departments/agencies, RD divisions, the Supervision and ESIA/RAP consultants, the contractor along with sub-contractors, affected municipalities and PAPs. The roles and responsibilities of these actors/stakeholders are summarized in the Table below. Table 6: Responsibilities of key actors/stakeholders in SEP Implementation Actor/Stakeholder Responsibilities RD Social and Environmental  Planning and implementation of the SEP and various Plans (RAPs ESIAs, etc.). Team  Leading stakeholder engagement activities;  Management and resolution of grievances;  Coordination/supervision of contractors on SEP activities;  Supervision/monitoring of RAP and Implementation Consultants;  Monitoring of and reporting on environmental and social performance to RD management and the World Bank Supervision Consultants  Supervision/monitoring of Contractor;  Management of engagement activities during the construction phase Contractors/sub-contractors  Inform RD of any issues related to their engagement with stakeholders;  Transmit and resolve complaints caused by the construction activities in close collaboration with and as directed by RD/Supervision Consultant and by participating in the local Grievance Resolution Committee;  Prepare and implement various plans (e.g. C-ESMP, Labor Management Plan, etc.);  Inform local communities of any environmental monitoring e.g. dust, noise, vibration, water quality monitoring;  Announce important construction activities (such as road closures and available alternatives); 28 Actor/Stakeholder Responsibilities National Government  Monitor Project compliance with Georgian legislation; Departments -  Participate in the implementation of some activities in the ESMP/RPF and SEP;  Ministry of Economy and  Participate in the implementation of the Land Acquisition process; Sustainable Development  Make available and engage with the public on the Scoping and EIA Reports.  Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture,  Agency for Protected Areas  Ministry Culture and Sport  National Agency of Public Registry Affected municipalities and local  Transfer all complaints to the RD GRM Focal Point; communities  Participate in the local Grievance Resolution Committee (see Section 6.0 Grievance Mechanism);  Make available the disclosed ESIA documents; Project affected people  Invited to engage and ask questions about the Project at Project Meetings and through discussions with Environmental and Social Team where it is of interest or of relevance to them;  Lodge their grievances using the Grievance Resolution Mechanism defined in the SEP (Section 6.0 Grievance Mechanism);  Help the Project to define mitigation measures; Other Project developers  Engage with RD regarding project design;  Share ESIA information and documentation with RD to enable the assessment of cumulative impacts 5.3 Estimated Budget A tentative budget for implementing the stakeholder engagement plan over 42 months (up to 4 years) of USD 152,000 (see Annex 5) has been allocated for implementation of the SEP. The budget includes staff and consultants involved in SEP implementation, travel costs, printing and media costs, among others to ensure continuous information disclosure and engagement. The stakeholder engagement activities featured below cover a variety of environmental, social and expropriation issues, which may be part of other project documents, so it is possible that they have also been budgeted in other plans. However, the table below summarizes all the stakeholder engagement activities in one place for better coordination and monitoring. RD will review this plan every six months to determine if any changes to stakeholder classification or engagement are required. If so, the plan will be updated, and a new revision distributed. The budget will be revised accordingly. 29 Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) The GRM addresses grievances in an efficient, timely and cost-effective manner, that arise in the Project, either due to actions by RD or the contractor/sub-contractors employed by RD, from affected communities and external stakeholders. Separate mechanisms are being developed to address worker grievances in line with the project Labor Management Procedures. RD is responsible for managing the GRM, but many of the grievances on the Project will likely relate to the actions of the Contractor and so will need to be resolved by the Contractor(s). RD with the support of the Supervision Consultant will administer the GRM process deciding whether they or the Contractor is responsible and determining the best course of action to resolve the grievance. The Supervision Consultant will support RD to monitor grievance resolution being undertaken by the contractor. The project GRM deals with the issues of land and other assets acquisition (e.g. amount of compensation, suitability of residual land plots, loss of access roads, etc.) as well as the losses and damages caused by construction works, and any other direct or indirect environmental and social impacts including SEA/SH related grievances. Therefore, the grievance redress mechanism was in place by the time RD starts preparation of RAP, ESIA and shall function until the completion of all construction activities and beyond till the defect liability period ends. PAPs and other potential complainants should be fully informed of the GRM, its functions, procedures, timelines and contact persons both verbally and through booklets and information brochures during consultations meetings and other stakeholder engagement activities. Typical grievances for highway projects include those related to:  Land acquisition, economical and physical displacement;  Construction damages (dust, vibration, noise, limitation of access roads);  Environmental impacts; and  Direct and/or indirect social impacts. RD implements an effective GRM, with the objective of helping third parties to avoid resorting to the judicial system as far as possible. RD’s GRM includes three successive tiers of extra-judicial grievance review and resolution: (i) the first tier is the Grievance Resolution Committee (GRC) at the local level; (ii) the second tier is the GRM RD internal level; and finally, (iii) the third tier is the Grievance Redress Commission (GRC) comprising of senior RD management at RD headquarters level. Complainants can seek redress from the judicial system at any time. The step-by-step process does not deter them from approaching the courts. All grievance related correspondence is documented and the grievance resolution process will be systematically tracked. Anonymous complaints will also be recorded and investigated as part of the GRM. 6.1 Grievance Process The three-stage grievance resolution process involves the following main steps: i. Receipt of grievances; ii. Screening for standing; iii. Grievance Resolution Committee (first stage); 30 iv. RD resolution at central (RD) level (second stage); v. RD Grievance Redress Commission (third stage); vi. Closure of grievances; vii. Grievance records and documentation. These steps are described hereafter. 6.1.1 Receipt of Grievances Anyone from the affected communities or anyone believing they are affected by the Project can submit a grievance:  By completing a written grievance registration form that will be available - (i) in the local municipality and in the affected villages; (ii) Complainant boxes will be installed at the entrance of each construction site and camp; (iii) on the RD’s website; and (iv) at the Project’s manager in Tbilisi. An example of a grievance registration form is provided in Annex 4. The Project’s manager will review the received grievances and record them in a Grievance Register.  Via the Head of municipality or village at the Municipality level, RD Social and Environmental Issues Division Manager at the national level, or the environmental and social managers of the Contractor, either by phone, or in person. Grievances received verbally will be written down by the appropriated person on the grievance registration form and logged into the Grievance Register. A notification letter regarding the logged grievance will be sent to the complainant and inform her/him that the grievance has been noted and is under review and consideration.  Contact information: Mariam Begiadshvili, Roads Department of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia, Social Security Procedures Consultant; Cell: +995 595783311 Email: mbegiashvili2@gmail.com Giorgi Gvaramadze, Roads Department of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia, head of Resettlement Division; Cell: +995577744088 Email: Giorgi.gvaramadze@georoad.ge The contractors social and environmental managers and RD’s, RD Social and Environmental Issues Division Manager will explain the possibilities and ways to raise a grievance to local communities or, RD Social and Environmental Issues Division Manager during meetings organised in each affected area at the time of disclosure. The GRM procedures will be disclosed through the RD’s website and will also be advertised on billboards/posters in each community and at the entrance of the villages. Information material on the GRM will also be made available at the information desks in the hall of local Municipality. In order to ensure that all grievances are captured, the, RD Social and Environmental Issues Division will contact the Municipality authorities and the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, the MEPA, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, the National Agency of Public Registry to explain how the grievances they may receive concerning the project should be channelled through the Project’s GRM and recorded. Information on the way to log a grievance locally, at RD office in Tbilisi or through the RD’s website will be explained to these authorities. The RD Social and Environmental Issues Division will call them regularly on weekly basis to 31 ensure no grievances are missed. All Grievances received locally will be also consolidated in Electronic grievance log. All grievances will be registered, reported and tracked by RD in the Grievance Register by a Grievance Focal Point who is responsible for receiving, logging, referring and following up on grievances. Once a grievance is logged, the related event(s) that caused the grievance will be tracked to prevent similar grievances. The status number and trends of grievances will be discussed between RD, the Contractor and the Supervision Consultant during weekly E&S meetings during the construction phase. 6.1.2 Screening for ‘Standing’ Once a grievance is received, the RD Social and Environmental Issues Division will determine whether the complaint has ‘standing,’ i.e., whether it is related to the project or received from area where project activities are ongoing and could be related to the project. The resolution of grievances of all types will follow the same steps, but the stakeholders involved will depend on the nature of the grievance. All grievances will be handled through the system described hereafter, involving respectively the RD Social and Environmental Issues Division Manager, the Grievance Focal Point, the Contractor's grievance resolution representative, and the Supervision Consultant as representatives of the Project. Complaints related to resettlement (land take and its consequences) will also involve RAP consultant in the resolution of grievances related to land acquisition and resettlement. All grievances will be recorded in a grievance electronical log by RD’s Grievance Focal Point. The following information will be recorded: (¡) Name and contact details, (ii) Details of the grievance and how and when it was submitted, acknowledged, responded to and closed out. All grievances will be acknowledged within 7 days; and responded to no later than 30 days. Once a grievance is logged, the related event(s) that caused the grievance will be tracked to ensure proper close-out of the grievance and prevent similar grievances from recurring in the future. If the grievance is not project related, the RD Social and Environmental Issues Division Manager will record the reason and document that the complainant has been informed of this decision and the basis for this is explained. Ineligible cases will generally be those that RD are confident have not occurred as a result of the actions of RD or it’s Contractor/Sub-Contractors. If the complainant is not satisfied with this outcome, they can pursue further action by submitting their case to RD’s Grievance Redress Commission or the appropriate court of law (Rayon Court). RD will determine whether the resolution of the grievance is the responsibility of the Contractor (or their sub- contractors), RD or the Supervision Consultant. If the grievance is the responsibility of the Contractor or the Supervision Consultant, RD shall review, comment and approve any corrective actions. After logging the grievance, the RD Social and Environmental Issues Division Manager and/or the Grievance Focal Point will inform the complainant in writing within 10 days. 6.1.3 Grievance Resolution Committee (Stage 1) Stage 1, of the GRM involves an informal (oral) review of the complaint (whether written or oral). A local GRC will be established in Municipality, with an office in the municipal building. Once a standing grievance has been logged, the corresponding local GRC will be engaged to define a solution to solve the grievance. At this stage the grievance is reviewed in an informal (oral) way and the Grievance Redress Committee members make and sign the minutes on the matter. If at Stage 1 the PAP’s complaint is not resolved the PAP is informed about grievance resolution 32 procedures of Stage 2. A PAP has the right to use the procedures of Stage 2 without applying to Stage 1 procedures. Timeframe for resolving the stage 1 grievance is 7 days. The GRC shall convene as per necessity (but at least once a month) and shall include eight members. Special provisions will be made for any complaints of a confidential nature. The GRC is an eight-member committee comprising of the following: 1) Roads Department of Georgia (RD) representative as a Committee coordinator; 2) Regional/municipal representative (from “Gamgeoba”) as a Committee secretary; 3) Village attorney (“Rtsmunebuli”) as a Committee member; 4) Elected two Representative of a Project Affected Persons (PAP) of which at least one is woman as a Committee member; 5) Representative of local non-government organization (NGO) taking into account the grievance character – as a Committee member; 6) Local specialist of social and environmental safeguards from the Supervision Consultant – as a Committee member; 7) Local specialist of social and environmental safeguards from the Construction Company – as a Committee member. To unsure GRC’s effective functioning, there is no necessarily to have all 8 members on board, at least 3 members: such as representative of local municipality, PAPs representative and construction company representative are sufficient number persons to resolve the grievance on local level. The GRC will have regular meeting once in a week period. The RD’s Social and Environmental Issues Division manager will act as secretary of the GRC (creation, coordination, and documentation). Members of the GRC will be invited in accordance with the types of complaints to be addressed. The meeting will start without the complainants by reviewing all PAP complaints received since the last GRC meeting, and to propose a solution to all grievances within the past one or two weeks. Then, the GRC will welcome the complainants whose grievances had been reviewed during the previous meeting to discuss proposed resolution. For each grievance, the GRC will determine whether additional investigations are warranted. If so, additional information will be collected before the next GRC meeting and will also be provided to the PAP before the meeting. The GRC will then inform the PAP about the date, time and place of its review meeting, and invite the PAP accordingly. The GRC will receive the complainant and discuss with them a solution to their grievance. The committee shall draw up and sign the minutes of their discussion on the matter. If the grievance is satisfactorily resolved, the PAP will also sign the minutes in acknowledgement of the agreement. In cases where the project has agreed to put in place additional measures, these will be specified, with a timetable for delivery, in the minutes of the meeting. If the grievance remains unresolved, the PAP will be explained the Stage 2 escalation process. Grievance redress procedure of Stage 1 is an informal tool of dispute resolution during the project preparation and implementation stages and allowing PAPs and the project implementation team to resolve the disagreement without any formal procedures, procrastination and impediments. International experience in different projects shows that such informal grievance redress mechanisms help to solve most of the complaints without formal procedures (i.e. without using the procedures specified in the Administrative Code or litigation). If the PAP is not satisfied, the grievance redress mechanism assists him/her in lodging an official grievance in accordance with the procedures of Stage 2 (the plaintiff should be informed of his/her rights and obligations, rules and procedures of making a grievance, format of grievance, terms of grievance submission, etc.). 33 6.1.4 Grievance Resolution at Central Level (Stage 2) In this stage, the grievance will be reviewed at the RD level. Unsolved grievances at Stage 1, with the complainant’s consent, will be sent to RD in written form. Similarly, aggrieved complainants/PAPs dissatisfied with the GRC decision, can escalate their grievances to RD at the central level. The GRC will assist him/her in lodging an official complaint. RD’s GRM Focal point and, RD Social and Environmental Issues Division Manager will review the written complaints of PAPs, which were not satisfied at Stage 1 and send them internally to the appropriate departments (legal, technical, contracts etc.) for redress. The RD internal timeframe for referral is 10 days. The complainant shall be informed of the decision within a maximum of 30 days, in accordance with the response time stipulated in the Administrative Code of Georgia. 6.1.5 RD’s Problematic Issues (Social and Environmental) Redress Commission (Stage 3) If the grievance continues to be unresolved at Stage 2 by the appropriate department, it will be presented to RD’s Problematic Issues (Social and Environmental) Redress Commission. The RD’s Problematic Issues (Social and Environmental) Commission has regular meetings (At least once in a month) and during the meetings will review and decide upon the grievance in compliance with the Administrative Code of Georgia. The complainant shall be informed in writing of RD’s decision. If RD’s decision fails to satisfy the aggrieved affected persons, they can pursue further action by submitting their case to the appropriate court of law. The composition of the Problematic Issues (Social and Environmental) Redress Commission is as follows 1) Head of Roads Department of Georgia (Head RD’s Problematic Issues (Social and Environmental) Redress Commission); 2) Deputy Head of Roads Department of Georgia Deputy Head of Permissions Department (member); 3) Deputy Head of Roads Department of Georgia Deputy Head of Permissions Department (member); 4) Deputy Head of Roads Department of Georgia Deputy Head of Permissions Department (member); 5) Deputy Head of Roads Department of Georgia Deputy Head of Permissions Department (member) 6) Head of Legal Division (member); 7) Deputy Head of Legal Division (member); 8) Head of Resettlement Unit (member); 9) Head of Roads Maintenance Division (member); 10) Head of Highway Projects Construction Division (member); 11) Head of Internal Roads Construction Division (member); 12) Head of Environmental and Social Issues Division (member) 13) Deputy Head of Social and Environmental Issues Division (member) 14) Head of Technical Supervision and International Projects Planning Division (member); 15) Resettlement and social issues consultant (invited member); 16) Head of Environmental Unit (member). 6.1.6 Closure of Grievances A grievance will be considered “resolved” or “closed” when a resolution satisfactory to both parties has been reached, and after corrective measures has been successfully implemented. When a proposed solution is agreed between the Project and the complainant, the time needed to implement it will depend on the nature of the solution. However, the actions to implement this solution will be undertaken within one month of the grievance being logged and will be tracked until completion. Once the solution is being implemented or is implemented to 34 the satisfaction of the complainant, a complaint closes out form will be signed by both parties (Environmental and Social Issues Division Manager or his representative and the complainant), stating that the complainant considers that his/her grievance is closed. The grievance then, will be archived in the Project Grievance database. In certain situations, however, the Project may “close” a grievance even if the complainant is n ot satisfied with the outcome. This could be the case, for example, if the complainant is unable to substantiate a grievance, or the complaint is proven to be fraudulent. In such situations, the Project’s efforts to investigate the grievance and to arrive at a conclusion will be well documented and the complainant advised of the situation. RD will not dismiss grievances based on a cursory review and close them unless the complainant has been notified and had the opportunity to provide supplementary information or evidence. 6.1.7 Grievance Records and Documentation RD will nominate a GRM Focal Point to manage a grievance database to keep a record of all grievances received. The database will contain the name of the individual or organization lodging a grievance; the date and nature of the grievance; any follow-up actions taken; the solutions and corrective actions implemented by the Contractor or other relevant party; the final result; and how and when this decision was communicated to the complainant. All information regarding the grievances submitted during the project implementation received complaints, and ways and means for their practical and timely solution will be collected in the annual reports prepared by RD and submitted to the WB (e.g. Grievance monitoring and reporting will occur in RD’s six-monthly and annual reports). Protocol for Handling Sensitive Complaints including Gender-Based Violence and SEA/SH Related Complaints RD will establish a protocol for confidential survivor-centred approach to handling sensitive complaints, including those related to gender based violence, sexual exploitation, abuse or harassment involving project personnel. The protocol will establish clear guidelines on the Do’s and Don’ts of handling such complaints such as maintaining confidentiality of the complainant, requesting only most essential information, informing the complainant of their choice to register the complaint with other institutions, referring the complainant to urgent medical help or other relevant services, among others. All project workers and local communities will receive awareness training on the availability of the GBV-sensitized grievance mechanism. Grievance focal points will receive in-depth training on applying the protocol for sensitive complaints. For the development of protocol and training RD will engage qualified GBV and SEA/SH expert. 6.2 Workers’ Grievance Mechanism RD, currently, does not have internal grievance mechanism in place which allows its employees to raise workplace concerns. The conciliation procedure is provided by the Labor Code of Georgia. There is no system in place to track grievances received by RD employees. RD requires contractors to develop and implement a grievance mechanism for their workforce including sub- contractors, prior to the start of civil works. The construction contractors will prepare their labor management procedure in line with the project’s LMP before the start of civil works, which will also include detailed description of the workers grievance mechanism. The workers grievance mechanism will include:  a procedure to receive grievances such as comment/complaint form, suggestion boxes, email, a telephone hotline;  stipulated timeframes to respond to grievances; 35  a register to record and track the timely resolution of grievances;  a responsible department to receive, record and track resolution of grievances. The Supervision Consultant will monitor the contractors’ recording and resolution of grievances, and report these to RD in their monthly progress reports. The process will be monitored by the GRM Focal Point, a RD representative who will be responsible for the project GRM. The workers grievance mechanism will be described in staff induction trainings, which will be provided to all project workers. The mechanism will be based on the following principles:  The process will be transparent and allow workers to express their concerns and file grievances.  There will be no discrimination against those who express grievances and any grievances will be treated confidentially.  Anonymous grievances will be treated equally as other grievances, whose origin is known.  Management will treat grievances seriously and take timely and appropriate action in response. Information about the existence of the grievance mechanism will be readily available to all project workers (direct and contracted) through notice boards, the presence of “suggestion/complaint boxes”, and other means as needed. 6.3 RD Contact Information The point of contact regarding grievance management and the local stakeholder engagement activities is the Social and Environmental Issues Division Manager: Description Contact details Organization: Roads Department of Georgia (RD) To: Social and Environmental Issues Division Manager Address: 12 Kazbegi ave., Tbilisi 0160, Georgia E-mail: manana.bazadze@georoad.ge Website: www.georoad.ge Telephone: 577533746 Information on the Project and future stakeholder engagement programs will available on the Project’s website and will be posted on information boards in affected villages in the Project area. Six-monthly E&S reports that document the implementation of the Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) will be disclosed on the Project website and made available in the local town halls. In addition, for information on engagement with national and international stakeholders, and for information on the environmental and social performance of the Project, NGOs, CSOs and media are invited to contact RD Head of Communications in Tbilisi: Description Contact details Organization: Roads Department of Georgia (RD) 36 Description Contact details To: RD Head of Public Relations department Address: 12 Kazbegi ave., Tbilisi 0160, Georgia E-mail: tinatin.kolbaia@georoad.ge Website: www.georoad.ge Telephone: 591935333 37 Monitoring and Reporting 7.1 Monitoring reports during construction The SEP will be periodically revised and updated as necessary in project implementation to ensure that the information presented herein is consistent and is the most recent. The identified engagement methods remain appropriate and effective concerning the project context and specific phases of the development Quarterly and semi-annual Monitoring reports documenting the environmental and social performance of the Project during construction will be prepared by the Social and Environmental Team for submission to RD management and to the World Bank. These reports will include a section regarding stakeholder engagement and grievance management. Table 9 proposes a comprehensive set of indicators related to SEP performance at this stage. Table 8: SEP Indicators to Be Documented In Progress Reports Engagement with PAPs Number and location of formal meetings with PAPs Number and location of informal meetings with PAPs Number and location of community awareness raising or training meetings Number of men and women that attended each of the meetings above Number, location, attendance and documentation of the meetings held with the municipalities and communities or other stakeholders For each meeting, number and nature of comments received, actions agreed during these meetings, status of those actions, and how the comments were included in the Project ESMP. Minutes of meetings of formal meetings and summary note of informal meetings will be annexed to the report. They will summarize the view of attendees and distinguish between comments raised by men and women. Engagement with other stakeholders Number and nature of engagement activities with other stakeholders, disaggregated by category of stakeholder (Governmental departments, municipalities, NGOs) Issues raised by NGOs and other stakeholders, actions agreed with them and status of those actions Minutes of meetings will be annexed to the six-monthly report Number and nature of Project documents publicly disclosed Number and nature of updates of the Project website Number and categories of comments received on the website Grievance Resolution Mechanism Number of grievances received, in total and at the local level, at Tbilisi office, on the website, disaggregated by complainant’s gender and means of receipt (telephone, email, discussion) Number of grievances received from affected people, external stakeholders Number of grievances which have been (i) opened, (ii) opened for more than 30 days, (iii) those which have been resolved, (iv) closed, and (v) number of responses that satisfied the complainants, during the reporting period disaggregated by category of grievance, gender, age and location of complainant. Average time of complaint’s resolution process, disaggregated by gender of complainants and categories of complaints Number of local GRC meetings, and outputs of these meetings (minutes of meetings signed by the attendees, including the complainants to be annexed to the report) Trends in time and comparison of number, categories, and location of complaints with previous reporting periods 38 Workers Grievances Number of grievances raised by workers, disaggregated by gender of workers and worksite Number of workers grievances (i) opened, (ii) open during more than 30 days, (iii) resolved, (iv) closed, and (v) number of responses that satisfied the workers, during the reporting period disaggregated by category of grievance, gender, age of workers and worksite. Profile of those who lodge a grievance (gender, age, worksite), by category of grievances. Average time of complaint’s resolution process, disaggregated by gender of complainants and categories of complaints Trend in time and comparison of number, categories, and location of complaints with previous reporting periods The reporting on Environmental and Social activities conducted by RD and the Supervision and ESIA/RAP Monitoring Consultants during the construction phase will be undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the ESMP. 7.1.1 Quarterly and Annual Reports by RD During the Project development and construction phase, the Social and Environmental Team will prepare brief monthly reports on E&S performance for RD Management which will include an update on implementation of the stakeholder engagement plan and include indicators in Table 9. Monthly reports will be used to develop quarterly and annual reports reviewed by senior RD deputy Heads. The quarterly and semi-annual reports will be disclosed on the RD website and made available in the affected Municipality. 7.1.2 Six Monthly E&S Compliance Reports to the World Bank Six-monthly E&S reports will be prepared and submitted to the World Bank during the construction period. A section on stakeholder engagement will be included in these reports which will include an update on implementation of the stakeholder engagement plan and include indicators in Table 8. 7.2 Monitoring reports during operation 7.2.1 Annual Reports by RD At the end of each year of operation, Social and Environmental Team will prepare an annual summary report on E&S performance for RD Management which will include an update on implementation of the stakeholder engagement plan and include indicators in Table 8. The annual reports will be disclosed on the Project website and made available in the Town halls of the project affected Municipalities. 7.2.2 Six Monthly E&S Compliance Reports to the World Bank During the first three years of operation, six-monthly and annual E&S compliance reports will be prepared and submitted to the World Bank. Annual E&S compliance reports will then be prepared and submitted to the World Bank during the rest of the operation period. A section on stakeholder engagement will be included in these E&S compliance reports. In addition, RD will prepare Incident Notifications for the World Bank, if and when, required. 39 7.3 Involvement of stakeholders in monitoring activities The Project provides several opportunities to stakeholders, especially Project Affected Parties to monitor certain aspects of Project performance and provide feedback. Grievance Resolution Committees in the affected Municipality will allow PAPs to submit grievances and other types of feedback. Citizen/PAP surveys at the project mid-point and end stages will also allow PAPs to provide feedback on project performance. Furthermore, frequent and regular community meetings and interactions with RD staff will allow PAPs and other local stakeholders to be heard and engaged. 7.4 Reporting back to stakeholder groups RD’s Social and Environmental will report back to PAPs and other stakeholder groups, primarily through public meetings in project affected Municipality and/or Villages. Minutes of meetings will be shared during subsequent public meetings. Feedback received through the GRM will be responded to in writing and verbally, to the extent possible. Sms and phone calls will be used to respond to stakeholders whose telephone numbers are available. Key Project updates will be posted on RD’s website. Social media: FB, webpage, will also be used to report back to different stakeholders. 40 References World Bank. 2018. Environmental and Social Framework. World Bank. 2018a. Template for ESS10: Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure Stakeholder Engagement Plan and Stakeholder Engagement Framework. Environmental and Social Framework for IPF Operations. ESS10: Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure. World Bank. 2018b. Guidance Note for Borrowers. Environmental and Social Framework for IPF Operations. ESS10: Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure. Eco-Spectri Consulting Ltd. Project for Modernization of the Second Lot of Tbilisi-Bakurtsikhe (Eastern part of Sagarejo - Bakurtsikhe) of International Tbilisi-Bakurtsikhe-Lagodekhi-Azerbaijan Border (S5) Road. Prepared for: RD. (2020); https://mepa.gov.ge/Ge/Files/Download/34303; Resettlement Action plan (15,03.2021); Project for Modernization of the Second Lot of Tbilisi-Bakurtsikhe (Eastern part of Sagarejo - Bakurtsikhe) of International Tbilisi-Bakurtsikhe-Lagodekhi-Azerbaijan Border (S5) Road. Prepared by AECOM Ltd. for RD 41 Annex 1: SEP Public Consultation Minutes Kakheti Connectivity Improvement Project LOT №3: ROAD SECTION FROM SAGAREJO EAST (TOKHLIAURI INTERCHANGE) TO BADIAURI Minutes of Public Consultation Date: 04 February 2022 The goal of the public consultation was to discuss draft Resettlement Action Plan and Stakeholder Engagement Plan with the project affected persons The following channels for advertising of consultation meeting were used by RD and the local Government: RD announced the public consultation meeting on January 28, 2022 on official webpage: http://www.georoad.ge/?lang=geo&act=news&func=menu&uid=1645533901; RD’s project managers conducted phone calls to each affected household impacted by RAP; Local Government posted the information regarding to the public consultation meeting on information desk in Sagarejo Municipality Building for all stakeholders; The representatives of Mayor in villages impacted by the project conducted personal visits and invited the PAPs. The printed version of RAP and SEP documents translated in Georgian were distributed in the municipal office in Sagarejo, Before the public consultations started the documents were sent to the representatives of the Mayor in nearby villages. PAPs had the opportunity to review the documents a few days before the meeting. Venue: Sagarejo City, House of Culture. Chairperson of the meeting: Salome Tsurtsumia Secretary of the meeting: Nino Shubashishvili The meeting was attended by:  Mikheil Ujmajuridze – Head, Environmental and Social Division  Mariam Begiashvili - Social Safeguards Consultant of the World Bank funded Projects, Environmental and Social Issues Division  Avtandil Gulikashvili – Mayor, Sagarejo Municipality  Project affected persons (PAPs) from Sagarejo town and nearly villages Commencement time of the public consultation: 12:00 and 14:00, February 4, 2022. Agenda: Provide information on the procedures envisaged in the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) and Stakeholders Engagement Plan (SEP) to the persons affected by works in Sagarejo-Badiauri section of the highway. Presentation was made by Mariam Begiashvili, Social Safeguards Consultant, Environment and Social Division, Roads Department of Georgia. The construction works are financed by the World Bank, and the project implementing agency is the Roads Department of Georgia of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia. Tbilisi-Sagarejo and Sagarejo-Bakurtsikhe road map. The speaker introduced the project to the participants and informed them that the RAP under discussion in the present meeting refers only to Lot 3 – road section from Sagarejo east (Tokhliauri interchange) to Badiauri. The total length of the lot is 17.04 km. The width of the design road buffer varies from 35m to 70m depending on topography. The consultant spoke in detail about the arrangement of the asphalt- concrete road defined by the design, the total budget of the RAP, the pre-construction procedures, and the safety of construction. Attendees were also informed that a grievance mechanism would be available to allow PAPs to appeal any decision, practice, or activity arising from the loss of land, assets, permanent and temporary loss of sources of income, and compensation-related issues to be considered by a special commission. Furthermore, through this mechanism, the local population is given the opportunity to express their concerns about environmental or safety issues. The speaker explained that the census of the affected land plots and assets and the final valuation of the property were carried out in 2021. The census was conducted in the presence of property owners. The independent/licensed valuator determined the value of the land plots and other assets. Lot 3 – Map of the road section from Sagarejo east (Tokhliauri interchange) to Badiauri Presentation made by Mariam Begiashvili covered the following topics:  Introduction to RAP;  Impact on land resources;  Total budget of RAP;  Unit cost of affected assets by category: land, annual crop, plantation, building, and so on.  Entitlement matrix;  Compensation types based on the RAP;  Pre-construction procedures;  Construction duration, timing, and safety;  Vibration, air quality (dust), and noise impacts and mitigation measures;  Grievance redress mechanism;  Monitoring of works;  Introduction to SEP;  Employment opportunities for locals. Mariam Begiashvili introduced the SEP and talked about the issues covered by this document: who can be a stakeholder, and what are the ways to get information about the project? What main channels of communication will be used throughout the course of the project? How will communication be conducted with vulnerable groups? How can local municipalities and NGOs (if interested) help to strengthen the communication channels? The audience was acquainted with the ways of receiving and disseminating information, such as contact information of project managers, contact information of the Resettlement Unit, the website and hotline of RD, the hotline of the Resettlement Unit, and the Facebook page of RD. Any interested person will also receive complete and up-to-date information locally, in the building of Sagarejo Municipality; contact and other necessary information will be permanently posted on the information board. The Speaker also noted that Labor Management Procedures (LMP) are developed in compliance with the World Bank Environment and Social Policy Framework, which serves as a guideline for construction company in terms of employment, organization, and the management of employee rights and responsibilities. A detailed review of this document is scheduled after the construction contractor is identified. In response to the PAPs’ question, the chairperson of the meeting also explained how RD plans to solve the issue with roadside vendors: the special market place dedicated for these purposes was designed as a part of the Lot 3 road section. The area for the market will be constructed by RD with entrance and exit lines, but it will be furnished and further maintained by local municipality. In this regard, RD plans to sign the memorandum of understanding with local municipality. Also, the municipality will provide the facilities/minor infrastructure and utilities (electricity, gas, water supply, sanitary facilities etc.) for the marketplace. The grievance mechanism for the project was explained to participants. Local population was also informed about Project Manager’s contact information (phone number Demitre Tabidze: 558567000, mail: demetre.tabidze@georoad.ge; Manana Bazadze 577533746, mail: manana.bazadze@georoad.ge), the contact information of project managers and grievance form will be posted on information desk in Sagarejo municipality building. individual calls will be contacted during upcoming weeks. Social Safeguards Consultant also explained that RD’s GRM system has three steps:  Grievance Resolution Committee (Stage 1)  Grievance Resolution at Central Level (Stage 2)  RD’s Problematic Issues (Social and Environmental) Redress Commission (Stage 3) All verbal and written Grievances received by RD, local municipality and/or civil works contractor will be logged in Grievance log and redressed in particular timeframe. The grievance redress mechanism was also explained in information brochure (developed in Georgian language) distributed between Stakeholders during the public consultation meeting. Due to COVID-19 regulations, the meeting with local stakeholders was held in two stages, at 12:00 and 14:00. At the end of the presentation, participants expressed interest in various issues, to which the representatives of the Department gave complete answers (answers to questions that require technical clarification, such as the area of a particular land plot or the possible omission of some objects in the inventory-census process, are noted, and locals will be provided relevant information later). The price of vines is determined by zones, as well as by grape variety, yield, and age. Comment Author Question Explanation (Name, Surname) 1. Nikoloz Borashvili How was the price of vines The price of vines is determined by determined? zones, as well as by grape variety, yield, and age. 2. Eliko Parunashvili Let's say he has planted 5 rows All such cases will be reviewed of vines. From here, 3 rows fell individually and the relevant within the right of the way. In response will be notified to the this case, what happens to the citizen. RAP’s entitlement matrix remaining 2 rows of vines? explains general approach regarding to the residual land: “If any remaining part of the land owned by the registered owners is no longer appropriate for use, such remaining part will also be purchased subject to the agreement with the owner.” 3. Marina Sabashvili In the event of the acquisition of The citizen must write a statement land plots within the RoW, the describing the circumstances, residual land remains unused. In after which GRM established at RD this case, what happens? will consider the case and the answer will be communicated to the citizen individually. 4. Soso I have submitted documents The Department is not a Makharoblishvili for registration of the land plot. registration body. The decision on However, the registration registration is made by the process may be delayed and National Agency of Public Registry. not be completed on time. Therefore, we have to wait for the What happens in this case? registration to be completed; if the plot cannot be registered, RD is not entitled to issue compensation for the land. However, the citizen will be compensated for plantings, buildings, or fruit trees located on the land. 5. Tengiz Kordzajhia Can we cultivate the land this Yes, the land can be cultivated and year, in spring? harvested, as the resettlement procedures will only be completed by the end of the year, and the construction company will also be identified by the end of the year. 6. Eliko Parunashvili The plot is not registered. What The Department is not a happens in this case? registration body. The decision on registration is made by the National Agency of Public Registry. Therefore, we have to wait for the registration to be completed; if the plot cannot be registered, RD is not entitled to issue compensation for the land. However, the citizen will be compensated for plantings, buildings, or fruit trees located on the land. RD will support PAPs with cadastral drawings and will provide necessary s in regard to land legalization. 7. Chiora Kitiashvili Are the amounts of land plot The value of the land plot is and vineyard located on that determined separately, while the land considered separately? price of the vineyard cultivated on the plot, any fruit-bearing plant and the annual crop are also determined separately. 8. Iago Tabazishvili What is the price of 1 sq.m of The valuation methodology land? involves determining the market price based on actual purchase agreements and transfers that have been registered with the public registry in your region over the past year. Based on this analysis, homestead plots are estimated at 11.50 GEL, while agricultural plots are estimated at 4.20 GEL. 9. Iago Tabazishvili The rural population depends On Sagarejo-Badiauri section, the on street trade. After the road integrity of the highway is is put into operation, to what interrupted only at one location - extent will the population be at the Badiauri interchange. As it able to carry out trade on the was mentioned during the remaining land plots in the presentation, an area is vicinity of the highway? designated for trade near the Badiauri interchange, which will be arranged by the Roads Department and handed over to the municipality for further management. As agreed in advance, the population will be able to sell various products. Highway junctions will be arranged in accordance with international traffic safety standards; therefore, direct highway penetration cannot be done elsewhere. According to the mentioned standards, the service areas will be arranged every 70 km, and entry and exit to those service areas will be from the interchange. 10. Tornike Chikadze How can the vine's current In 2020, when the census was condition be assessed two conducted, the sapling was 3 years years ago? You stated that we old, and now it is 5 years old, in could harvest this year while which case, of course, the price of construction begins next year, the sapling is determined by its but in reality, we are losing two actual age, which is today. years. 11. Dato Natsvlishvili The citizen owned the land. All land plots, both registered and This year he registered another unregistered, undergo a census land plot that was not and are valuated according to the registered at the time of the relevant category. census, what happens in this case? 12. Nana Mchedlishvili What happens if the small land The citizen must write a statement plots remain? describing the circumstances, after which GRM established at RD will consider the case and the answer will be communicated to the citizen individually. 13. Dato Natsvlishvili Is there any compensation for The species included in the Red fruit species included in the Red Book will be compensated if they Book? are fruit-bearing. Photos: Public consultation in Sagarejo Municipality, Lot №3– road section from Sagarejo east (Tokhliauri interchange) to Badiauri Public meeting held at 12:00 Public meeting held at 14:00 list of attendance: Annex 2: Grievance Submission Form Grievance Submission Form Gurjaani Municipality village # Name, Last name Contact Information  Mail: Please indicate the postal address: ___________________________________________________________ Please indicate the preferable ___________________________________________________________ means of communication (Mail, _____________________________________________________ Telephone, E-mail)  Telephone: _______________________________________________  E-mail:____________________________________________ The language desirable for the  Georgian communication  English  Russian Describe the grievance/claim: What is the complaint about? What is the claim? Date of Negotiation: Resolution of Negotiation: What is the basis of your claim? Signature: _____________________________ Date: _______________________________ Appendix 3. Public Grievance Leaflet The Roads Department is striving to ensure that the construction of the Project will not result in adverse impacts for those living near to its project site or for other potentially affected stakeholders. However, should there be any issues we would like to hear about any concerns or grievances or comments and suggestions that you may have in relation to the project activities. What kind of grievance can I lodge? Anyone can lodge a grievance if they feel that project activities are negatively affecting them, their community or their local environment. Example of grievances could include, but are not limited to: • Mishandling of the land acquisition process (pre-construction); • Noise of construction works (construction); • Damage to private and common assets and properties; • Community health and safety, for instance in relation to impacts of increased traffic (construction); • Practices that endanger the health, safety and security of employees working on the project; • Failure to meet the labor rights of employees working on the project. Comments and information requests will also be accepted; these may be recorded in the same way as grievances and will be answered to the best of the ability of RD. How can I submit a grievance? Anyone can submit a grievance to the … in the following ways: • By phone hotline: (+99532) 2 31 30 76 or: 577533746; 591935333; 577744088 By emails: manana.bazadze@georoad.ge; tinatin.kolbaia@georoad.ge; mbegiashvili2@gmail.com; • In person by completing the attached Grievance and Information Request Form and posting it to / dropping off at the following address: Georgia 0160, Tbilisi, A.Kazbegi st. N12. Alternatively drop boxes are be set up during the construction phase at each of the local municipalities affected by the project. These will be emptied at least once a week and reviewed. How will the RD deal with my grievance? RD will go through the following steps to deal with your grievance: Step 1: Acknowledgement: RD will contact you to acknowledge your grievance and request within the following timescales: • From 5 to 21 business days for a grievance depending on the issue; • Immediately acknowledge and record a verbal complaint and within 5 to 10 business days for a written complaint; • Comments may take longer to process and response to comments will be completed within 21 working days depending on the issue. This acknowledgement will include your grievance reference number, the person at AGL responsible for tracking your grievance and their contact details and the expected a date for completing the investigation into your grievance (where appropriate). Step 2: Investigation: RD will then set up an investigation into your grievance. They may need to contact you during this investigation for further information. Step 3: Resolution: once your grievance has been investigated you will be contacted with the findings and RD’s proposed response. If the investigations find that the grievance does not relate to the projects activities or that RD is working within the relevant Georgian and international standards in relation to grievance, we will explain this in writing to you. Step 4: Follow Up: RD may contact you at a later stage to check our activities pose no further problems. Confidentiality: if you would like your grievance to remain confidential. RD will ensure that your name and contact details are not disclosed without your consent and only the RD team directly working on the investigation of your grievance will be aware of them. If it is not possible for the team to fully investigate the grievance without revealing your identity or the contents of your grievance, you will be informed.