Page 1 PROJECT INFORMATION DOCUMENT (PID) APPRAISAL STAGE Report No.: AB3187 Project Name Emergency Post-Conflict Assistance Project Region AFRICA Sector Other social services (60%);Central government administration (20%);Vocational training (20%) Project ID P082817 Borrower(s) REPUBLIC OF COTE D IVOIRE Implementing Agency PRIMATURE Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire MINISTERE DE L'ECONOMIE ET DES FINANCES Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire Environment Category [ ] A [X] B [ ] C [ ] FI [ ] TBD (to be determined) Date PID Prepared June 15, 2007 Date of Appraisal Authorization May 7, 2007 Date of Board Approval July 17, 2007 1. Country and Sector Background Côte d’Ivoire has been undergoing a prolonged period of instability since a military coup in December 1999, and although efforts to promote national reconciliation gained momentum, the country was again thrown into turmoil in September 2002. The crisis, which began as an armed uprising by mutinous soldiers, escalated into a full-blown rebellion with political overtones threatening the existence of the Ivorian nation. The disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) process defined in various peace agreements has proceeded at a very uneven and uncertain pace. A series of agreements negotiated under the auspices of the international community had little success in steering the country towards the conduct of free and fair elections. The country remains divided between ex-rebel and government forces, although the buffer zone has been reduced to a “green line”. The recent accord emerging from the first direct talks between the ex-warring parties, the Ouagadougou Agreement of March 2007 provides a newly endorsed framework for the peace process, the Crisis Recovery Program. With the nomination of Guillaume Soro, the ex-rebel leader, as Prime Minister and the creation of an Integrated Command Center for the government and ex-rebel armed forces, two important steps in its implementation have been accomplished. While there appears to be a renewed sense of commitment to resolving the crisis, many potential obstacles still threaten the fragile peace process. Among them are (a) the complex process required for providing citizens with identity documents, which are needed to gain access to a number of social services as well as to establish electoral lists; (b) the disarmament and dismantlement of militias (DDM), for which a clear process has not yet been agreed; (c) Page 2 the restructuring of the defense and security forces and the creation of a new program of “civic service”, which will have an impact on the disarmament and demobilization process. Though there has been a degree of normalization in the overall security situation, commerce remains severely hampered. ‘Racketing’ (practice of requiring payments from travelers to pass security checkpoints) by the security forces both in the North and the South of the country tends to impose prohibitively high transaction costs on traders. Though overall GDP growth has experienced a modest recovery --sustained in large part by an off-shore oil industry-- the bulk of the population remains in a precarious economic situation. Particularly in the North of the country, economic activity remains well below pre-crisis levels hampered, among other things, by lack of banking services. The result has been a significant increase in poverty. According to estimates by the World Bank, poverty levels have gone up by approximately 5 percent since the onset of the crisis in 2002, from 38.2 percent in 2002 to an estimated 43.2 percent in 2006. Health and educational services have been severely compromised in the North of the country, where the public administration was absent for a while and remains well below pre-crisis levels. A large number of children in the North have not attended school since the beginning of the crisis in 2002, and redeployment of qualified educational personnel stands at approximately 30 percent. Similarly, health facilities, which have largely reopened, continue to function with reduced personnel and services. Continuing hardship, including food insecurity, in the North have led to additional displacements to towns in the South, adding to over 700,000 people currently displaced within the country since the beginning of the crisis. 2. Objectives The project seeks to improve economic opportunities and access to social services for conflict-affected communities and individuals. This will enhance and consolidate peace. 3. Rationale for Bank Involvement Targeted support by the Bank at this critical juncture will facilitate the stabilization of the improved but fragile situation, helping to create conditions under which the country can resume pro-poor social and economic development and begin to mend the social divisions that deepened over the past four years. Bank engagement would also provide a framework for other key interventions that Cote d’Ivoire needs to support its Crisis Recovery Program, and will act as a catalyst for other donors. Experience elsewhere shows that the Bank has a comparative advantage in assisting Governments in implementing demobilization and reintegration programs, and can offer considerable expertise on community-driven development (CDD) and productive infrastructure rehabilitation. Through a pre-arrears clearance grant, the Bank can provide the level of resources currently required, launching this support relatively quickly using the new Rapid Response emergency procedures. By supporting key chapters of the Ouagadougou Peace Agreement, this project will not only respond to emergency needs but also address the deep-rooted causes of conflict and therefore contribute to the prevention of further conflict. 4. Description The proposed support will help respond to the situation by providing funding for: (a) the economic (re)integration of ex-combatants, youth associated with armed groups, and of youth-at-risk more in general; (b) the national identification process, including the modernization of the national civil registry, which is a pre-condition not only for free and fair elections but for restoration of equitable access by the whole population to social services; (c) the rehabilitation and re-equipment of social and economic infrastructure in the communities most affected by conflict, and (d) the strengthening of social capital Page 3 throughout the country. This is expected to have a significant impact on improving the chances for sustainable peace by: addressing one of the key causes of the conflict (“national identity” manifest through official identification and registry), encouraging vulnerable groups such as youth associated with conflict to resume productive lives, improving access to basic social services, and enhancing the implementation capacity of community-based development organizations. In particular, components proposed for financing are as follows: 1. Component A: Economic (Re)integration (US$ 40 million): will finance activities to facilitate the economic (re)integration (RE) of ex-combatants, youth associated with armed groups, and other youth-at-risk. Assistance would be offered in different forms, including the following: information, counseling and referral services; access to vocational training, apprenticeship schemes and educational opportunities; technical assistance and/or grants in cash or kind (such as provision of seeds and tools) to establish agricultural and non-farm income-generating activities; research of employment opportunities; labor-intensive public works. Social reintegration assistance seeks to foster reconciliation between individuals involved in conflict and their communities of settlement. 2. Component B: Support to the Identification Process (US$ 20 million) : will contribute to cover the costs of the process of updating, modernizing and securing the register of civil status, providing birth certificates, and issuing identification documents. The proposed approach is to support the work of several national bodies that have a key role to play by providing capacity building, facilitating day-to-day operations, adapted equipment and IT solutions and funding specialized services, all these activities under the coordination and managment of the Prime Minister Cabinet (the Identification Unit). This component will work in a complementary fashion with the support planned by the European Commission to ensure a rational and coherent approach and a strategic use of the resources available. 3. Component C: Community rehabilitation (US$ 40 million): This component will help meet the short- to medium-term needs of returning refugees/IDPs and the communities most affected by the conflict by using a CDD approach. Its activities are meant to complement those financed by the restructured projects in the Bank portfolio, and will be closely coordinated with such projects as arrears are cleared and portfolio projects are re-launched. Through sub-project grants, the RC component will support the following activities: (a) reconstruction, rehabilitation and re-equipment of community level infrastructure, (b) restoration of social capital and social cohesion, and (c) capacity building for effective sub- project development and management. Implementation arrangements of the RC component draw extensively from best practices and lessons learned from similar interventions in Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Rwanda, as well as the cumulated experience of CDD-type operations. In addition, two pilot operations in the center, north and west financed by grants from the World Bank Post Conflict Fund have made it possible to test and refine the proposed mechanisms. 4. Component D: Institution Building and Project Administration (US$ 20 million): will support project implementation by financing: (a) most of the operating costs of the National Program for Economic Reintegration and Community Rehabilitation (PNRRC), the Identification Unit, and a fiduciary management agency; (b) targeted capacity-building and technical assistance. 5. Financing Page 4 Source: ($m.) BORROWER/RECIPIENT 120 IDA Grant 223 Total 323 6. Implementation The project will be implemented throughout Côte d'Ivoire. However, areas most affected by the conflict will be especially targeted for Component A and C. These are primarily the towns, villages and rural areas around Bouake (center), Korhogo (North), Man and Guiglo (West) and Abidjan. Criteria to be used to determine priority areas of implementation include: (i) degree of concentration of displaced persons and returnees; (ii) degree of concentration of ex-combatants, youth associated with armed groups and other youth-at-risk; (iii) socio-economic impact of the conflict on the area. No national park or reserve will be included or otherwise affected by the project. 7. Sustainability The general capacity of the Government in the area of environmental and social safeguards has been weakened by the crisis. Technical assistance would be provided under the project to assist Government in producing the required documents for project implementation The Project is designed to support the Government Crisis Recovery Program, which was discussed with representatives of all political parties and has been widely publicized. Consultation took place with a wide range of stakeholders from the Government, civil society, NGOs and donor partners. The National Program for Economic Reintegration and Community Rehabilitation (PNRRC), which will be in charge of day-to-day implementation of components A and C, will be responsible for ensuring the design, dissemination and adequate use of the environmental and social screening tool required at all levels of stakeholders consultations. A separate Environment and Social Management Framework will be produced to guide project activities, and cross-referenced in the Project Implementation Manual. 8. Lessons Learned from Past Operations in the Country/Sector The project draws extensively from the Bank’s cumulated experience of post-conflict operations and on best practices and lessons learned from similar interventions. 9. Safeguard Policies (including public consultation) The project is rated as a Category B, and only the Environmental Assessment policy would be triggered ( Environmental Assessment , OP / BP / GP 4.01). No large scale or significant irreversible impacts are anticipated under this project. In particular: ¾ Under the economic reintegration component, activities are designed to develop the financial self-sufficiency of ex-combatants, youth associated with armed groups and other youth-at- risk through training, counseling, and tailored assistance to be able to take advantage of local economic opportunities and labor demand. The only relatively large-scale environmental impact envisaged is an improvement in hygienic conditions in the urban areas in which Page 5 beneficiaries will be organized to help municipal governments in street cleaning. Relevant environmental safeguards related to waste disposal will be adhered to, and in any case all employment opportunities supported by the project will undergo an environmental screening. ¾ Under the community rehabilitation component, micro-projects identified by the communities will need to adhere to relevant environmental safeguards related to erosion, standing water, waste disposal, etc. Infrastructure works will consist in the rehabilitation of damaged or destroyed structures. This activity will not lead to any land acquisition, or loss of assets or sources of assets. Activities financed under the project will be screened using a standardized approach based on an adaptation of the tools developed by the Multi-country Demobilization and Reintegration Program (MDRP) in collaboration with ASPEN. In particular, the screening form for beneficiaries’ IGAs and community sub-projects will be customized for Côte d'Ivoire, and applied by all implementing partners under the project. A separate Environment and Social Management Framework will be produced to guide project activities, and cross-referenced in the Project Implementation Manual. The process envisaged is based on environmental and social screening checklists, and involves three steps: 1. an initial checklist will be used for a pre-screening to exclude (a) activities expected to have an harmful environmental or social impact, and (b) activities that have no environmental or social implications whatsoever; 2. an additional checklist will be used for detailed screening of sub-projects; 3. standard technical guidelines and/or mitigation measures by area of potential sub-project (e.g., construction and rehabilitation of buildings, water supply and sanitation, etc.) will guide project staff in assessing possible social and environmental impacts and identifying appropriate measures. Safeguard Policies Triggered by the Project Yes No Environmental Assessment ( OP / BP 4.01) [ ] [ ] Natural Habitats ( OP / BP 4.04) [ ] [ ] Pest Management ( OP 4.09 ) [ ] [ ] Cultural Property ( OPN 11.03 , being revised as OP 4.11) [ ] [ ] Involuntary Resettlement ( OP / BP 4.12) [ ] [ ] Indigenous Peoples ( OP / BP 4.10) [ ] [ ] Forests ( OP / BP 4.36) [ ] [ ] Safety of Dams ( OP / BP 4.37) [ ] [ ] Projects in Disputed Areas ( OP / BP 7.60) * [ ] [ ] Projects on International Waterways ( OP / BP 7.50) [ ] [ ] 10. List of Factual Technical Documents 11. Contact point * By supporting the proposed project, the Bank does not intend to prejudice the final determination of the parties' claims on the disputed areas Page 6 Contact: Maurizia Tovo Title: Lead Technical Specialist Tel: (202) 473-7579 Fax: 202 473 8216 Email: mtovo@worlbank.org Location: Washington, DC - USA 12. 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