The World Bank Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project (P177053) Appraisal Environmental and Social Review Summary Appraisal Stage (ESRS Appraisal Stage) Public Disclosure Date Prepared/Updated: 11/18/2021 | Report No: ESRSA01745 Nov 18, 2021 Page 1 of 12 The World Bank Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project (P177053) BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country Region Project ID Parent Project ID (if any) Yemen, Republic of MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH P177053 AFRICA Project Name Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project Practice Area (Lead) Financing Instrument Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Transport Investment Project 11/22/2021 12/16/2021 Financing Borrower(s) Implementing Agency(ies) Proposed Development Objective To to provide climate resilient road access, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities to food insecure rural Public Disclosure population of Yemen Financing (in USD Million) Amount Total Project Cost 50.00 B. Is the project being prepared in a Situation of Urgent Need of Assistance or Capacity Constraints, as per Bank IPF Policy, para. 12? Yes C. Summary Description of Proposed Project [including overview of Country, Sectoral & Institutional Contexts and Relationship to CPF] The project seeks to provide poor rural Yemenis access to humanitarian needs such as health and food, while availing them direct and indirect jobs to improve their income and livelihood. The job opportunity will enhance the beneficiaries entrepreneurial skills which will improve their employability, income sustainability and food security. D. Environmental and Social Overview D.1. Detailed project location(s) and salient physical characteristics relevant to the E&S assessment [geographic, environmental, social] Nov 18, 2021 Page 2 of 12 The World Bank Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project (P177053) Physical access to markets has become a major constraint, particularly in conflict-affected areas where there is active fighting. According to Sustainable Mobility for All, less than half of rural households in Yemen live within 2 km of all- weather roads, hence limiting their access to affordable staples, markets, economic opportunities and basic services such as health and education compared to 68% MENA average (Sustainable Mobility for All). The majority of Yemen’s rural communities rely on local markets to get their food staples. Both the commercial and smallholder farmers have a limited market access to sell their products and to purchase their requirements including agriculture inputs, essential food, and non-food commodities for their households, as Yemen imports nearly 90 percent of its staple food supply. The current conflict has only exacerbated food insecurity throughout the country by severely disrupting the trade channels and local supply and distribution chains. The project will focus on the rehabilitation and maintenance of sections of rural roads and village access roads with the aim of reducing the isolation of rural populations by giving them better access to food staples, markets, and basic services such as health and education and humanitarian aid. At this stage, the project is expected to finance the rehabilitation of 150 km of rural roads and 210 km of road maintenance for rural roads and village access roads. However, the scope is still under discussion and may be expanded depending on the budget envelope. While the roads have not yet been selected, an indicative list for the rural access roads to be upgraded has been established. Most of the subproject roads are located in five governorates of Western Yemen: Dhamar, Ibb, Haldudiedah, Dhale, Lahj. One is located in East Yemen, in Hadramaut governorate. During the consultation process with stakeholders the roads selection will be finalized. Civil works may include clearing, grubbing, upgrading road surface, installing bridges, replacing or repairing culverts, Public Disclosure excavating or drainage improvement, and erosion protection. For the maintenance activities, the Project will promote a labor-intensive approach to create skilled and unskilled employment opportunities in the project areas. The project also includes the construction of market stalls for roadside vendors. Project preparation initiated in 2018, during which time UNOPS prepared an Environmental and Social Framework (ESMF 2018) and a Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF 2018). However, since then the scope of the project was substantially reduced, only to finance a fraction of the rural road rehabilitation sections and rural road and village access maintenance activities. Moreover, since then the Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) of the World Bank has entered into force. Therefore, UNOPS is currently revising all the 2018 instruments to reflect the scope change and comply with the World Bank environmental and social standards (ESS). This ESRS is based in part on the information of these 2018 draft instruments, as well as other ESF instruments prepared recently by UNOPS for the Integrated Urban Sector Emergency Project II (IUSEP II-P175791). D. 2. Borrower’s Institutional Capacity UNOPS will implement the Project through its Yemen Country Office in Sana’a and Operational Hub in Amman. Project management, technical aspects, procurement, financial management and financial sector aspects, communications, monitoring and evaluation, environmental and social risk management, logistics, administration, IT, and security will be handled by the Sana’a Office with close support on a day-to-day basis from Amman. UNOPS global staff will be drawn in on a need basis. In terms of E&S management, the core team will include an experienced environmental and social officer (ESO) -who has been part of the UNOPS PMU in Yemen- and a community mobilizer and a gender specialist based in Sana’a. UNOPS also plans on recruiting another ESO based in Aden. The ESO is currently supported by 3 engineers one in each of the following cities (Sana’a, Aden, and Hodeidah), who are responsible to follow up on environmental and social safeguards aspects. Support from an international Nov 18, 2021 Page 3 of 12 The World Bank Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project (P177053) environmental and social consultant versed in the ESF and a gender staff based in Aman will also be part of the core team. Overall, UNOPS has extensive experience in the project implementation in Yemen, including two ongoing projects that are financed at the Bank under the ESF, the Integrated urban Service Emergency Project II (IUSEP II- P175791) and the Emergency Human Capital Project (P176750). While these two ongoing projects have not started actual implementation of interventions on the ground, it should be mentioned that UNOPS has significantly improved its environmental and social management arrangements and systems under the previous operations, namely: IUSEP I (P164190). UNOPS strengthened the screening, assessment, procurement, monitoring and reporting on site activities. Furthermore, increasing attention has been give to enhancing OHS aspects following 2 fatal incidents which were followed by the preparation of Root Cause Analyses which fed into the preparation and implementation of Safeguards’ Corrective Action Plans (SCAPs). The implemented measures included, inter alia, continuous training of PMU staff, contractors and site workers, as well as robust arrangements for monitoring and reporting on the application of OHS measures at site level using remote monitoring digital platform -called ‘FieldSight’- which is designed for project monitoring and infrastructure quality assurance. UNOPS will implement the project in partnership with Rural Access Program (RAP) a public entity responsible to develop and manage rural roads in Yemen. RAP has environmental and social expertise among its team. Moreover, the project will provide technical assistance to the MPWH, the RAP to establish social/gender positions within agency staffing and incorporate a gender sensitive approach. Additionally, UNOPS will be requested to provide adequate hands-on support and continuous capacity building to the environmental and social experts of local implementation Public Disclosure partners to ensure adequate implementation of the project’s ESMF and other relevant plans which is should support progressive delegation of implementation responsibility in the future to local implementing agencies. It should be mentioned that the Road Maintenance Fund (RMF) will benefit from the capacity building program under the project. Furthermore, SMEPS will be providing technical support only to UNOPS by training micro-enterprises which the project will engage with during implementation. Both RMF and SMEPS will not implement any civil works under the project. Finally, UNOPS will engage a Third-Party Monitoring (TPM) agent to undertake independent results verification of subprojects funded under the project. The TPM agent will report quarterly on the activity outputs, the restoration of services for the intended beneficiaries, and the fiduciary and safeguard processes followed by the local partners. The TPM will monitor and report on compliance with the ESF instruments developed for the project. The World Bank team will review the TPM reports and follow up with UNOPS on any non-compliance reported by the TPM. II. SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL (ES) RISKS AND IMPACTS A. Environmental and Social Risk Classification (ESRC) High Environmental Risk Rating Substantial The Environmental risk rating of this project is ‘substantial’. The project’s interventions are expected to have , localized and mitigatable impacts. Environmental impacts of such activities are expected to be site-specific, limited and mitigatable considering that the project will support the rehabilitation, maintenance and upgrading of existing 50 km roads as will as the construction of Bailey type truss bridges and construction of market stalls for potential Nov 18, 2021 Page 4 of 12 The World Bank Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project (P177053) roadside vendors. The road rehabilitation will need substantial excavation in an insecured environment. Potential risks and impacts (i) solid waste and debris generated during the rehabilitation activities (ii) wastewater and machinery emissions and associated impacts on air and soil (iii) storage, use and disposal of hazardous materials and waste including asphalt, oils, fuel and other inputs to road rehabilitation and machinery used for that purpose; (iv) dust and noise generation (v) traffic deviation and environmental health and safety risks to labor and communities in project’s areas. (vi) Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) concerns including work related accidents and injuries, risks to workers from hazardous material used for rehabilitation as well as civil works which will be implemented at heights and/or over water bodies during the rehabilitation or installation of bridges. No large scale, significant or irreversible impacts are anticipated as a result of implementing the interventions under this project. Social Risk Rating High While the Project will have broad social benefits, such as facilitating all weather access to rural residents to economic opportunities, markets, services and emergency relief, and enable job creation, the social risks of the project have been assessed as “high”. Given the security risks to project beneficiaries and workers with respect to the conflict in Yemen, the rating follows the guidance from the ESF Directive that the adverse social impacts of the Project, and the associated mitigation measures, may give rise to significant harm or significant risks to human security. most important social risk are security risks, given the span of the project area, which covers a large portion of the country, the conflict situation and the potential presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO). Other key social risks identified are (i) the potential for excluding vulnerable and disadvantaged groups and individuals -including IDPs- and elite capture when selecting roads to be rehabilitated or maintained or when awarding contracts for road maintenance; (ii) given the conflict context in the country, ensuring project workers and beneficiaries are safe and secure during project implementation; (iii) impacts associated with labor and working conditions, in particular the Public Disclosure risks of child and force labor; (iv) impacts associated with restriction on land use and impacts on livelihoods of formal and informal shops and street vendors or farmers growing crops along the selected roads; (v) road safety risks during both the construction and operational phases; (vi) impacts associated with labor influx, such as illicit behavior, sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment (SEA/SH), as well as the potential for an increase in the propagation of transmittable diseases, including COVID-19 as well as risks and impacts associated with the use of security forces. B. Environment and Social Standards (ESSs) that Apply to the Activities Being Considered B.1. General Assessment ESS1 Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts Overview of the relevance of the Standard for the Project: ESS1 is relevant to components 1 and 2. The activities which will be supported might cause potential risks and impacts, particularly under Component 1: 'Rehabilitation of Lifeline Rural Access Roads' which will support labor- intensive rural access road upgrading; as well as Component 2: 'Employment-Intensive Maintenance of Village Access Roads and Rural Access Roads' which will support labor intensive road maintenance of about 30 km village access roads, and 50 km rural roads. Although civil works are expected to generate localized, temporary and mitigatable, risks and impacts to human security are high given the wide areas concerned by the project. Most other impacts are localized, temporary Nov 18, 2021 Page 5 of 12 The World Bank Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project (P177053) medium and mitigatable. The potential impacts are related to the civil works for the roads’ rehabilitation and maintenance, including potential risks associated with quarries management and asphalt plant under the project, which will be labor intensive, especially in the rural areas. Local contractors and community workers are expected to conduct all works. There might be some risks and impacts related to associated facilities. Associated facilities for the project include any ancillary facilities that supply borrow materials necessary for construction sites that are operated by third parties. Generally, it is expected that the rehabilitation-related impacts will include (i) Air pollution due to emissions from vehicles and equipment; (ii) Generation of liquid wastes, leading to soil or groundwater pollution; (iii) Generation of hazardous -or potentially hazardous- wastes from rehabilitation debris or the use of chemicals during rehabilitation; (iv) Disposal of rehabilitation debris and waste materials; (v) Increased levels of noise and vibration due to heavy vehicles and rehabilitation equipment, which are nuisance to the community around the site (vi) Dust generation during rehabilitation and maintenance, compaction, or transportation of rehabilitation materials; (vii) Risks and impacts related to sourcing, transporting and using resources and materials including road traffic flows (viii) Temporary disruption of economic activities, including disruption of traffic and congestion; (ix) Public safety during and after construction, including health and safety risks related to community-based road maintenance; (x) Occupational Health and Safety concerns include work related accidents and injuries, risks to workers from hazardous material used for rehabilitation, such as petroleum, diesel, lubricating oil, paints and chemicals, poor onsite sanitation or water supply, leading to illness and disease. The provision of all-weather roads access to markets, essential services and job opportunities will improve the living conditions of the rural communities. Most impacts are site-specific and limited to the civil works and include impacts associated with occupational health and safety and working conditions, community health and safety impacts Public Disclosure including SEA/SH. Another key impact relates to elite capture in the selection of roads to be upgraded or local contractors to benefit from maintenance contracts, as well as the exclusion of vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals from project benefits. The exposure to and propagation of COVID-19 resulting from project activities and the security of project workers and beneficiaries given the conflict in Yemen have also been identified as a transversal risk. To mitigate any potential negative risks and impacts which might be caused by the project and in line with the ESF, UNOPS will prepare an Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) and a Resettlement Framework (RF). At this stage, the project is using a framework approach, as the roads to be rehabilitated/maintained have not yet been selected. The ESMF and RF will include a screening procedure and checklist against which each proposed subproject road will be screened. Any subproject road requiring land acquisition will be excluding from the financing but the project implementation may involve physical relocation, especially of shops around the road, and impacts on crops, or temporarily restrict access to land. The ESMF will also include measures to manage SEA/SH, COVID-19 risks and screen for resettlement impacts. Once each subproject roads are identified and screened, site-specific environmental and social Management Plans (ESMPs), and whenever relevant, Resettlement Plans (RPs) will be prepared. The ESMF will be in line with the WBG General EHS guidelines, as well as the EHS Guidelines for Roads and for Construction Material Extraction. In the meantime, a preliminary SEP has been prepared and will be disclosed prior to appraisal. In addition, Labor Management Procedures (LMPs), a Security Management Plan (SMP) and a Gender Action Plan (GAP) will be prepared. Given worsening security situation and the urgency nature of delivering the project services to local communities, the ESMF and LMP will be disclosed post appraisal and prior to negotiation. in country, as well as on UNOPS and the World Bank external websites, and prior to negotiation. The SAM and GAP will also be cleared by the Association prior to negotiation. The preliminary SEP will be updated and redisclosed, Nov 18, 2021 Page 6 of 12 The World Bank Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project (P177053) once consultations with communities take place in December 2021. It should be mentioned that subprojects – including those that might be supported by the Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC)– will be screened against environmental and social criteria that will be included in the ESMF, and subsequent site-specific environmental social assessment instruments and mitigation plans will be prepared -if needed- during the implementation phase and will be implemented before the commencement of any physical activities. Furthermore, the technical assistance provided under Component 1,2, &3 of the Project will be undertaken pursuant to terms of reference (ToRs) reviewed and approved by the World Bank. Such ToRs will ensure that the TA takes into account, and calls for the application of relevant provisions of ESSs (Advisory note on TA and ESF) and Yemen’s own laws relating to the environmental and social aspects, all in a manner acceptable to the World Bank. ESS10 Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure No consultations with local communities on the revised project scope have been undertaken in-country to date. , In the meantime, a preliminary SEP has been prepared and will be disclosed prior to project appraisal. , The consultations with local communities are planned in early December 2021 and the preliminary SEP will be updated once the such consultations are carried. The preliminary includes stakeholders analysis, including affected parties, other interested parties and vulnerable groups. The affected parties include communities along the road sections concerned by the project, the Ministry of Public Works and Highways, the RMF, the RAP, the local contractors that will conduct the civil works upgrades, and the community committees or small and medium (SME) enterprises that will participate in the maintenance works. Other intestested stakeholders include businesses participating in the Public Disclosure local markets supply chain, contractors’ suppliers, the municipalities, and civil society organizations (CSOs), including those involved in emergency relief. While vulnerable stakeholders are yet to be identified, they may include individuals whose assets or livelihood may be affected by the civil works, as well as individuals who because of their socioeconomic status, gender or disability may not easily participate to want to participate in the maintenance works. The vulnerable groups and individuals may include vulnerable road users (pedestrians) elderly people and veterans of war, persons with disabilities, the poor, women-headed households or single mothers with underage children, the unemployed, and IDPs and marginalized groups In the context of preparation of the 2018 ESMF and RPF, UNOPS had conducted consultations in March 2018 and additional consultations will be carried out in early December 2021. One consultation involved key stakeholders in the road sector in Yemen, such as staff from the RMF and RAP, including their environmental and social specialists. Key concerns included the costs of E&S measures, and how to best assess the right of way (ROW). UNOPS also consulted with key stakeholders outside the road sector, such as representatives from the environmental regulation agency, local councils, Sana’a University Engineering College and at least 7 different CSOs. Key recommendations from the participants included the need for the project to prepare a communication plan, to adequately supervise contractors on their performance in implementing E&S measures, concerns about farmers and shops who might be affected and the need to include structures to harvest rainwater on the side of the roads. The project will establish a structured approach to engage with stakeholders that is based upon meaningful consultations and disclosure of appropriate information. The preliminary SEP l outlines the information, consultation and disclosure requirements for each subproject roads. The consultation process will take in account the sociocultural context of Yemen. Consultations can take the form of focus groups, discussions with elders/community Nov 18, 2021 Page 7 of 12 The World Bank Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project (P177053) leaders, or interviews. Separate consultations will be done for women to ensure that any special concerns and needs are considered during the preparation of the safeguard instruments. Considering the FCV context, the ESSO will ensure that Project Affected Persons (PAPs) are not exposed to risks as part of their participation in subproject consultations, for example by avoiding large meetings, and not disclosing personal information/photos. Moreover, due to the COVID-19 crisis, UNOPS will opt for approaches that are best suitable to the circumstances to avoid exposure. The project will follow alternative ways for conducting consultations including focus group meetings, online platforms, and TV, radio and dedicated phone-lines, in line with the World Bank’s technical note and WHO’s guidelines and technical advisory on stakeholder engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. UNOPS has already established a grievance mechanism in line with ESS10 requirements for IUSEP-II. A similar approach will be adopted for this project, with the establishment of a grievance unit which equipped with a dedicated focal point and diverse grievance reception channels. The existing GM has proven to be functioning very well where grievances are resolved within a reasonable period of time to the satisfaction of the beneficiaries. B.2. Specific Risks and Impacts A brief description of the potential environmental and social risks and impacts relevant to the Project. ESS2 Labor and Working Conditions The project will involve the use of direct workers, contracted workers, and supply workers. Unfortunately at this stage, it is not possible to estimate the number of workers for each category. Direct workers will include the staff of UNOPS, as well as the staff from RAP. Contracted workers will include employees from contractors and local Public Disclosure enterprises that will be recruited for the upgrading and maintenance work. Due to the small-scale nature of the civil works, it is unlikely that significant supplies are sourced from primary suppliers or will be part of the scope of work of the contractor. However, this will need to be revisited based on the type of activity, for example, if quarry material will be sourced from a primary supplier. At this stage, it is not possible to estimate the number of project workers or assess whether construction camps will be required. Risks associated with labor and working conditions include occupational health and safety risks associated with the civil works, risks of workers being exposed to COVID-19 as well as security risks. There is the potential for child labor or forced labor, discrimination in employment, especially against women, as well as risks of sexual harassment. Most of the contracted workers will be unskilled labors from local communities. Therefore, the potential risks related labor influx are very limited. Anyway, any labor influx risks will be managed as per relevant guidelines of the World Bank. A labor management procedure (LMP) will be prepared by UNOPS in coordination with the implementing agencies for the management of labor-related issues under the project. Following ESS2 and relevant national laws, the LMP will specify how different types of project workers will be managed, including the terms and conditions of employment, measures to prevent discrimination and promote equal opportunities, as well as measures of protection for project workers. The LMP will also describe the grievances redress mechanism to be established under the project for all its project workers. Moreover, the LMP will follow the requirements of the General Environmental Health and Safety Guidelines (EHSGs). Measures related to COVID-19 and a code of conduct against SEAH/HS will be required for all project workers. The LMP is expected to be disclosed post-appraisal and prior to negotiation. Nov 18, 2021 Page 8 of 12 The World Bank Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project (P177053) ESS3 Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management ESS3 is relevant. The implementation of interventions under component 1 and 2 might lead to generation of wastes as well as use of water and energy during the rehabilitation and maintenance works as well as water pollution during work on bridges. The ESMF will identify any measures which will be required to ensure proper disposal of wastes associated with rehabilitation and maintenance activities. Furthermore, adequate measures will be identified as part of the site-specific instruments, including the provisions for environmental and social risk mitigations in the bidding documents for contractors, for example, to ensure proper water management and appropriate disposal of (hazardous) wastes associated with rehabilitation works. Given that some amount of resources and materials will be used in implementing the project’s activities, mainly during the construction phase including material that are required for road rehabilitation. Risks and impacts related to sourcing, transporting and using resources and materials will be properly analyzed in the sites specific ESIA/ESMP. The project’s ESIA/ESMP will include feasible measures for improving efficient consumption of water, energy, and raw material as well as other resources. It is mentionable that the WBG EHS Guidelines apply as relevant. ESS4 Community Health and Safety Key community health and safety risks identified include road safety during both the construction and exploitation phases, given the context of conflict, security of project beneficiaries and participants, including their risks of exposure to unexploded ordnance (UXO), as well as the risks of exposure of communities to COVID-19 as a result of project activities. The SEAH/SH tool has been applied to the project and the SEAH/HS risk has been rated as substantial. The project is likely to use private security forces to ensure the safety of project workers and Public Disclosure beneficiaries, thus further contributing to the SEAH/SH risks. On road safety, the project will include adoption of road safety audits of road designs, to ensure the design integrates the safety of road users not only motorists but more importantly vulnerable road users such as two wheelers, pedestrians, and passengers. Community led crowdsourcing accident data collection system would be piloted in the beneficiary villages introducing simple smartphone apps that enable bystanders to report on accidents on real time through easy steps. The project combines design features and mitigation plans to manage the risks highlighted above. In terms of design feature, the project includes the road safety audits of road designs, to ensure the design integrates the safety of road users, and particularly vulnerable road users such as two wheelers, pedestrians, and passengers. In terms of mitigation plans, the ESMF/ESMPs will include measures to mitigate COVID-19 exposure and propagation, as well as SEAH/SH prevention and management measures (e.g. the application of a code of conduct, a gender specialist as part of the core UNOPS team, and a grievance mechanism appropriate to handle SEAH/SH complaints). Moreover, given that SEAH/SH risks have been rated as substantial, these measures will be further detailed and consolidated in a Gender Action Plan (GAP) will be prepared. Finally, the project will include a security management plan (SMP), which will highlight the various measures to keep beneficiaries and communities safe, include measures to avoid UXOs, and that will comply with the WB Guidance Note on the Use of Security Personnel. The ESMF, GAP and SMP are expected to be submitted to the Bank post-appraisal and prior to project effectiveness. According to common practice in the country and security reasons, the SMP will not be disclosed. The ESMPs, on the other hand, will be disclosed prior to the start of the civil works. Nov 18, 2021 Page 9 of 12 The World Bank Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project (P177053) ESS5 Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement The Project is not expected to involve any permanent land acquisition as it will support the rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure and the construction of market stalls for roadside vendors. The market stalls will be small booth to be built on vacant public land along the road. While activities are planned to take place within the existing Right of Way (ROW), they may go beyond the current road footprint, especially during the construction phase, the project may impact livelihoods, and physical relocation, especially of shops around the road, and impacts on crops, or temporarily restrict access to land. It is not possible to estimate at this stage the number of affected individuals or the extent of access restrictions. To mitigate these impacts, the project will prepare a Resettlement Framework (RF). The RF sets out resettlement principles, organizational arrangements, and design criteria to be applied to subprojects to be prepared during project implementation, to ensure that persons affected by subprojects are: i) informed about their options and rights pertaining to resettlement; ii) consulted on, offered choices among, and provided with technically and economically feasible resettlement alternatives, and: iii) provided prompt and effective compensation at full replacement cost for losses of assets attributable directly to the project. More specifically, the RF defines the roles, responsibilities, procedures and agreed compensation methods and rates. Given the special situation in Yemen, the contractors will need to compensate the affected persons otherwise alternative should be identified to avoid any restrictions to land use. The RF will clarify that any subproject road that require land acquisition will be excluded from the project. This assessment will also be part of the screening mechanism of the ESMF. The RF will be disclosed post- appraisal and prior to negotiation . Public Disclosure If resettlement impacts are identified at the time of the preparation of the ESMP/ESIAs, Resettlement Plans (RP) will be prepared for each subproject where this applies. The RPs will have to be approved by the Bank and disclosed on the Banks and UNOPS websites before the start of the civil works. Moreover, the RP will have to be implemented and the affected individuals compensated on a given subproject road prior to the start of civil works. ESS6 Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources ESS6 is relevant as the project as it will implement adaptation measures such as use of special species plants, locally picked and processed stone ripraps for slope protection against intensive rain induced landslides and road closures. The project's physical interventions will be limited to the existing road footprint and will not involve new construction. Therefore, it is not expected that project's activities will impact biodiversity and habitats. The ESMF will provide relevant guidelines on how the special species plants will be selected. ESS7 Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities In line with the current interpretation of the ESS7 in Yemen, this standard is not currently relevant. No indigenous people or historically underserved communities are identified in Yemen. ESS8 Cultural Heritage Nov 18, 2021 Page 10 of 12 The World Bank Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project (P177053) ESS8 is relevant. The project will involve rural road rehabilitation and will involve soil movement including in the borrow pits and quarries. The project activities are not anticipating to impact adversely tangible or intangible cultural heritage sites. . The ESMF will provide find chance procedures. ESS9 Financial Intermediaries ESS9 is not relevant. The Project will not support any Financial Intermediaries (FIs) that will receive financial support from the Bank and channel financial resources to a range of economic activities. B.3 Other Relevant Project Risks The Republic of Yemen is in the midst of a complex conflict that is causing massive physical damage, devastating the economy, weakening institutions and generating an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. The country is approaching its seventh year of conflict, and there are substantial security and political challenges on the ground. C. Legal Operational Policies that Apply OP 7.50 Projects on International Waterways No OP 7.60 Projects in Disputed Areas No Public Disclosure B.3. Reliance on Borrower’s policy, legal and institutional framework, relevant to the Project risks and impacts Is this project being prepared for use of Borrower Framework? No Areas where “Use of Borrower Framework” is being considered: “Use of Borrower Framework” is not considered under this project. IV. CONTACT POINTS World Bank Contact: Mesfin Wodajo Jijo Title: Senior Transport Specialist Telephone No: +1-202-458-8317 Email: mjijo@worldbank.org Contact: Abdulhakim Ali Ahmed Al-Aghbari Title: Senior Highway Engineer Telephone No: 5380+3779 / 962-6-5103779 Email: aalaghbari@worldbank.org Borrower/Client/Recipient Nov 18, 2021 Page 11 of 12 The World Bank Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project (P177053) Implementing Agency(ies) V. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20433 Telephone: (202) 473-1000 Web: http://www.worldbank.org/projects VI. APPROVAL Task Team Leader(s): Mesfin Wodajo Jijo, Abdulhakim Ali Ahmed Al-Aghbari Practice Manager (ENR/Social) Pia Peeters Cleared on 18-Nov-2021 at 16:34:8 GMT-05:00 Safeguards Advisor ESSA Gael Gregoire (SAESSA) Concurred on 18-Nov-2021 at 17:54:21 GMT-05:00 Public Disclosure Nov 18, 2021 Page 12 of 12