The World Bank International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET) M&E training program (P176750) Concept Environmental and Social Review Summary Concept Stage (ESRS Concept Stage) Public Disclosure Date Prepared/Updated: 08/26/2021 | Report No: ESRSC02211 Aug 26, 2021 Page 1 of 9 The World Bank International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET) M&E training program (P176750) BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country Region Project ID Parent Project ID (if any) World OTHER P176750 Project Name International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET) M&E training program Practice Area (Lead) Financing Instrument Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Other Investment Project 9/29/2021 Financing Borrower(s) Implementing Agency(ies) University of Bern University of Bern Proposed Development Objective Public Disclosure Financing (in USD Million) Amount Total Project Cost 1.93 B. Is the project being prepared in a Situation of Urgent Need of Assistance or Capacity Constraints, as per Bank IPF Policy, para. 12? No C. Summary Description of Proposed Project [including overview of Country, Sectoral & Institutional Contexts and Relationship to CPF] D. Environmental and Social Overview D.1. Detailed project location(s) and salient physical characteristics relevant to the E&S assessment [geographic, environmental, social] IPDET is a public institution managed by the University of Bern, located in Switzerland, in partnership with the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG). IPDET provides high-quality and relevant M&E training and promotes networks and knowledge sharing opportunities for targeted beneficiaries in developing countries. The project has the following components: Aug 26, 2021 Page 2 of 9 The World Bank International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET) M&E training program (P176750) COMPONENT 1: Strengthen the M&E capacity of individuals within key stakeholder groups in developing countries to conduct, commission, and use monitoring and evaluation approaches and techniques. Main activities in this component include i) provision of on-site and online training and workshops to M&E specialists, evaluators and other evaluation stakeholders in developing countries. IPDET plans to carry out a virtual program, inclusive of global workshops and custom training activities as need and demand arise. ii) provision of scholarships to enable the participation of eligible individuals in the trainings. Recipients of IPDET scholarships must meet the following criteria: i) be a national and resident of a low income, lower middle income, or upper middle income countries, and ii) and ii) have a demonstrated need for financial support to cover the course tuition fees. IPDET will ensure that evaluation training is available to those who are best placed to use this knowledge, while prioritizing beneficiaries who represent underserved demographics, geographies, and sectors iii) developing and enhancing curriculum and training materials for both IPDET’s core courses and global outreach offerings. COMPONENT 2: Build a community of evaluation stakeholders at the global level. In this component IPDET will focus on cultivating a strong community of alumni, trainers, and select external active evaluation stakeholders that serves as a networking platform for knowledge sharing, learning and collaboration. This will be done through i) developing a comprehensive strategy and menu of services for community building, ii) continuing to build and improve IPDET’s e- Public Disclosure platform for community building, and iii) holding community building and knowledge sharing events. Under the Covid-19 circumstances, the activities under this component are primarily virtual and will be implemented through online platforms such as Zoom and IPDET’s e-platform. In the future, onsite opportunities may be possible. COMPONENT 3: Project Management, Implementation, and evaluation. The activities under this project are entirely focused on capacity building in M&E and have no material dimension and will not exert any physical footprint. Project location is categorized as global. The potential beneficiary candidates will be identified at the implementation stage of the project based on demand and need, following the selection criteria specified in the project concept note. The immediate implementing partner for the grant is the Center of Continuing Education of the University of Bern. A team within the Center will be mobilized to develop and deliver the M&E courses, and manage other aspects of the project. This team will consist of existing staff, but there’s a possibility that short-term consultant experts may be engaged. The size and composition of the team will be confirmed at a later date. D. 2. Borrower’s Institutional Capacity The University of Bern is the recipient of the grant and implementing agency for the project. The University of Bern was competitively selected to implement the IPDET program through a non-financial contract in 2018, and the university has strong technical and operational capacity and significant experience in conducting high quality evaluation capacity development activities in-person and online. The University of Bern has a strong track record in providing evaluation trainings. For the past 17 years, the University of Bern has been the only university in Switzerland offering continuing education programs in evaluation through the Aug 26, 2021 Page 3 of 9 The World Bank International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET) M&E training program (P176750) Center for Continuing Education (ZUW). ZUW's multidisciplinary team consists of around 30 highly dedicated experts who provide advice, services, trainings and studies in the areas of evaluation, science management, higher education didactics and continuing education management. ZUW, University of Bern carries out professional training and academic programs in evaluation, which range from one-day courses to a two-year Master of Advanced Studies covering a broad spectrum of topics and formats. The programs build upon each other and address primarily professionals in evaluation, but also those in related disciplines such as project management, organizational development, or monitoring. In addition to providing academic training in M&E, ZUW, University of Bern also advises on and conducts evaluations and in-house trainings. IPDET is a globally recognized advanced training program in evaluation which the Independent Evaluation Group of the World Bank (IEG) implemented in partnership with the Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada from 2001 until 2016. Since 2018, IPDET is implemented in partnership between the University of Bern, the Center for Evaluation at the Saarland University in Germany, and IEG. The University of Bern IPDET project team implemented the on-site program in 2018 and 2019. They also designed and coordinated a completely virtual online program in 2020, which consisted of three different streams of activities: eight online workshops, seven Mini-series events which featured discussions on various timely evaluation topics, including COVID-19 implications; and the world’s first Evaluation Hackathon. Given the team’s past experience and success with earlier editions of the IPDET program, they have the institutional capacity to implement future editions of IPDET. II. SCREENING OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL (ES) RISKS AND IMPACTS A. Environmental and Social Risk Classification (ESRC) Low Public Disclosure Environmental Risk Rating Low The environmental risk from the grant activities is expected to be low. The grant will not support any activity related to construction or rehabilitation/reconstruction of infrastructure or purchase of any electronic equipment. No environmental risk or potential impacts are expected on the biophysical environment, human health and safety, and / or valued environmental components from the project activities. The project activities are limited to design of M&E training materials, delivery of online and onsite training, provision of scholarships to select applicants, and the organization/hosting of learning workshops and events. Social Risk Rating Low The project activities are not expected to incur adverse social impacts. There could be risks associated with labor and gender-based violence GBV with the project delivery team, particularly as it pertaints to sexual harrassment in an office environment. However, this risk will be reduced by the current COVID-19 context, as interactions are anticipated to remain virtual for the entirety of the grant’s implementation period. The key stakeholders involved here include the IPDET project staff in the Center of Continuing Education of the University of Bern, the trainers of virtual and on-site workshops, as well as the potential participants of the workshops from government agencies, NGOs, think tanks, private sector, and other agencies from developing countries. IPDET will prioritize beneficiaries who represent underserved demographics, geographies, and sectors, with scholarship support targeted to individuals from developing countries. The project will ensure broad information dissemination of its training activities and engagement to facilitate broad participation of potential beneficiaries, particularly the marginalized Aug 26, 2021 Page 4 of 9 The World Bank International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET) M&E training program (P176750) groups, NGOs and think tanks who may represent vulnerable segments of society for maximum project development benefits. The project is not expected to incur significant stakeholder risks. 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: The project is focusing on capacity building in monitoring and evaluation. Its activities are limited to the development of training materials, delivery of trainings (on-line and possible on-site training) to individuals and public agencies, provision of scholarships to prioritized applicants, and the organizing learning and training workshops and events. Neither civil works nor equipment purchase will be financed with the grant activities. Project activities are not expected to have any adverse environmental and social impacts. Indirect positive environmental effects are expected to result from the capacity building activities, as this will further strengthen monitoring and evaluation capacity in the beneficiary countries over natural resources, protected areas, forests, and a range of ecosystems, as well as management of (global) environmental issues such as climate change, pollution, waste and degradation of natural systems. The project will not produce any advice on policies, regulations, strategies etc. that could adversely influence the environmental management. Since no environmental impact is expected from the grant activities, the recipient does not need to prepare any instrument to manage the Public Disclosure environmental impact. Subsequently, an appraisal stage ESRS is also not required. To ensure that the project will maximize its development benefits, the project will ensure broad information dissemination to raise awareness on the engagement of the project activities to facilitate the broad participation in the training program. This is particularly so with the marginalized groups, such as women, indigenous groups and other under-represented groups and sectors so that they can benefit equally from the project training activities. The project will be implemented by staff members of the University of Bern, as well as contracted short-term consultants/experts where deemed necessary, all of whom will be reimbursed and paid under the grant for the time spent on IPDET activities. There may be potential for labor-related issues among the project staff, such as SEA and SH. Areas where “Use of Borrower Framework” is being considered: Use of Borrower Framework is not considered. ESS10 Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure The key stakeholders involved in this project include staff members of the University of Bern who will implement the project, potential partner organizations from around the world who may join forces with IPDET to implement capacity building activities as and when synergies exist, and the potential beneficiary individuals from developing countries. The stakeholder engagement activities will include inclusive criteria in its program dissemination efforts for beneficiaries who represent underserved demographics, geographies, and sectors. In past programs, IPDET had a wide range of beneficiaries. For example, the IPDET 2020 virtual program reached a diverse audience from Sub- Sahara Africa, Europe, Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Northern Africa, Latin America and the Aug 26, 2021 Page 5 of 9 The World Bank International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET) M&E training program (P176750) Caribbean, and North America. Of these participants, 54% were female and 45% were male, with 1% not disclosing this information. Participants had diverse backgrounds, with many coming from government ministries and agencies, non-governmental organizations, academia, think tanks, and more. Since 2001, more than 4000 professionals have received training and joined the global, multi-disciplinary IPDET network. The project will continue the past efforts of IPDET in stakeholder engagement to improve the training program, and tailor its design of delivery under the current pandemic situation. Such engagement includes feedback surveys from participants and internal engagement with the IPDET delivery team, such as after-action reviews with workshop instructors and facilitators. Further engagement with stakeholders in the broader evaluation community will be facilitated through the GEI Network and other outreach activities, such as evaluation conference presentations and more. The Center for Continued Education will establish the following specific mechanisms, to be aligned with ESS10 requirements, to address any grievances under the project.. • One member of the project management team will be assigned the responsibility to lead and manage grievance resolution under the project. • All grievances will be registered, and the project will keep a grievance log for the record. • Maintain an updated list of GBV service providers, which can be used to refer GBV-related complaints. • All grievances will be deliberated and addressed in a transparent and timely fashion. The complainants will be informed of the resolution response in a timely fashion. Public Disclosure • If the complainant is not satisfied with the resolutions under the project, he or she can continue, at their own liberty, to appeal their cases under legal channels and means available under the laws of Switzerland. The above planned actions will be reflected in the ESCP and a summary of the GRM will also be uploaded and disclosed at the Center’s website following clearance from the World Bank. 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 capacity building activities will be provided through existing staff of the University of Bern and possibly short- term consultant experts if necessary, and will be conducted in accordance with ESS1-10. The immediate implementing partner is the Center of Continuing Education of the University. A team will be mobilized to develop and deliver the M&E courses, and manage other aspects of the project. This team will consist of existing staff, but there’s a possibility that short-term consultant experts may be engaged. The size and composition of the team is to be determined later. There could be labor risks involved with project staff members, namely sexual abuse and harassments in the office environment. The University of Bern will implement its capacity building activities in accordance with the labor-related policies and procedures of Switzerland, supplemented by any necessary measures to be consistent with ESS2, as needed. The project workers will be subject to a code of conduct with provisions to prevent GBV and SH. The project team will assign one team member to take up the responsibility to manage all Aug 26, 2021 Page 6 of 9 The World Bank International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET) M&E training program (P176750) labor-related issues. The University will also conduct training for all its project staff to raise their awareness on possible labor risks and their governing policies as well as procedure related to labor. The Center for Continued Education follows the existing grievance redress policy and requirements of the University of Bern. Additionally, the center will establish specific mechanisms to address any grievances under the project in total alignment with relevant ESS10 requirements. Labor-related grievances will be addressed under the same project GRM. No separate free-standing GRM will be established for labor related grievances. ESS3 Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management ESS3 not relevant to the project. ESS4 Community Health and Safety There could be GBV risks among project staff members particularly as it refers to sexual abuse and harassments in an office environment. If face-to-face trainings resume, SEA/H risks also exist with training participants. The project will follow relevant Swiss laws in addressing such issues , complemented by any necessary measures to be consistent with the ESF. Most of the project activities will be conducted virtually through online means which will reduce GBV risks during the current COVID-19 context, which is expected to coincide with the grant’s implementation period. Where face to face interactions are planned, the University of Bern will follow relevant technical advisory and guidelines issued by World Health Organization for stakeholder engagement in the current COVID-19 pandemic situation Public Disclosure ESS5 Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement ESS5 not relevant to the project. ESS6 Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources ESS6 not relevant to the project. ESS7 Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities Not relevant. However, training activities are open to participants around the globe, and potential TA beneficiaries could include members from indigenous groups or institutions such as NGOs or thinktanks who may work and represent the interests of the indigenous groups. Therefore, the project will ensure broad information dissemination on the engagement of the project activities to facilitate their participation in the training programs. ESS8 Cultural Heritage ESS8 not relevant to the project. ESS9 Financial Intermediaries Aug 26, 2021 Page 7 of 9 The World Bank International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET) M&E training program (P176750) ESS9 not relevant to the project. C. Legal Operational Policies that Apply OP 7.50 Projects on International Waterways OP 7.60 Projects in Disputed Areas III. WORLD BANK ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL DUE DILIGENCE A. Is a common approach being considered? No Financing Partners No financing partners in this project. B. Proposed Measures, Actions and Timing (Borrower’s commitments) Actions to be completed prior to Bank Board Approval: None. Public Disclosure Possible issues to be addressed in the Borrower Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP): The project will include in the ESCP agreed actions and commitments in compliance with ESS2 on Labor, ESS4 on Community Health and Safety, and ESS10 on stakeholder engagement and grievance redress mechanism. IV. CONTACT POINTS World Bank Contact: Anahit Aghumian Title: Senior Evaluation Officer Telephone No: 458-1803 Email: aaghumian@worldbank.org Borrower/Client/Recipient Borrower: University of Bern Implementing Agency(ies) Implementing Agency: University of Bern V. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Aug 26, 2021 Page 8 of 9 The World Bank International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET) M&E training program (P176750) 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): Anahit Aghumian Practice Manager (ENR/Social) Sofia De Abreu Ferreira Recommended on 29-Jul-2021 at 17:54:59 GMT-04:00 Public Disclosure Aug 26, 2021 Page 9 of 9