Catalog

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p. 6 of 8 BACK | NEXT Introduction Definition of Indigenous People Indigenous Peoples and Development Laws and Conventions Affecting Indigenous Peoples Policy Objectives, Processes and, Approaches Organizational Implications and Resource Requirements Policy on Indigenous Peoples Key Elements in an Indigenous Peoples Development Plan

Policy on Indigenous Peoples

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Organizational Implications and Resource Requirements

Organizational Implications

The Office of Environment and Social Development (OESD) will hold primary organizational responsibility for implementation of the Bank's policy on indigenous peoples. OESD will provide guidance and assistance to other departments and offices on the application of the policy in Bank operations, and will consult with these departments and offices on the development of relevant operational practices and procedures.

OESD will be responsible for developing and coordinating operational guidelines for implementation and operationalization of policy on indigenous peoples. These guidelines will be developed with the active input and cooperation of other departments and offices of the Bank. On an ongoing basis, OESD will continue to gather and disseminate relevant information to other units of the Bank. OESD will provide advice and guidance on indigenous peoples matters.

OESD will designate a Social Development Specialist as a Bank-wide focal point and resource person to provide specific advice and guidance on matters related to indigenous peoples in the Bank's operations. OESD will hold responsibility for reporting as required on the implementation and application of an indigenous peoples policy.

The Programs Departments will be responsible for applying the policy on indigenous peoples as it relates to country programming, and for incorporating such policy aspects in the development of country strategies and in project and technical assistance identification. This process would be a part of policy dialogue with governments. As country-level programming processes, including those related to the preparation of the Country Operational Strategy Study (COSS), are the initial steps in country-level project identification, concern for indigenous peoples matters would have significance in these processes. The Programs Departments would consider social development issues as they arise in country programming processes and in economic and sector work. Resident Missions would be country-level points of contact on matters relating to indigenous peoples and would provide advice to Headquarters staff. Headquarters would provide necessary support in this regard.

The Projects Departments will have responsibility for project-specific aspects of indigenous peoples policy, including making governments, project executing agencies, and other project sponsors aware of the Bank's policy provisions and requirements. This responsibility will apply to project identification, processing, implementation, and monitoring. The Projects Departments are normally responsible for the initial social assessment process, and for the development of appropriate indigenous peoples development plans when required.

The Office of Pacific Operations will hold responsibility for indigenous peoples policy as it relates to operations in the Bank's Pacific DMCs.

The Post-Evaluation Office, through its postevaluation function, will be responsible for assessing the effectiveness of the Bank's operations in implementing and applying the policy on indigenous peoples, and the development of appropriate evaluation criteria.

Resource Requirements

To address operational considerations related to indigenous peoples concerns as described in this paper, processing of projects that affect indigenous peoples may require longer processing times and additional resources for processing. Also required might be consultant and technical assistance resources. In addition to resources and time that would be required in preparing projects that affect indigenous peoples, projects that affect indigenous peoples may also involve efforts that address and work to alleviate structural constraints on the borrowing country and executing agency side. It would be necessary that adequate resources be made available.

With the adoption of a policy on indigenous peoples, the Bank will need to develop adequate internal institutional capacity to implement the policy effectively, and to make resources available to implement the provisions of the policy. It will be necessary to develop among staff, project and program staff especially, the capacity to recognize and deal effectively with issues and matters related to indigenous peoples. Initiatives in this regard should be explored. It would be necessary for OESD have adequate resources to fulfill its coordinating and resources center role relating to indigenous peoples. Developing such capacity could be achieved through internal staff training efforts and other staff development activities. It would be desirable to recruit at least one staff with relevant operational experience and skills in matters related to indigenous peoples.

It would be necessary to provide support for institutional development and capacity building among indigenous peoples communities and within DMC governments. Such institutional development and capacity building support would be provided through project funding and through advisory and regional technical assistance.

In its loan and investment operations, resources necessary to satisfy existing staff instructions related to indigenous peoples concerns already are being made available. In other aspects of indigenous peoples in Bank operations, such as the development of internal institutional capacity and capacity building, allocation of resources necessarily will be accommodated within current overall resource allocations. Prioritization among current activities and possible new initiatives will be required.

In the Bank's current portfolio of projects, the number of projects directly affecting indigenous peoples is relatively small. However, with economic growth that extends the development horizon further from growth centers into more remote areas, as well as greater concern for indigenous peoples issues, it can be expected that the Bank will be involved in an increasing number of projects affecting indigenous peoples. It is expected that with a specific policy on indigenous peoples in place, project quality and the success of Bank interventions, as well as the effectiveness of the Bank's involvement in indigenous peoples matters, will be strengthened. Overall, it is expected that the increased benefits of development in general and the specific benefits of projects that affect indigenous peoples will outweigh the additional resource requirements placed on the Bank.

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