Project Name | Strengthening ADB's Safeguard Policy Provisions and Procedures | ||||||||||||||||||
Project Number | 54203-001 | ||||||||||||||||||
Country / Economy | Regional |
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Project Status | Active | ||||||||||||||||||
Project Type / Modality of Assistance | Technical Assistance |
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Source of Funding / Amount |
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Operational Priorities | OP2: Accelerating progress in gender equality OP3: Tackling climate change, building climate and disaster resilience, and enhancing environmental sustainability OP6: Strengthening governance and institutional capacity |
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Sector / Subsector | Multisector / ADB's corporate management, policy and strategy development |
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Gender | Some gender elements | ||||||||||||||||||
Description | The knowledge and support technical assistance (TA) will strengthen the Safeguard Policy Statement (SPS) policy provisions and procedures to enhance its effectiveness and relevance to the changing needs of the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) borrowers and clients, and develop the capacity of developing member countries (DMCs) to uphold safeguards in development projects. It will take into consideration the recommendations of the Independent Evaluation Department's (IED) Corporate Evaluation on the effectiveness of the 2009 SPS in achieving ADB's safeguard objectives. The TA is aligned with the first operational priority of Strategy 2030 on addressing remaining poverty and inequality; and the sixth operational priority on strengthening governance and institutional capacity in relation to upholding safeguards. The TA concept was endorsed during the corporate priority framework meeting in November 2019 and is included in the 2020 management approved results-based work plan of the Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department (SDCC). | ||||||||||||||||||
Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy | The ADB Board approved the SPS in July 2009 and it came into effect in January 2010. The SPS consolidated three previous policies on environment, involuntary resettlement, and indigenous peoples. The SPS (para 82) mandated a policy review by IED five years after becoming effective to assess its effectiveness in achieving ADB's objectives. The IED 2019 corporate evaluation was preceded by an operational review of the SPS in 2014 and 2016. Over the past 10 years, ADB has made significant efforts to improve the capacity of DMCs and its clients to manage social and environment risks. At the same time, the country context, development needs, systems, and capacities of DMCs and clients have evolved considerably. ADB has rolled out new lending instruments (i.e. policy-based loan, results-based loan, and other new lending modalities) which require different approaches in assessing and managing safeguards risks. Between 20102018, the size of ADB's portfolio doubled, with increase private sector financing; and non-infrastructure sector projects (health, education, technical vocational education and training), where the capacities of the executing and implementing agencies are weak. The shift from predominately standalone investment projects to a more diverse portfolio including multitranche financing facility, policy-based loans, and results-based lending, wherein interlinkages between social and environment risks are complex, and processing times are shorter, create challenges for current safeguard processes and resources. The SPS did not anticipate the current increases in private sector financing, greater diversity in the use of financial intermediaries, general corporate finance loans, private equity investments and other innovative financing modalities. Furthermore, for the Strategy 2030 period, there is a need to consider the suitability of the existing safeguard policy framework to fragile and conflict affected situations (FCAS) and small island developing states (SIDS). Thus, there is a need to examine whether the current SPS provisions remain relevant and robust enough to ensure SPS policy objectives are fully implemented. |
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Impact | Implementation of environment and social safeguards in ADB projects improved |
Project Outcome | |
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Description of Outcome | Governance framework in DMCs to uphold environment and social safeguards in ADB projects improved |
Progress Toward Outcome | |
Implementation Progress | |
Description of Project Outputs | ADB's safeguard policies strengthened Safeguards policy procedures streamlined and requirements improved Stakeholder engagement plan implemented Preparatory measures for roll-out of the revised safeguard policy implemented |
Status of Implementation Progress (Outputs, Activities, and Issues) | |
Geographical Location | Regional |
Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects | |
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Environmental Aspects | |
Involuntary Resettlement | |
Indigenous Peoples | |
Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation | |
During Project Design | |
During Project Implementation |
Business Opportunities | |
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Consulting Services | TBD |
Procurement | TBD |
Responsible ADB Officer | Abbas, Zehra |
Responsible ADB Department | Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department |
Responsible ADB Division | SDSS |
Executing Agencies |
Asian Development Bank |
Timetable | |
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Concept Clearance | 14 Jul 2020 |
Fact Finding | 01 Sep 2020 to 15 Sep 2020 |
MRM | - |
Approval | 15 Oct 2020 |
Last Review Mission | - |
Last PDS Update | 15 Oct 2020 |
Milestones | |||||
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Approval | Signing Date | Effectivity Date | Closing | ||
Original | Revised | Actual | |||
15 Oct 2020 | - | 15 Oct 2020 | 31 Dec 2022 | 31 Oct 2023 | - |
Financing Plan/TA Utilization | Cumulative Disbursements | |||||||
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ADB | Cofinancing | Counterpart | Total | Date | Amount | |||
Gov | Beneficiaries | Project Sponsor | Others | |||||
2,900,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2,900,000.00 | 26 May 2023 | 2,206,755.93 |