OBJECTIVE
The Project Objectives are to: (i) improve the quality of basic infrastructure and services; and (ii) strengthen participatory local governance processes in targeted rural villages.
DESCRIPTION
This is a multi-sectoral rural infrastructure project. The project has the following two components.
Component 1: Demand-driven Investments in Basic Infrastructure and Services. The Project will finance sub-projects comprising investments in basic infrastructure and services which will be planned and prioritized jointly by participating district administrations and communities. The types of investments will include: access to water supply for drinking, irrigation, and agricultural production; sanitation services; rehabilitation of social facilities; rehabilitation of roads, footpaths and bridges; rural electrification, and energy efficiency improvements. Investments are subject to a negative list that includes housing construction and renovation or any investments that require physical displacement or resettlement of people.
Component 2: Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Institutional Support. This component will support a project implementation structure within the Ministry of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction (MoEDPR). The component will provide financing for operational costs, consultants, essential equipment, technical assistance, and training. Funding will also be provided for information dissemination, beneficiary assessments, periodic surveys, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities, a management information system (MIS), project audits, and a project-level grievance redress mechanism (GRM) that will handle grievances.
PROJECT FINANCING
For more information about project financing, please review the project summary.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL INFORMATION
Because this Project will be co-financed with the World Bank (WB), AIIB has agreed with the WB that: (a) the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Safeguard Policies (Safeguard Policies) will be used; and (b) AIIB will rely on WB’s determination as to whether compliance with the Safeguard Policies has been achieved under the Project. AIIB is satisfied that: (i) the Safeguard Policies are consistent with the Bank’s Articles of Agreement and materially consistent with the provisions of AIIB’s Environmental and Social Policy (including the relevant Environmental and Social Standards); and (ii) the monitoring procedures that the WB has in place to ascertain compliance with its Safeguard Policies are appropriate for the Project. Under the World Bank’s Safeguard Policies, the Project has been assigned Category B.
An Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) and a Resettlement Planning Framework (RFP) have been prepared for the project. The ESMF and RFP have specified rules and procedures for the sub-projects’ Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and Resettlement Action Plan (RAP). No Project activity or sub-project that would be categorized as a Category A activity would be eligible for inclusion under the Project.
Stakeholder Consultation and Information Disclosure. Extensive consultations were held with various stakeholders during the preparation of the ESMF and RPF. The draft ESMF and RPF have been disclosed in the project regions and three public consultation meetings were held in August 2019. The ESMP and RPF documents (in English and Russian) have been published on the PIU website and also on the WB’s external website. The hyperlinks are also disclosed on AIIB’s website.
Project Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM). A four-tier GRM will be established, one at village level and the others at district, regional and PIU offices. The Facilitating Partner (NGO) will assist the affected persons in registering their grievances and being heard.
