Rogun Hydropower Plant Project (HPP)

Effective stakeholder engagement in the Rogun Hydropower Project (HPP) can improve the environmental and social sustainability of projects and make a significant contribution to successful project design and implementation.

The World Bank’s environmental and social framework for investment lending supports this with a standard (E&S Standard 10), which recognizes the importance of open and transparent engagement between the Borrower country and project stakeholders as an essential element of good international practice.

Meaningful consultations with stakeholders are critical to strengthening transparency and the ability of communities and civil society organizations (CSOs) to engage in the project. 

The Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) (see Key Documents on the Home tab above) outlines a detailed framework for continuous engagement with CSOs and stakeholders throughout project preparation and implementation. These consultations include regular meetings, information sharing, and open feedback channels. The SEP is a living document that will continue to be updated regularly to reflect engagement activities and suggestions for improvements.

Consultations thus far include the followwing:

1. Preparation of E&S Risks and Impacts and Documentation

• 2008-2022: Early Engagement and Community Consultations: Since initial consultations in 2008-2011, the Directorate of the Flood Zone of Rogun HPP (DFZ) held 59 consultation meetings with resettled communities, involving local authorities and Jamoat Heads (i.e., municipality heads).  
• 2022-2024: For the December 2023 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), the Rogun Project Management Group (PMG), with support from an international consultant and in line with the World Bank’s guidance, has consulted with national and international CSOs on issues like biodiversity, resettlement, human rights, and labor conditions. *  
• January 2024: Public Disclosure Meetings: Rogun PMG organized 9 public meetings across Dushanbe and project-affected districts to gather community feedback on the draft ESIA. * 
• June 2024: Resettlement and Livelihood Restoration Framework (RLRF) Consultations: DFZ and PMG organized information-sharing and consultation meetings in Nurobod, Garm, and Dushanbe to gather feedback from CSOs and affected communities on the draft RLRF. The feedback received is also being incorporated into Resettlement Action Plan 2 (RAP 2)/Livelihood Restoration Plans (LRPs) which will be disclosed for public consultations in January 2025. 
• November 2024: The World Bank organized the first of quarterly consultations inviting local and international CSOs. These consultations will provide an opportunity to brief CSOs on implementation progress and to discuss environmental and social issues in more detail as pertinent.          

2. Impacts on neighboring countries

• November 2023: Regional Consultation Meeting with Riparian Countries and CSOs: PMG hosted consultation meetings in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with riparian countries and regional CSOs to disclose the preliminary draft ESIA findings and gather feedback. *

• October 2024: Second Round of Riparian Consultations begins: PMG with support from the World Bank launched another round of riparian consultations, starting with a meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Similar consultations in other riparian countries will follow.

3. Benefit Sharing Program (BSP)

• November 2024: Through Rogun PMG, CSOs were consulted on the design of the BSP, which aims to allocate 3-5% of project revenues to national safety net programs targeted to both families impacted by the project and poor and vulnerable communities nationwide.

*An updated version of the ESIA will incorporate feedback from stakeholders.

The project will continue to provide key documents such as the ESIA, SEP, and RPF on the PMG-managed website, on the World Bank’s project portal webpage, and on this website. 

Throughout project implementation, stakeholders will continue to have access to these documents and are welcome to continue providing feedback to PMG and the World Bank at any time. The SEP includes the contact information for PMG.

Please contact Zarina Nurmukhambetova znurmukhambetova@worldbank.org if you would like to be included in future consultations.

For more on the consultations held by the Government of Tajikistan, visit the project website at https://energyprojects.tj/index.php/en/ managed by the Rogun Project Management Group (Rogun PMG).

Letters and Responses