World Bank Australia Safeguards Partnership

Focus areas

Country Safeguards Framework Assessments

Governments and development partners continue to focus on the importance of strengthening national systems for the management of environmental and social risks and impacts. Assessment of national environmental and social management systems can take different forms and are often conducted by development partners in accordance with their own requirements and strategic focus. Under the WBASP, these assessments are called Country Safeguards Framework Assessments (CSFA); for the World Bank, they are Overview Assessments. Such assessments, often conducted in coordination with other development partners, assess the extent to which a country’s environmental and social system is in line with international good practice, and provides a basis for collaboration between development partners in supporting strengthening initiatives.

CSFAs provide an opportunity to assess national environmental and social management systems and related institutional capacity at a strategic level, outside the scope of an individual project. Such assessments - by looking at the country’s legal and institutional frameworks, which includes applicable laws, regulations, rules and procedures, as well as institutional arrangements, capacity, and resources allocations - can help identify opportunities for enhancing capacity and informing the design of measures to strengthen national capacity and systems.

The findings inform discussions with governments and development partners to determine what support is needed to strengthen technical and institutional capacity, provide information to target trainees, and develop training programs at the Learning Centers (LCs). They also inform future engagements and actions to pursue with countries, including revisions of laws, policies, and implementation arrangements.

CSFAs have been conducted in China, Mongolia, Samoa, Tonga, and Vietnam, and are underway for Indonesia and the Philippines.

The Vietnam CSFA consists of two reports: (i) Vietnam CFSA report and (ii) an assessment of environmental and social management practice in the transport and urban development sectors in Vietnam. The CFSA report takes stock of consistencies as well as critical differences between the country's legal and institutional framework and the World Bank's Environmental and Social Framework (ESF). The sectoral assessment provides recommendations in the form of a comprehensive menu of actions proposed to the government of Vietnam and to the existing Vietnam Environmental and Social Management Learning Center for implementation at national and subnational levels.

Training & Capacity Building

The WBASP helps strengthen technical capacity for environmental and social standards in the EAP region through LCs. In Vietnam and the Philippines, the centers are well established and have conducted numerous trainings over the past few years, while the set-up of the LCs and some pilot trainings are being completed in Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Pacific Island countries (PICs).

The LCs train and provide capacity development support to government officials, academia, consultants, and others involved in implementing environmental and social standards. Significantly, each LC is a collaboration between development partners and academic institutions within a country and the LCs support each other in mutually reinforcing activities. Training courses are offered on various topics and are open to participants from other countries in the region. Training-of-Trainer courses are also offered to bolster teaching skills for building long-term capacity in- country and across the region.

The WBASP has played a key role in funding and convening development partners to establish LCs in the Philippines and Vietnam, and the WBASP has helped to carry out pilot trainings in the LCs in Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Pacific Island Countries (PICs). More than 2,500 participants from various countries have attended courses at the LCs, with many paying attendees returning for two or more courses.

Examples of Course Offerings in Learning Centers:

Principles of Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Review
Environmental Assessment Tools
Biodiversity Impact Assessment
Health Impact Assessment
Public Participation in Environmental and Social Assessment
Environmental and Social Management during Construction
Project Supervision: Environmental and Social Management
Indigenous Peoples and Social Assessment
Smart Green Infrastructure in Natural Habitats and Physical Cultural Resources

Promoting Good Practices for Environmental & Social Standards

Fostering collaboration among development partners is a key objective of the WBASP. The WBASP supports the harmonization and alignment of the policies and practices of international financial and development institutions related to environment and social standards. The WBASP has provided a unique platform for key donors in the EAP region to share and leverage their knowledge and investments in capacity building on environmental and social standards. This stream focuses on four main activities:

Multi-Donor Shared Approach and Guidance on Standards for PICs - The Shared Approach is a collaborative effort by the Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility (PRIF) members to develop standard methods and procedures to address environmental and social issues that are common in the delivery of projects in PICs. The Shared Approach is not an interpretation of existing environmental and social policies nor does it propose to amend, revise or change the existing policies of the PRIF development partners. The Shared Approach recognizes that PRIF development partners may have specific policy requirements that are applicable for certain projects, and that these will continue to be applied where relevant.

Regional Development Partners Community of Practice (COP) on E&S Standards and Capacity Building - Cooperation among development partners is facilitated through the Development Partners Community of Practice (COP) meetings, donor and partner workshops and joint work programs.

Promoting the application of Environmental and Social Standards in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects and initiatives - Private companies have a stake in the public sector’s ability to plan and implement good environmental and social practices in infrastructure development to avoid project delays and create profitable investment opportunities. PPPs are a mechanism for mobilizing private-sector capital in major infrastructure investments, which have had mixed success in the EAP region. A focus area for the WBASP is to engage directly with the private sector through PPP infrastructure projects to enhance the effectiveness and outcomes for PPPs while ensuring that environmental and social risks are managed. Accordingly, in 2019 the WBASP convened a “Deep Dive and Round Table Discussion” with private sector representatives on environmental and social standards for PPP investments.

Environment and Worker Health and Safety (EWHS) - WBASP is improving EWHS practice by establishing a structured and tailored EWHS training program. It is also developing tools for contractors and clients, as well as tools to monitor and support effective implementation of EWHS.

CONTACT WBASP

Program Manager

Pilar Clemente, Senior Environmental Specialist
Washington, DC