Environment

Two guidelines relevant to the new Policy on the Environment were completed and disseminated in 2004, namely the Strategic Impact Assessment Guidelines (SIA) and the Integrated Environmental and Social Assessment Guidelines (IESA).

The SIA is a systematic process of evaluating the environmental consequences of any proposed policy, plan or program. It is also a tool for assessing social and environmental sustainability of policy-based lending, structural adjustment, and sector investment lending. The IESA Guidelines, on the other hand, are designed to ensure that both environmental and social issues are mainstreamed in Bank projects throughout the project cycle.

In 2004 the Bank developed an Implementation Plan to execute its new Policy on the Environment. The Plan seeks to ensure that a strong and diversified economy will continue to take account of environmental protection, and to guarantee that all developmental decision-making integrates economic, social, and environmental considerations. In addition, the Plan aims to ensure that environmental management tools, like strategies and project level environmental and social assessments, will be used systematically to monitor environmental performance and encourage community involvement.

With regard to sustainable energy development, the Bank has identified the need to refocus its instruments and policy to deliver sustainable, reliable and environmentally friendly energy through replicable and scalable mechanisms to promote the exploitation of available energy resources (renewable and non-renewable); widening energy accessibility for poverty reduction; mobilizing additional financial resources; capacity building; strengthening strategic partnerships and synergies; and increased focus on climate change adaptation.

With assistance of a grant by the Dutch government, the Bank implemented the FINESSE Afiica program on mainstreaming renewable energy and energy efficiency. The overall goal of the FINESSE Afiica Program is to assist countries in Africa, to work through the Bank, in formulating the appropriate policy and regulatory frameworks and developing capacity to generate a pipeline of investment projects in renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE/EE or sustainable energy). This is achieved through:

• Encouraging the promotion of supportive sustainable energy policies at country and regional levels;
• Reducing the transaction costs of investing in sustainable energy systems through providing resources for pre-investment studies;
• Improving capacity within the RMCs and the Bank to evaluate sustainable energy systems; and
• Operationalising alternative energy and energy efficiency in the Bank's projects and programs through updating the energy sector policy and the subsequent development of a renewable energy and energy efficiency strategy and guidelines

The Bank recognizes the high value of the partnership with the Global Environment facility (GEF) as this provides substantive opportunities to blend Bank lending for development projects (baseline financing) with grant and concessionary financing from GEF resources to protect the global environment in the areas of biodiversity, climate change (including adaptation), land degradation, international waters, ozone layer depletion and persistent organic pollutants.

Since November 2003 the Bank has become a GEF executing agency with direct access to GEF full project resources. Direct access to GEF project resources enables the Bank to (i) identify, prepare, appraise, and implement GEF projects on behalf of GEF; (ii) submit full project proposals for GEF financing directly to GEF without going through an implementing agency; and (ill) receive project grants directly from GEF and be directly accountable for their use.

Bank Group Policy on the Environment (2004)

The Environmental Policy sets out the broad strategic and policy framework under which all Bank Group lending and non-lending operations will be made to promote environmentally sustainable development in Africa. Its overall goals are two-fold: firstly, to help improve the quality of life of the people of Africa; and secondly, to help preserve and enhance the ecological capital and life-support systems across the continent of Africa.

The development of the policy has been driven by a number of factors, including the recognition and acceptance of sustainable development as the dominant development paradigm for the 21st century; need for a greater focus on pro-poor growth policies and programmes to counter unacceptable impoverishment rates; rapid progress in the inevitable integration of Africa in the globalization process; and the need for an improved governance with a clearer commitment of the majority of African governments to provide the necessary leadership for sustainable development. The policy recognizes the considerable constraints facing Africa but also its endowment with minerals, rich flora and fauna as well as large tracts of rainforest.

To help implement the policy, the Bank leverages the considerable progress made in developing appropriate tools for effective mainstreaming of environmental sustainability issues in its operations. This includes using a set of approaches and developing/strengthening procedures and guidelines, with particular focus on the full enforcement of the Environmental and Social Assessment Procedures for all lending operations of the Bank.

Bank Group’s Involuntary Resettlement Policy (2003)  

The Bank Group involuntary resettlement policy is intended to address the involuntary displacement of people caused by Bank funded operations in public and private sector. It applies when a project results in relocation or loss of shelter by the persons residing in the project area, assets being lost or livelihoods being affected.

The primary goal of the involuntary resettlement policy is to ensure that when people must be displaced they are treated equitably, and that they share in the benefits of the project that involves their resettlement. The borrowing agency has the primary responsibility for planning, implementing and monitoring resettlement issues. The borrower will be required to prepare a full resettlement plan (FRP) for any project that involve a significant number of people (200 or more persons) who would need to be displaced with a loss of assets, or access to assets or reduction in their livelihood.

For any project involving the resettlement of less than 200 persons, an abbreviated resettlement plan will be released together with the environmental annex of the Bank’s Appraisal Report. The full resettlement plan and the abbreviated resettlement plan should be posted in the Bank’s Public Information Centre (PIC) and the Bank’s web site for public review and comments in accordance to the Bank’s disclosure policy and the Bank’s Environmental and Social Assessment Procedures (ESAP 2001). 

Environmental Review Procedures for Private Sector Operations (2001)  

The environmental review procedures have been prepared for the review of prospective projects to be considered for financing under the Private Sector window. Additionally, the procedure is also intended to inform project sponsors on the Bank requirements, as related to environmental and social impact assessment. The environmental review procedures describe the various steps that task managers in the Private Sector Department must follow to ensure that projects are environmentally sustainable and socially responsible.

The procedures allocate responsibilities for the various steps in the review process. The procedures are complemented by a number of annexes containing additional requirements to be met by the projects. Private Sector operations must comply with applicable Bank’s environmental and social policies and procedures. In sectors where no such policies or guidelines exist, the Private Sector department applies relevant internationally recognized standards.  

Integrated Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (IESIA) Guidelines (2003)

The IESIA Guidelines’ are tools used in the implementation of the Bank’s Environmental and Social Assessment Procedures. The major objective of the IESIA Guidelines’ is to provide guidance to the staff of the Bank and RMCs on how to adequately consider crosscutting themes while assessing the environmental and social impacts of a project. These guidelines present the most frequent potential impacts and enhancement/mitigation measures for the considered sub-sector. They also provide a brief summary of external factors and the main hazards that can influence sectoral projects. The guidelines also outline indicators that could be useful for monitoring the considered project as well as series of references for further readings.

There are presently nine guidelines covering different ϖ Irrigation ϖoperational sectors of the Bank, these include: Agriculture   Crop Productionϖ Livestock and Rangeland Management ϖ Forestry ϖFisheries   Hydropower Production,ϖ Roads and Railways ϖ Water Supply ϖInfrastructure   Dams and ReservoirsϖTransportation and Distribution.

Bank Group's Guidelines for Strategic Impact Assessment (2003)

Strategic Impact Assessment (SIA) can be defined as “a systematic process for evaluating the environmental consequences of proposed policy, plan or program initiative in order to ensure they are fully included and appropriately addressed at the earliest stage of decision-making on a par with social and economic considerations”. The SIA guidelines may be applied at national, regional and local, trans-boundary and international levels, to assess strategic decisions at plan, program and policy levels in key sectors with potentially significant environmental and social effects such as transport, waste management, health, education, tourism, industry, infrastructure,, telecommunications, spatial planning, land use, trade, nature conservation and modern biotechnology. The SIA process consists of nine steps that are outlined in the ANNEX 1 of the Environmental and Social Assessment Procedures (ESAPs) of African Development Bank (Public Sector Operations). 

Bank Group's Guideline on Population Issues (2003)

The Population Guidelines aim at facilitating the implementation of the Bank’s Population Policy and provides a road map for the identification and integration of population factors into the activities of the Bank Group. Specifically, the guidelines focus on institutional and key operational strategies, country programming and the project cycle for the identification and integration of these factors. In this respect the guidelines also emphasize the importance of collaboration Bank and other institutional partners, the use of national population specialists and other local stakeholders and collaboration between the Bank and RMCs during the different processes from project conceptualization to project implementation and post-evaluation. 

Bank Group's Policy on Population and Strategies for Implementation (2002)  

The purpose of the revised Bank Group’s Policy on Population is to enhance human resources at RMCs level through development and implementation of integrated population policies and programs in the context of poverty reduction.

The new policy has been developed in view of emerging issues from the International Development Agenda and the recognition of the crosscutting nature of population with respect to Bank Group’s overarching goal of poverty reduction and sustainable development. The most recent population policy document represents a major shift from the previous policy, from the exclusive focus on family planning for fertility control to a broader and more inclusive concept of reproductive health.

It also represents a shift from an emphasis on demographic targets to a new focus on qualitative indicators related to the improvement of standards of living of the population. The policy spotlights key specific areas of intervention by the Bank such as support in information dissemination, development of legal frameworks, institutional capacity building, support programmes and interventions in the area of family planning and support in the implementation of initiatives that enhance RMCs human resources. 

Bank Group's Policy and Guidelines on Cooperation with Civil Society Organizations (2001)

The Policy and Guidelines on Cooperation with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) reflect Bank Group’s commitment to enhance its relations with civil society. The document complements other Bank Group resources including the Bank's Handbook on Consultation and Participation, the Easy Reference Guides, various Bank sector policy documents,  Part I outlines theϖand the Operations Manual. It is composed of three parts:  Bank’s policy on cooperation with CSOs, which is complemented by an Action Plan Part II provides operationalϖ(attached as Appendix A) for its implementation.  guidelines on the implementation of the policy based on instruments available to Part III outlines institutional and resource requirements for theϖthe Bank; implementation of the policy.

Bank Group's Handbook on Stakeholder Consultation and Participation (2001)  

The purpose of the Handbook on Stakeholder Consultation and Participation is to help Bank staff and Regional Member Country (RMC) counterparts better understand what participation actually means in practice. It provides guidelines and outlines specific actions that Bank staff should take to promote participation at every stage of the Bank’s project cycle, including the preparation of Country Strategy Papers (CSPs), and Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRS’). The development of the Handbook stems from the Bank’s recognition of participation as an essential factor to the achievement of its overarching objectives of poverty reduction and sustainable development, notably through enhanced project quality, ownership and sustainability, empowered beneficiaries and long-term capacity building and self-sufficiency.

The Handbook explains the concept of stakeholder participation, including a description of different levels of participation, its benefits and risks, and underlying principles. It provides an overview of some of the most frequently used participatory methods, tools, and techniques and also explores some key institutional and resource implications related to mainstreaming participatory approaches in the Bank's work. It also identifies current constraints and recommends specific steps that can be taken in order to translate the Bank’s policy commitment to participation into action.

Finally, the Annexes provide advice on where staff can go for further information on participation, including references for written materials, relevant web-sites and a variety of African and international institutions with such expertise.

Bank Group's Environmental and Social Assessment Procedures for Public Sector Operations (2001)

The main purpose of the Environmental and Social Assessment Procedures (ESAPs) is to improve decision-making and project results by ensuring that Bank-financed projects, plans and programs are environmentally and socially sustainable, and fully in line with Bank’s policies and guidelines.

The ESAPs describe the various steps that shall be followed to mainstream crosscutting issues along the project cycle, from country programming to post-evaluation. The ESAPs present to Bank staff and clients various instruments for assessing projects to ensure the mainstreaming of environmental and social sustainability issues. These tools include the Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA), which can be used to assess, from the environmental and social point of view, the plans and programs to be financed by the Bank.

The ESAPs also formalise the use of Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) and Environmental and Social Audits as instruments to enhance project benefits and (in order of priority) to prevent, minimise, mitigate, or compensate for adverse environmental and social impacts.

The ESAPs are presented in a document which includes 16 annexes that outline how to  The implement the main steps under the assessment process, most notably:   The scoping of categorization of projects at identification level;  The rules for public environmental and social impact assessment studies;  The monitoring of project impacts and disclosure of ESIA and ESMP summaries;  results as well as the verification of compliance during supervisions.