Myanmar Community Resilience Project: Environmental and Social Management Framework

Executive Summary

Under the Myanmar Community Resilience Project (MCRP), the World Bank will be supporting World Food Programme’s (WFP’s) proposed interventions within the scope of its life-saving food and nutrition assistance to conflict-affected populations in Rakhine State in Myanmar. The objective of the MCRP is to improve food security and livelihoods resilience of vulnerable populations in selected areas of Myanmar.

WFP interventions under the Project will support targeted relief and nutrition assistance through food transfers and cash-based transfers to populations affected by crisis, as well as provision of specialized nutritious foods to pregnant and lactating women and adolescent girls and children under 5 in Rakhine State.

This Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) has been prepared to identify the potential environmental and social risks and impacts of proposed Project activities and propose suitable mitigation measures to manage these risks and impacts. It maps out the general WFP and World Bank policies appliable for the Project, and describes the principles, approaches, implementation arrangements, and environmental and social mitigation measures to be followed.

The potential environmental and social risks for project activities are identified as:

• Potential exclusion of disadvantaged or vulnerable households;
• Potential exclusion of ethnic minorities due to access challenges or language barriers;
• Risks to project workers (including health and safety risks, security risks, child labor or forced labor, COVID-19 risks, and sexual exploitation and abuse risks);
• Risks to community members (including safety and security risks, discrimination or exclusion, COVID 19 risks, and sexual exploitation and abuse risks);
• Solid waste management risks from inappropriate disposal of food packaging;
• Food safety risks that may stem from improper storage, transport or distribution of food assistance; and
• Potential for insufficient stakeholder engagement and grievance management.

These risks will be managed and mitigated through the application of:

• The project’s operational design for targeting and selection of communities and beneficiaries;
• WFP policies and operational practices (including the Environmental Policy, the Protection and Accountability Policy, the Food Storage Manual, and Standard Operating Procedures on COVID-19, protection for sexual exploitation and abuse, and community engagement mechanisms);
• The measures included in this ESMF and the Annexes to this ESMF (including simplified Labor Management Procedures, Landmine Procedures, and a Safety and Security Approach); and
• The Stakeholder Engagement Plan prepared for this project.

Implementation Arrangements. The project will support an extension of WFP’s current programs in Rakhine State. WFP will both implement directly and work closely with and through a strong pool of local and international NGOs in implementing and monitoring its program. At WFP, the project will be overseen by the Deputy Country Director (Programme) and will be directly managed by the Head of Programme (both based in Nay Pyi Taw). Cooperating partners (CPs) will act as an implementing partner for some of the activities. The CPs will be mobilized to support WFP in assessing, distributing, and monitoring activities of the project. WFP will retain responsibility and technical oversight of CPs work. Agreements with CPs will include the requirement to comply with the environmental and social mitigation measures outlined in this ESMF. Local contractors, such as transportation companies, will be required to comply with the Project’s environmental and social risk management measures, including the national laws and regulations and the ESMF.

Monitoring. WFP’s monitoring activities are guided by WFP’s Standard Operating Procedures for monitoring and tailored tools for distribution and post-distribution monitoring. WFP conducts monthly distribution monitoring focusing on distribution output and process, in addition to three rounds of detailed post-distribution monitoring which focus on the outcomes of WFP operations. WFP teams working to implement the project will ensure that monitoring practices include the environmental and social risks identified in the ESMF and will monitor the implementation of E&S risk management measures as part of regular project monitoring.

A separate Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) has been prepared for the Project, based on WFP’s Community Engagement Mechanism Standard Operating Procedures for Myanmar and the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Standard 10 on Stakeholder Engagement. Under its Standard Operating Procedures for its Community Engagement Mechanism WFP already has an operational and accessible community feedback mechanism/grievance mechanism, which has various culturally appropriate means for stakeholders to raise feedback. This grievance mechanism will also be used for the World Bank supported project activities to receive and facilitate resolution of concerns and grievances. The grievance mechanism is also equipped to receive, register and facilitate the resolution of sexual exploitation and abuse complaints, in accordance with the WFP Standard Operating Procedures on sexual exploitation and abuse. WFP has a team of trained focal points to ensure referral of survivors to relevant service providers in a safe, confidential and survivor-centered manner.