TERMS OF REFERENCE

1. The GMS is endowed with a rich natural resource base that fuels economic development and helps to maintain rural livelihoods. For instance, water resources support agriculture, provide a major income and protein source through fisheries, generate electricity, and serve as important transport corridors. Intact forests protect hydropower projects and agriculture from siltation and erosion, contribute to tourism, and provide a means of subsistence to rural communities by producing fuelwood, food, medicinal plants, and other nontimber products. If properly managed, Cambodia’s forests could generate revenues estimated to be in excess of $100 million annually from timber alone, or slightly more than half the country’s total 1994 revenue. A major challenge facing the GMS Program is to assist the GMS countries in maintaining these and other crucial environmental resources on which much of the subregion’s social and economic development depends.

2. A number of mechanisms are in place within the countries and the GMS Program to integrate environmental concerns into the development process, including preparation of environmental impact assessments, analyses of the environmental implication of development in major sectors covered under the GMS Program, environmental components within national socioeconomic development plans, and national and local nature conservation plans. However, the lack of an overarching environmental platform for the GMS hampers a coordinated approach to investment planning across sectors that can support the Program in achieving its objective of sustainable economic growth.

3. Another clear challenge is to understand and strengthen the role of public participation in GMS decision making. Current participatory practices need to be assessed to determine the effectiveness of these practices, how the practices vary between countries and with the types of activities being undertaken, the legal and institutional frameworks for public participation, and a host of other issues. The TA will assist in better defining a course of action within the GMS Program.

4. Among major subregional environmental initiatives are three Bank-supported TAs: (i) Subregional Environmental Training and Institutional Strengthening in Selected Priority Areas in the Greater Mekong Subregion; (ii) Subregional Environmental Monitoring and Information System (SEMIS); and (iii) Poverty Reduction and Environmental Management in Remote GMS Watersheds[1]. A fourth TA on management of critical wetlands in the lower Mekong basin is under consideration. National and subregional environmental initiatives supported by other agencies will provide a source of current environmental and social information. The Mekong River Commission (MRC) has several ongoing projects in the GMS covering various aspects of forestry, fisheries, and land use. The World Resources Institute, World Wide Fund for Nature, Wetlands International, World Conservation Union, and government agencies are undertaking studies on uplands, cross-border management of protected areas, wetland conservation, wildlife populations, rural populations, and other topics. The proposed TA will coordinate to the extent possible with these initiatives to promote synergy and avoid overlap.

A. Objective

5. The overall goal is to improve environmental protection by helping to ensure the environmental sustainability of economic development undertaken within the context of the GMS Program specifically and within the GMS generally. The primary objective is to prepare a strategic environmental framework that promotes the integration of environmental considerations in economic development planning and implementation within the GMS Program. Secondary objectives include (i) identifying opportunities for improvements in environmental management in the GMS through TA and environmental investments; (ii) building awareness and capacity in regional environmental assessment; (iii) identifying how public participation in GMS decision making can be enhanced: and (iv) defining a set of environmental parameters and mechanisms to initiate a monitoring program.

B. Scope

1. Phase I : Inception

6. Phase I is expected to cover a period of four months. Major activities will include (i) data inventory and compilation, including geographically referenced data; (ii) national consultative meetings to define the national perceptions of and priorities of and priorities for the strategic environmental framework; (iii) identification of ongoing and completed Bank projects as case thematic issues, to assist the consultant team in refining the TA work program, and to identify any additional sources of data in the subregion; (v) dialogue with funding agencies; and (vi) preparation of a detailed work program. Activities related to data compilation and map preparation will test the ability of SEMIS to deliver useful data to stakeholders in the subregion. The consultant and counterparts will prepare a draft inception report that presents the findings of Phase I activities. The report will be revised and finalized following a second subregional consultative meeting.

2. Phase II : Analysis

7. Phase II, covering approximately 11 months., will be the analytical phase of the TA. A strategic planning approach will be applied, and the analysis will focus on the priority areas related to the environmental sustainability of the GMS Program. Dialogue with stakeholders will include rural perception teams of domestic consultant who will periodically visit rural communities and local government offices to test assumptions, conclusion, and recommendations emanating from the study. The major activity will be data analysis, part of which will be in the form of a layered series of maps that include, for example, baseline biophysical and social conditions, existing and proposed infrastructure and natural resource development projects, and environmentally sensitive areas. Special attention will be given to proposed projects in the transport and energy sectors as these will have the most serious environmental and social impacts, individually and cumulatively. The analysis will be presented both spatially and thematically, and give particular attention to interrelationships and trends in the development and conservation of biological resources, major infrastructure development, changes in environmental and social conditions due to such development, and possible alternative development and conservation scenarios. Issues related to indigenous peoples and gender will be considered. Whenever possible, the analysis will quantify expected impacts, both positive and negative, in economic terms[2].

8. The possible range of cumulative impacts of major transportation and energy projects, given various development scenarios, will be investigated. A gap analysis will be undertaken to determine where further initiatives are required to enhance environmental protection in the GMS. Case studies will undertaken to analyze the environmental and social impacts of about four major infrastructure projects supported by the Bank within the GMS, including a view toward indigenous peoples and public participation issues, to relate the macro-level analysis to the ground level.

9. A panel of experts will review the analysis around the ninth month of Phase II and assist the consultant to develop an annotated outline for the strategic environmental framework to be prepared in Phase III. Results of the analysis will be presented at national meetings and a subregional consultative meeting prior to preparation of a midterm report.

3. Phase III : Preparation of a Strategic Environmental Framework

10. The GMS strategic environmental framework will be prepared during Phase III, covering about seven months. The framework will primarily provide strategic directions to the GMS Program, but may also be used by GMS countries and those who assist them in their attempt to more fully integrate environmental considerations into economic development. This will indicate where major development-conservation conflicts are likely to occur, show how these conflicts might be avoided or mitigated, and recommend initiatives that will strengthen environmental management in key areas. Building on past GMS work and the experiences of other agencies. , it will provide guidance to the Bank and the GMS countries on how to address environmental sustainability aspects of the GMS Program. It is expected to be useful to MRC in its environmental planning process. One major section of the framework will deal with strengthening public participation in the GMS Program. The framework will also discuss institutional, policy, and legislative issues, as well as monitoring considerations.

11. The draft strategic environmental framework will undergo a discussion and review process through national and subregional consultations, and review by the panel of experts. A summary will be prepared in all six languages of the GMS for in-country distribution. The governments and the Bank will widely disseminate the TA outputs to government offices responsible for national socioeconomic planning, infrastructure, natural resources, and environment; regional technical institutions and funding agencies; international and national NGOs; and representatives of local communities. The Bank will use the TA’s outputs as an additional tool in planning its assistance to GMS countries and in evaluating its ongoing assistance. The framework will be presented to the GMS Ministerial Group for endorsement and action.

4. Capacity Building

12. The capacity-building component will be accomplished by closely involving GMS counterparts in the TA implementation process. The TA will aim to trigger a longer term process for regional environmental planning by (i) raising awareness of the value of regional environmental planning; (ii) using the capacity- building component to develop national skills; (iii) producing specific recommendations for follow-up programs; and (iv) employing the GMS decision-making process to bring the TA findings to the attention of national decision makers for their endorsement.

C. Implementation Arrangements

13. TA implementation is expected to begin in mid-1998 and continue for approximately 22 months. The Executing Agency will be the Bank through a committee consisting of Bank staff from concerned departments and chaired by the Bank’s Office of Environment and Social Development. An advisory group, comprised of representatives from the WGE, funding agencies, MRC and other regional and international agencies, and NGOs, will provide information and review TA outputs. At the national level, the WGE members will form a national steering committee in their respective countries. At the day-to-day administrative level, the WGE will ensure that a national Project office is established in each country and headed by a national Project manager who is seconded from government staff. The steering committee and Project manager will be selected, and the Project offices established, no later than the time of TA inception. Candidates for the panel of experts will be nominated and shortlisted at the first subregional consultative meeting, and the shortlist will be fused by the Bank and the governments for final selection (Appendix 2).

14. UNEP’s Environment Assessment Programme-Asia and Pacific (EAP-AP) located at the Asian Institute of Technology will provide data, maps, computer use, and limited administrative support to the central Project office. EAP-AP will be responsible for the geographic information system work, models, and other mapping requirements[3]. Because early location and compilation of this information will be advantageous to the efficient implementation of Phase I EAP-AP will begin these services approximately to months prior to TA inception.

15. An estimated 85 person-months of consultant input will be required, comprising 32 person-months of international consultant and 52 person-months of domestic consultant, with expertise in the following fields: (i) strategic environmental-economic planning; (ii) public participation; (iii) social science/anthropology; (iv) natural resources economics; (v) environmental institutions and policy; (vi) biodiversity; (vii) fisheries; and (viii) water resources. The activities of the resource persons and the panel of experts will be administered by the Bank. A firm will be recruited by the Bank, and domestic consultant will be recruited by the firm with Bank approval in accordance with the Bank’s Guidelines on the Use of Consultants and other arrangements satisfactory to the Bank for the engagement of domestic consultant. Terms of reference for the consultant are provided in Appendix 3. The equipment and materials needed for the TA will procured by the consultant or the Bank in accordance with the Bank’s Guidelines for Procurement.

16. The consultant will submit the following reports: (i) inception report; (ii) midterm report; (iii) draft strategic environmental framework; (iv) final strategic environmental framework; (v) meeting proceedings; and (vi) executive summary of the framework translated into six languages.

17. The governments have agreed that they will provide temporary office space for the consultant and other TA-related staff when visiting the field, and about 40 person-months of counterpart staff time. They will provide necessary assistance to the consultant in collecting information and meeting with relevant agencies as may be reasonably requested. Data, reports, and other information that are readily available from the governments will be supplied to the TA at no cost.

[1] TA No. 5684-REG: Subregional Environmental Training and Institutional Strengthening in Selected Priority Areas in the Greater Mekong Subregion, for $1,665,000 approved on 9 May 1996; TA No. 5622-REG: Subregional Environmental Monitoring and Information System, for $1,000,000 approved on 9 February 1995: and TA No. 5771-REG: Poverty Reduction and Environmental Management in Remote GMS Watersheds, for $1,000,000 approved on 31 December 1997

[2] This will be guided by the Bank’s Guidelines for the Economic Analysis of Projects, Economic Evaluation of Environmental Impacts – A workbook, and sector-specific economic guidelines. It will, among others, incorporate a calculation of potential gains or losses due to changes in local communities’ access to livelihood opportunities such as fisheries, forestry, and lowland agriculture.

[3] EAP-AP has collaborated with the Bank on a number of past TAs and on two ongoing TAs: Subregional Environmental Monitoring and Information System and Coastal and Marine Environmental Management in the South China Sea. Their inputs to these and other projects have been of good quality, and their regional connections have proved to be beneficial to Bank financed TAs.


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Terms of Reference Background Information	BACKGROUND INFORMATION 1. The GMS is endowed with a rich natural resource base that fuels economic development and helps to maintain rural livelihoods. For instance, water resources support agriculture, provide a major income and protein source through fisheries, generate electricity, and serve as important transport corridors. Intact forests protect hydropower projects and agriculture from siltation and erosion, contribute to tourism, and provide a means of subsistence to rural communities by producing fuelwood, food, medicinal plants, and other nontimber products. If properly managed, Cambodia’s forests could generate revenues estimated to be in excess of $100 million annually from timber alone, or slightly more than half the country’s total 1994 revenue. A major challenge facing the GMS Program is to assist the GMS countries in maintaining these and other crucial environmental resources on which much of the subregion’s social and economic development depends. 2. A number of mechanisms are in place within the countries and the GMS Program to integrate environmental concerns into the development process, including preparation of environmental impact assessments, analyses of the environmental implication of development in major sectors covered under the GMS Program, environmental components within national socioeconomic development plans, and national and local nature conservation plans. However, the lack of an overarching environmental platform for the GMS hampers a coordinated approach to investment planning across sectors that can support the Program in achieving its objective of sustainable economic growth. 3. Another clear challenge is to understand and strengthen the role of public participation in GMS decision making. Current participatory practices need to be assessed to determine the effectiveness of these practices, how the practices vary between countries and with the types of activities being undertaken, the legal and institutional frameworks for public participation, and a host of other issues. The TA will assist in better defining a course of action within the GMS Program. 4. Among major subregional environmental initiatives are three Bank-supported TAs: (i) Subregional Environmental Training and Institutional Strengthening in Selected Priority Areas in the Greater Mekong Subregion; (ii) Subregional Environmental Monitoring and Information System (SEMIS); and (iii) Poverty Reduction and Environmental Management in Remote GMS Watersheds[1]. A fourth TA on management of critical wetlands in the lower Mekong basin is under consideration. National and subregional environmental initiatives supported by other agencies will provide a source of current environmental and social information. The Mekong River Commission (MRC) has several ongoing projects in the GMS covering various aspects of forestry, fisheries, and land use. The World Resources Institute, World Wide Fund for Nature, Wetlands International, World Conservation Union, and government agencies are undertaking studies on uplands, cross-border management of protected areas, wetland conservation, wildlife populations, rural populations, and other topics. The proposed TA will coordinate to the extent possible with these initiatives to promote synergy and avoid overlap. A. Objective 5. The overall goal is to improve environmental protection by helping to ensure the environmental sustainability of economic development undertaken within the context of the GMS Program specifically and within the GMS generally. The primary objective is to prepare a strategic environmental framework that promotes the integration of environmental considerations in economic development planning and implementation within the GMS Program. Secondary objectives include (i) identifying opportunities for improvements in environmental management in the GMS through TA and environmental investments; (ii) building awareness and capacity in regional environmental assessment; (iii) identifying how public participation in GMS decision making can be enhanced: and (iv) defining a set of environmental parameters and mechanisms to initiate a monitoring program. B. Scope 1. Phase I : Inception 6. Phase I is expected to cover a period of four months. Major activities will include (i) data inventory and compilation, including geographically referenced data; (ii) national consultative meetings to define the national perceptions of and priorities of and priorities for the strategic environmental framework; (iii) identification of ongoing and completed Bank projects as case thematic issues, to assist the consultant team in refining the TA work program, and to identify any additional sources of data in the subregion; (v) dialogue with funding agencies; and (vi) preparation of a detailed work program. Activities related to data compilation and map preparation will test the ability of SEMIS to deliver useful data to stakeholders in the subregion. The consultant and counterparts will prepare a draft inception report that presents the findings of Phase I activities. The report will be revised and finalized following a second subregional consultative meeting. 2. Phase II : Analysis 7. Phase II, covering approximately 11 months., will be the analytical phase of the TA. A strategic planning approach will be applied, and the analysis will focus on the priority areas related to the environmental sustainability of the GMS Program. Dialogue with stakeholders will include rural perception teams of domestic consultant who will periodically visit rural communities and local government offices to test assumptions, conclusion, and recommendations emanating from the study. The major activity will be data analysis, part of which will be in the form of a layered series of maps that include, for example, baseline biophysical and social conditions, existing and proposed infrastructure and natural resource development projects, and environmentally sensitive areas. Special attention will be given to proposed projects in the transport and energy sectors as these will have the most serious environmental and social impacts, individually and cumulatively. The analysis will be presented both spatially and thematically, and give particular attention to interrelationships and trends in the development and conservation of biological resources, major infrastructure development, changes in environmental and social conditions due to such development, and possible alternative development and conservation scenarios. Issues related to indigenous peoples and gender will be considered. Whenever possible, the analysis will quantify expected impacts, both positive and negative, in economic terms[2]. 8. The possible range of cumulative impacts of major transportation and energy projects, given various development scenarios, will be investigated. A gap analysis will be undertaken to determine where further initiatives are required to enhance environmental protection in the GMS. Case studies will undertaken to analyze the environmental and social impacts of about four major infrastructure projects supported by the Bank within the GMS, including a view toward indigenous peoples and public participation issues, to relate the macro-level analysis to the ground level. 9. A panel of experts will review the analysis around the ninth month of Phase II and assist the consultant to develop an annotated outline for the strategic environmental framework to be prepared in Phase III. Results of the analysis will be presented at national meetings and a subregional consultative meeting prior to preparation of a midterm report. 3. Phase III : Preparation of a Strategic Environmental Framework 10. The GMS strategic environmental framework will be prepared during Phase III, covering about seven months. The framework will primarily provide strategic directions to the GMS Program, but may also be used by GMS countries and those who assist them in their attempt to more fully integrate environmental considerations into economic development. This will indicate where major development-conservation conflicts are likely to occur, show how these conflicts might be avoided or mitigated, and recommend initiatives that will strengthen environmental management in key areas. Building on past GMS work and the experiences of other agencies. , it will provide guidance to the Bank and the GMS countries on how to address environmental sustainability aspects of the GMS Program. It is expected to be useful to MRC in its environmental planning process. One major section of the framework will deal with strengthening public participation in the GMS Program. The framework will also discuss institutional, policy, and legislative issues, as well as monitoring considerations. 11. The draft strategic environmental framework will undergo a discussion and review process through national and subregional consultations, and review by the panel of experts. A summary will be prepared in all six languages of the GMS for in-country distribution. The governments and the Bank will widely disseminate the TA outputs to government offices responsible for national socioeconomic planning, infrastructure, natural resources, and environment; regional technical institutions and funding agencies; international and national NGOs; and representatives of local communities. The Bank will use the TA’s outputs as an additional tool in planning its assistance to GMS countries and in evaluating its ongoing assistance. The framework will be presented to the GMS Ministerial Group for endorsement and action. 4. Capacity Building 12. The capacity-building component will be accomplished by closely involving GMS counterparts in the TA implementation process. The TA will aim to trigger a longer term process for regional environmental planning by (i) raising awareness of the value of regional environmental planning; (ii) using the capacity- building component to develop national skills; (iii) producing specific recommendations for follow-up programs; and (iv) employing the GMS decision-making process to bring the TA findings to the attention of national decision makers for their endorsement. C. Implementation Arrangements 13. TA implementation is expected to begin in mid-1998 and continue for approximately 22 months. The Executing Agency will be the Bank through a committee consisting of Bank staff from concerned departments and chaired by the Bank’s Office of Environment and Social Development. An advisory group, comprised of representatives from the WGE, funding agencies, MRC and other regional and international agencies, and NGOs, will provide information and review TA outputs. At the national level, the WGE members will form a national steering committee in their respective countries. At the day-to-day administrative level, the WGE will ensure that a national Project office is established in each country and headed by a national Project manager who is seconded from government staff. The steering committee and Project manager will be selected, and the Project offices established, no later than the time of TA inception. Candidates for the panel of experts will be nominated and shortlisted at the first subregional consultative meeting, and the shortlist will be fused by the Bank and the governments for final selection (Appendix 2). 14. UNEP’s Environment Assessment Programme-Asia and Pacific (EAP-AP) located at the Asian Institute of Technology will provide data, maps, computer use, and limited administrative support to the central Project office. EAP-AP will be responsible for the geographic information system work, models, and other mapping requirements[3]. Because early location and compilation of this information will be advantageous to the efficient implementation of Phase I EAP-AP will begin these services approximately to months prior to TA inception. 15. An estimated 85 person-months of consultant input will be required, comprising 32 person-months of international consultant and 52 person-months of domestic consultant, with expertise in the following fields: (i) strategic environmental-economic planning; (ii) public participation; (iii) social science/anthropology; (iv) natural resources economics; (v) environmental institutions and policy; (vi) biodiversity; (vii) fisheries; and (viii) water resources. The activities of the resource persons and the panel of experts will be administered by the Bank. A firm will be recruited by the Bank, and domestic consultant will be recruited by the firm with Bank approval in accordance with the Bank’s Guidelines on the Use of Consultants and other arrangements satisfactory to the Bank for the engagement of domestic consultant. Terms of reference for the consultant are provided in Appendix 3. The equipment and materials needed for the TA will procured by the consultant or the Bank in accordance with the Bank’s Guidelines for Procurement. 16. The consultant will submit the following reports: (i) inception report; (ii) midterm report; (iii) draft strategic environmental framework; (iv) final strategic environmental framework; (v) meeting proceedings; and (vi) executive summary of the framework translated into six languages. 17. The governments have agreed that they will provide temporary office space for the consultant and other TA-related staff when visiting the field, and about 40 person-months of counterpart staff time. They will provide necessary assistance to the consultant in collecting information and meeting with relevant agencies as may be reasonably requested. Data, reports, and other information that are readily available from the governments will be supplied to the TA at no cost. [1] TA No. 5684-REG: Subregional Environmental Training and Institutional Strengthening in Selected Priority Areas in the Greater Mekong Subregion, for $1,665,000 approved on 9 May 1996; TA No. 5622-REG: Subregional Environmental Monitoring and Information System, for $1,000,000 approved on 9 February 1995: and TA No. 5771-REG: Poverty Reduction and Environmental Management in Remote GMS Watersheds, for $1,000,000 approved on 31 December 1997 [2] This will be guided by the Bank’s Guidelines for the Economic Analysis of Projects, Economic Evaluation of Environmental Impacts – A workbook, and sector-specific economic guidelines. It will, among others, incorporate a calculation of potential gains or losses due to changes in local communities’ access to livelihood opportunities such as fisheries, forestry, and lowland agriculture. [3] EAP-AP has collaborated with the Bank on a number of past TAs and on two ongoing TAs: Subregional Environmental Monitoring and Information System and Coastal and Marine Environmental Management in the South China Sea. Their inputs to these and other projects have been of good quality, and their regional connections have proved to be beneficial to Bank financed TAs. Back to the top