GMS Flood and Drought Risk Management and Mitigation Project
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Social Monitoring Report Project Number: 40190-023 Semi-Annual Report July 2020 Lao PDR: GMS Flood and Drought Risk Management and Mitigation Project Prepared by Department of Irrigation, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Asian Development Bank. This social monitoring report is a document of the borrower. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of ADB's Board of Directors, Management, or staff, and may be preliminary in nature. Your attention is directed to the “terms of use” section of this website. In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. Lao People’s Democratic Republic Peace Independence Democracy Unity Prosperity Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Department of Planning and Cooperation GMS: Flood and Drought Risk Management and Mitigation Project ADB-Grant No.0316-LAO (SF) Loan No. 2936-LAO (SF) FINAL Post-Resettlement Evaluation Report: External Safeguards Monitoring Report Submitted to the National Project Coordination Office 3 December 2019 Revised: July 2020 Anthony M. Zola International Social Safeguard and Resettlement External Monitoring Specialist 1 Table of contents Page List of acronyms and abbreviations 3 Executive Summary 4 1. Introduction 6 2. Findings of the Final External Safeguards Monitoring Report 10 3. Assessment of implementation of corrective action plans 12 4. Strengths and weaknesses of the PMU’s capacity to do Social 18 Safeguards and Requirements 5. Assessment of livelihood restoration and effectiveness of livelihood 20 restoration activities 6. Conclusions and Recommendations 24 List of Tables Table 1: Findings of the NPCO technical advisor regarding vulnerable households 11 Table 2: Balance of compensation -- Between compensation already paid and 15 compensation estimated by the land titling office Table 3: Summary of the status of adjusted land title documents in the Vientiane 16 Irrigation Sub-project Table 4: Summary of the status of adjusted land title documents 17 in the Vientiane Embankment Sub-project Table 5: Summary of households with smaller land holdings (less than 3,000 m2) 21 that are impacted more than 9.6% -- updated 15 May 2019 Table 6: Severely Affected Households in the Vientiane Irrigation Sub-project 21 List of Annexes Annex 1: Summary Review of the Corrective Action Plans of October 2018 and May 28 2019 Annex 2: First External Safeguards Monitoring Report, submitted 13 October 2018 40 Annex 3: List of meetings conducted, and participants interviewed by the 83 Consultant in September/October 2018, May 2019, and September 2019 Annex 4: Letter from village authorities supporting Project assistance to a 88 vulnerable household in Ban Nalong Annex 5: Evidence of additional compensation paid in September 2019 89 Annex 6: Assessment Report on Project-supported Activities to Restore Incomes of 96 Severely Affected Households in the Vientiane Irrigation Development Sub-project Annex 7: Socio-economic Information and Profile (Baseline Survey) 151 Annex 8: Capacity Building Plan for Project Staff, Relevant Stakeholders, and 157 Severely Affected Households, 1 October 2018 Annex 9: Socio-Economic Data Collection Benchmark Survey, September 2018 167 Annex 10: Approved Compensation of AH in VTE Embankment, 2016 181 Annex 11: Final List of AH in VTE Irrigation Subproject 188 Annex 12: Photos of affected households in the Vientiane Embankment Sub-project 199 originally identified as vulnerable that are considered not to be vulnerable based on objective/independent evidence presented by the NPCO technical advisor Annex 13: The GOL Action Plan / Official Process to resolve overpayment and 201 underpayment resulting from the adjustment of land titles and list of AH overpaid or underpaid compensation at each irrigation scheme Annex 14: Participants in additional training sessions for livelihood and income 208 restoration – May and June 2020 2 LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ADB : Asian Development Bank AH : affected household(s) AP : affected people / affected person CAP : Corrective action plan DAFO : District agriculture and forestry office DOI : Department of Irrigation DOW : Department of Waterways, Ministry of Public Works and Transport EA : executing agency EDL : Electricité du Laos EMA : environmental monitoring agency FDM : GMS Flood and Drought Risk Management and Mitigation Project GMS : Greater Mekong Subregion GOL : Government of Lao PDR GRM : grievance redress mechanism IPMA : International Project Management Advisor LRM : ADB Lao Resident Mission MAF : Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry NAFRI : National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute NPC : National Project Coordinator NPCO : National Project Coordination Office NSEDP : National Social and Economic Development Plan PAFO : Provincial agriculture and forestry office PAM : Project Administration Manual PDR : People‘s Democratic Republic PIC : Project implementing consultants PIO : Project Implementation Office PONRE : Provincial Office of Natural Resources and Environment PSC : Project Steering Committee RP : Resettlement Plan (used interchangeably with URP) SAH : severely affected household(s) SF : special funding SPS : ADB Safeguards Policy Statement, 2009 SS&R : Social Safeguards and Requirements TA : technical assistance TOR : terms of reference URP : Updated Resettlement Plan (used interchangeably with RP) VH : vulnerable household(s) WUG : water user group 3 Executive Summary 1. The International Social Safeguard and Resettlement External Monitoring Specialist (Anthony M. Zola, the Consultant) provided services on the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Flood and Drought Risk Management and Mitigation (FDM) Project (ADB Loan no. 2936-LAO (SF) & Grant no. 0316-LAO (SF)) (the Project) on 5 September to 5 October 2018, 6-10 May 2019, and 9-13 September 2019, at the Department of Irrigation (DOI), Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), Vientiane, Lao PDR, and at his home office in Thailand. During this time the Consultant reviewed project related documents; conducted site visits to review Project implementation based on the Updated Resettlement Plan (RP); met with numerous affected households (AH) including severely affected households (SAH) and vulnerable households (VH); and, prepared a draft and final Detailed Work Plan, two External Safeguards Monitoring Reports including corrective action plans (CAP), and an Assessment Report on Project-supported Activities to Restore Incomes of Severely Affected Households in the Vientiane Irrigation Development Sub-project. In addition, the Consultant met with officials of the DOI, National Project Coordination Office (NPCO) and Provincial Implementation Office (PIO) at the Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office (PAFO) at Vientiane Capital, and the National Environmental Safeguards Specialist. 2. This revised final Post-Resettlement Evaluation Report: External Safeguards Monitoring Report presents final conclusions and recommendations about the Vientiane Irrigation Development Sub- project (Vientiane Irrigation Sub-project) and the Vientiane Flood Protection Embankment Sub- project (Vientiane Embankment Sub-project). 3. The Consultant confirms that implementation of land acquisition, resettlement, and compensation of AH impacted by the Vientiane Irrigation Sub-project and the Vientiane Embankment Sub-project are compliant with the approved Updated Resettlement Plan (March 2016) for each of the sub- projects. In this context, the Consultant confirms that FDM demonstrates satisfactory compliance with safeguard requirements of the ADB. 4. All corrective actions required in the Corrective Action Plan (CAP) presented as Table 16.4 in the First External Safeguards Monitoring Report (September and December 2018) and as Annex 1 in the Second External Safeguards Monitoring Report (May 2019) have been resolved satisfactorily. 5. NPCO collaborated with PIO-PAFO, district agriculture and forestry offices (DAFO), village authorities, and water user group (WUG) leaders to initiate income and livelihood restoration activities and provide training opportunities for severely affected households (SAH) in the Vientiane Irrigation Sub-project. NPCO has initiated activities for livelihood and income restoration for SAH and for any interested AH. Two demonstration centers have been constructed to date; with additional centers planned. The Consultant submitted a separate Assessment Report on Project-supported Activities to Restore Incomes of Severely Affected Households in the Vientiane Irrigation Development Sub-project to NPCO in November 2019. 6. The Due Diligence reports for the Vientiane Embankment Sub-project and the Vientiane Irrigation Development Sub-project, dated June 2017 state that the grievance redress mechanism (GRM) works. The Consultant confirms that (i) grievance boxes and information boards are available at village offices; and, (ii) all village headmen (and/or deputies) interviewed said that they had been trained in the GRM. Based on interviews with more than 90 AH between September 2018 and September 2019, the Consultant verifies that the GRM was adequate and implemented satisfactorily. A summary of the findings from the interviews is presented in the First External Safeguards Monitoring Report (see Annex 2) submitted 13 October 2018. 4 7. The Consultant’s conclusions and recommendations