Social Safeguards Monitoring Report Semi-Annual Report Reporting Period: July – December 2020 June 2021 Lao PDR: Climate-Friendly Agribusiness Value Chains Sector Project Prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry assisted by the Project Management Consultants for the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and the Asian Development Bank. This social safeguards 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. 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. G0585-Lao: Climate-Friendly Agribusiness Value Chains Sector Project Semi-Annual Safeguards Monitoring Report July - December 2020 Semi-Annual Social Safeguards Monitoring Report G0585-Lao: Climate-Friendly Agribusiness Value Chains Sector Project ADB 48409-004 / Grant 0585-LAO Report for period of July - December 2020 Prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) assisted by Project Management Consultants (PMC) for the Asian Development Bank. ADB Grant 0585-LAO i G0585-Lao: Climate-Friendly Agribusiness Value Chains Sector Project Semi-Annual Safeguards Monitoring Report July - December 2020 Contents 1 Executive Summary 4 2 Introduction 6 2.1 Background of the Report 6 2.2 Basic Data 6 2.3 The Project Description 6 2.3.1 Project Impact, Outcome and Outputs 6 2.4 Subprojects 8 2.5 Institutional Arrangements 9 2.6 Scope of Impacts 10 2.6.1 Screening, Categorization and Documentation 10 2.6.2 Anticipated Social Impacts 11 2.7 Consultation, Participation and Disclosure 12 3 Social Safeguards Monitoring 14 3.1 Progress Monitoring 14 3.2 Status of Safeguards Activities in the Reporting Period 14 3.3 Social Safeguard Compliance 16 3.4 Progress on Issues Raised 16 3.4.1 Progress on Previous Actions Required 16 4 Grievance Redress Mechanism 18 4.1 Grievance Redress Committee 18 4.2 Record of Incidents / Complaints 18 5 Summary and Conclusions 19 5.1 Overall Conclusions 19 5.2 Issues Requiring Action 19 List of Annexes A Initial Resettlement Monitoring Indicators B Details of Voluntary Donations C GRM process D GRC establishment and composition E Incidence Record Details F Photos from Previous Reporting Period G Entitlement Matrix H Covid-19 Restrictions I Training Report J Public Information Booklet K Attendance sheets for public consultation meetings List of Tables Table 2.1 Project Basic Data 6 Table 2.2 Summary of Proposed Subprojects Per Year 8 Table 2.3 Status of Social Safeguards Documentation for Priority Subprojects (2020) 9 Table 2.4 Institutional Roles and Responsibilities for Social and Resettlement Safeguards 10 Table 2.5 Stakeholder Consultations During the Reporting Period 12 Table 3.1 Summary of EG/IP Implementation 14 Table 3.2 Summary of Safeguards Training for Institutional Stakeholders 15 Table 3.3 Pending Issues and Proposed Actions on Social Safeguards in the Reporting Period 16 Table 4.1 Summary of Establishment and Status of GRCs 18 Table 5.1 Social Safeguards Issues and Required Actions in the Reporting Period 19 ADB Grant 0585-LAO ii G0585-Lao: Climate-Friendly Agribusiness Value Chains Sector Project Semi-Annual Safeguards Monitoring Report July - December 2020 Abbreviations ADB Asian Development Bank ADF Asian Development Fund AH Affected Household AP Affected Person C&P Consultation and Participation CPS Champassak Province DDR Due Diligence Review DMS Detailed Measurement Survey DRP Detailed Resettlement Plan EA Executing Agency EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EMP Environmental Management Plan FGD Focus Group Discussion GMS Greater Mekong Subregion GRC Grievance Redress Committee GRM Grievance Redress Mechanism HHs Households IA Implementing Agency IEE Initial Environmental Examination IP Indigenous Peoples IPPF Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework IR Involuntary Resettlement KHM Khammouane Province MTR Mid-Term Review PIB Public Information Booklet PIU Project Implementation Unit PMC Project Management Consultant PMU Project Management Unit PPTA Project Preparatory Technical Assistance RCS Replacement Cost Survey RF Resettlement Framework REA Rapid Environmental Assessment Checklist SES Socio-Economic Survey SK Sekong Province SMR Semi-Annual Safeguards Monitoring Report SPS ADB Safeguards Policy Statement (2009) SRV Saravanh Province SVK Savannaketh Province TL Team leader VTE Vientiane Capital NOTE (i) In this report, "$" refers to US dollars. This semi-annual 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. 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. ADB Grant 0585-LAO iii G0585-Lao: Climate-Friendly Agribusiness Value Chains Sector Project Semi-Annual Safeguards Monitoring Report July - December 2020 1 Executive Summary 1 Climate-Friendly Agribusiness Value Chains Sector (CFAVC) Project supports the implementation of the government’s Agricultural Development Strategy to 2025 by boosting the competitiveness of rice value chains (VC) in Khammouane (KHM), Saravan (SRV) and Savannakhet (SVK) provinces, and vegetable value chains in Vientiane Capital (VTE), Champasak (CPS) and Sekong (SK) provinces. 2 During the reporting period, progress was made in completing inception phase and final report, consultations (47 consultations with 810 participants (676 males (M) and 134 females (F)), all proposed subproject screening and categorization (302 subprojects in total), prepare and conduct social safeguards training to provincial authorities, draft PIB was prepared, and operationalize GRM, voluntary donation processes, monitoring and prepare TOR for external monitoring agency (EMA). 3 The project implementation monitoring in the reporting period was established. Total of 302 subprojects have been proposed, which is an increase to previous reporting period mainly as Vientiane Province borehole subprojects has been newly included to the list by NPMO. Majority of the proposed subprojects so far have been screened and categorized for involuntary resettlement (IR) and indigenous peoples (IP) impacts. GRM has been set up in December 2020, but still requires operationalization at PPIU and District levels. 4 As detailed engineering designs (DED) are not started yet, there is nothing to report on actual project implementation process in terms of preparation of due diligence reports (DDR), land acquisition and resettlement plans (LARP) or Indigenous Peoples Plans (IPP). Preparation of simplified forms for these is expected in the next reporting period. 5 In the reporting period, the project is in compliance of the social safeguards related covenants. Summary of project key information and project activities within the reporting period is given in Table below. Table 1.1 Progress Summary Project Number and 48409-004 Climate-Friendly Agribusiness Value Chains Sector Project Title Indigenous Peoples B Social Safeguards Category Involuntary B Resettlement Reporting period July - December 2020 Last report date 27 January 2021 Design and planning (a) Completion of inception report (b) Completion of priority subproject selection (c) Completion of screening for 2020 priority subprojects (d) Training of trainers on IR and IP issues, as well as GRM Key project activities (e) Agreement on pond subprojects (LAR and voluntary donation), since last report (f) Preparation of necessary forms and PIB (g) Agreement on poverty definition and notifying engineers on the need of inclusion of safeguard requirement in bidding documents (h) Established monitoring procedures and EMA TOR (i) Screening of subprojects (2021 onwards) Affected Households/ None identified with adverse impact in the reporting period Affected People ADB Grant 0585-LAO 4 G0585-Lao: Climate-Friendly Agribusiness Value Chains Sector Project Semi-Annual Safeguards Monitoring Report July - December 2020 Voluntary donation None identified willing or eligible to donate in the reporting period 6 Pending issues and planned activities for the next reporting period are preparing LARP and DDR simplified formats, start due diligence for priority subprojects with impact or voluntary donation, prepare commune level livelihoods and social development systems, conduct social safeguards training to design contractor, verify monitoring indicators, and recruit EMA. ADB Grant 0585-LAO 5 G0585-Lao: Climate-Friendly Agribusiness Value Chains Sector Project Semi-Annual Safeguards Monitoring Report July - December 2020 2 Introduction 2.1 Background of the Report 7 This Semi-Annual Social Safeguard Monitoring report covers the Project inception period and start of implementation phase from July to December 2020. The project background has not changed since the last reporting period. 2.2 Basic Data 8 The key data for the Loan and Grant implementation is shown in table below as per reporting period. There have been no changes in project basic data since the last reporting period. Table 2.1 Project Basic Data ADB Grant number: 0585-LAO