EBRD-NGO Newsletter Keeping you up-to-date with the EBRD EBRD promotes September 2008 road safety In this edition In an attempt to identify effective in their prime working years. Welcome to the NGO Newsletter 13 ways of reducing road deaths and Brigita Schmögnerová, EBRD injuries in developing countries, Vice President for Environment, This issue provides an insight into how the more than 100 representatives Procurement and Administration, EBRD prepares new country strategies as from local governments, regional pointed out that casualties from well as a write-up of the recent EBRD-hosted development banks, donor road accidents have increased conference on road safety in developing governments, UN agencies, road by more than 30 per cent in the countries. safety experts and NGOs gathered EBRD’s countries of operations, at the Bank’s headquarters on costing almost 2 per cent of GDP There is also a report on the recent Board 4 July 2008 for a conference annually. consultation visit to Russia, selected entitled “Making Roads Safe”. The EBRD views improvements projects and our new publications. As always, The event was co-organised by in health and safety as an integral we keep you up-to-date with our consultation the EBRD, the FIA Foundation, part of the transition process in the World Bank Global meetings as well as key policies and its countries of operations. Since Road Safety Facility and the strategies that are under review. 1991, the Bank has invested €2.7 Commission for Global Road billion in 51 safer road projects Safety. in 21 countries from Central The main focus of the conference Asia to the Western Balkans. was on the global impact of road EBRD experts emphasise that traffic injuries. It also showed identifying road design flaws and how road safety is closely then improving safety features connected with the international can be one of the most rapid and development and poverty cost effective ways to reduce road agendas. casualties, which in turn has a strong economic impact. The conference heard from a high-level panel that included The follow-up discussion focused Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, on concrete ways of ensuring that Chairman of the Commission for all internationally funded road Global Road Safety; Costa Rica’s projects in developing countries Minister of Transport, Karla meet tough criteria for safety Gonzalez; the head of Nigeria’s assessment and design. road safety commission, Osita The meeting concluded with The EBRD invests in safer roads in its region Chidoka; the head of Russia’s the agreement that it should be road safety department, Victor possible to develop a common Kiryanov, and President of PIARC statement of principles on road (the World Road Association), infrastructure safety by the time Colin Jordan. of the UN Ministerial Conference Thomas Mirow, President of the in Russia in 2009. EBRD and host of the conference, Road safety is closely said that road crashes are the For more information visit: connected with world’s leading cause of death www.ebrd.com/country/ the international among young people and have a à sector/trport/conference disproportionate effect on those development agenda September 2008 EBRD-NGO Newsletter 1 For more information visit: Interview à www.ebrd.com/about/strategy Country strategies at the EBRD Interview with Alan Rousso, Director for Strategy and Analysis What is the purpose of the EBRD’s and published online. CSs in both English and local language are also available in hard copy at the country strategies (CSs)? relevant RO. Unlike other IFIs, the EBRD does not do programmatic or policy-based lending; rather it is a How is the input from civil society project-focused institution, which works mostly with Alan Rousso taken into account? the private sector. The EBRD’s CSs are designed to assess a country’s overall operational environment Civil society organisations play an important role in which the Bank’s projects will be done, including in the formulation of CSs. The EBRD’s bankers the key transition challenges and the ways in which in its countries of operations, as well as political Bank instruments can be used to address them. counsellors and economists, regularly meet with Strategies are not business plans, with operational various CSOs, including NGOs, media, academics, volume targets based on different lending scenarios, think tanks, and so on to obtain their input about but instead are documents in which the Bank seeks the operational environment in the relevant country. to anticipate and prioritise the types of projects and The Bank The CSOs’ expertise provides a valuable contribution sectors where the Bank will operate based on the seeks to from our stakeholders to the overall text of the CS and Annexes, including in the political assessment. progress in transition and the Bank’s comparative anticipate advantage. Importantly, we always try to align our Other units in the Bank conduct useful discussions strategy with the corresponding government’s own and with civil society. For example, during the due assessment of strategic priorities, so that there is a prioritise diligence process, the EBRD’s environmental and spirit of partnership in implementing the strategy. the types social experts consult all types of CSOs. Last but not Of course, in some cases the Bank’s assessment of least, Board Directors are regularly exposed to the structural and institutional reform challenges may of projects issues important to CSOs during their visits to the diverge from those of the authorities in a country of and sectors countries and regions of operations. operations, and this can become a focal point of our where it will Once the draft strategy is available for public policy dialogue with the government. operate comment, all stakeholders should play a role. Until now, dialogue with CSOs at the strategy level has How are country strategies prepared? not been particularly good. In contrast, the Bank Which teams are involved? has had good policy and project-level dialogue, for example in discussions about the Sakhalin or BTC The relevant country team within the Banking pipeline projects and the new Environmental and department takes the lead in the process. It works Social Policy (ESP). It is very important that a very closely with the Office of Chef Economist, similarly productive dialogue should be conducted which identifies key transition challenges as well with the Bank staff during the preparation of CSs. as providing a detailed political and economic assessment. The country team also involves sectoral The implementation of the new Public Information teams and other relevant units in the Bank in the Civil society Policy gives an opportunity for CSOs to review process of drafting the document. expertise the whole draft country strategy and provide their feedback within 45 days instead of 30 previously. Country strategy preparation lasts 25-26 weeks. provides This is a significant improvement over past practice The outline and summary of the CS are discussed a valuable where only a short management note and the by senior management. The draft strategy is then contribution previous CS were posted during the consultation prepared and discussed with other IFIs and the period. government before it is submitted to the Board to country for discussion at a Board workshop. After the strategies The Bank’s staff have readily engaged with CSOs. workshop, the draft CS is posted on the Bank’s web This has been demonstrated through our meetings site for the public to comment via a dedicated email with CSOs throughout the year as well as during the address. The revised draft CS is submitted for Board Annual Meetings both in London and our countries consideration and approval alongside a report on of operations where CSOs have the opportunity to public comments and staff responses. discuss issues and concerns with the Bank’s staff, senior management, the President and the Board. The final strategy and the report on public We encourage a more active dialogue with CSOs not comments and staff responses are then published only regarding our projects and policies but also on the Bank’s web site. Finally, the strategy is during reviews of our country strategies. translated into the official language of the country 2 EBRD-NGO Newsletter September 2008 For more information visit: Dialogue à www.ebrd.com/oppor CSOs meet EBRD Board Directors A delegation of Board Directors society. The following NGOs undertook a fact-finding took part in the meeting: Baltic visit to Russia from 14-20 Fund for Nature, Bellona, Save September 2008 to find out Yuntolovo, ECOM, Friends of the more about the Sverdlovskaya Baltic, Citizen’s watch and the and Leningradskaya oblasts. Strategy Centre. During the visit, directors met CSOs shared their views about with senior government officials, a variety of topics, ranging from parliamentarians, various St Petersburg, Russia environmental issues to human representatives of the business rights protection and concerns community in Yekaterinburg about lack of transparency. The and St Petersburg as well as NGO representatives provided with members of civil society in an overview of constraints in St Petersburg. the country’s environmental Accompanied by Bruno Balvanera, legislation, the implementation of Head of the St Petersburg public-private partnership (PPP) Resident Office, and Biljana projects, such as the Western Radonjic Ker-Lindsay, CSO High Speed Diameter, as well as Relations Manager, the directors public access to EIAs and other met with representatives of project-related documents. leading local NGOs to discuss For more information visit: various issues of concern to civil à www.ebrd.com/oppor/ngo Yekaterinburg, Russia Further reading Gender In July the EBRD launched the external stakeholders. The special EBRD President Thomas Mirow joined fourth annual Sustainability focus chapter looks at the water nearly 100 other leaders across the world in Report.