Capacity Building, Training and Technical Assistance

The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) will be the Executing Agency of the Program to Build Resilience for Food and Nutrition Security in the Horn- Ethiopia Component, responsible for overall coordinating implementation within the four Pastoral Regions of Afar, Somali, Oromia and SNNP. However, the Federal Project Coordination Unit (FPCU) for DRSLP is designated by MOA to coordinate the day-to-day operations of the HORN project in the four pastoral regions. The MOA has an Environment and Climate Change Directorate which is the focal unit designated for the overall review, clearance and monitoring of ESIAs of federal related projects. For the Horn Project in Ethiopia, the ES Safeguards Specialist of the FPCU will play central role in capacity building, coordinating and monitoring of ESMP and preparation of periodic ES Compliance reports. As the HORN Project covers only the four pastoral regions, the review, clearance and monitoring of ESIAs is the mandate of the Regional Environment and Climate Change Bureau/Authority. This ESIA refers to 13 specific sites where large scale multi-purpose water supply schemes will be implemented in Somali region.

At decentralized level, the Somali Regional Project Coordination Unit (RPCU) and Woreda Project Coordination Units (WPCUs) will coordinate the project at their respective levels. The RPCU will have a dedicated ES Safeguards Specialist who will coordinate implementation and monitoring of ESMP in close cooperation with Somali Regional Environment, Forestry and Climate Change Bureau (EFCCB). At the lower administration level, the Woreda Environment, Forestry and Climate Change Office will handle the coordinate implementation and monitoring of ESMP.

As indicated above, the implementation of project interventions will be carried out in a decentralized fashion and the environmental and social requirements will be applied at the woreda level. Woreda level government offices staff (including EFCC Office) do not have the necessary capacity to apply these safeguards instruments effectively. Staffs from different actors at all levels will therefore need further training to ensure appropriate implementation of safeguard issues for the project as well as their implementation; and to ensure adequate monitoring. Capacity building training plan should be developed: -

✓ to enhance the capacity of all implementing entities at the Federal, Regional and Woreda level so that each level will be able to implement and monitor the execution of safeguard instruments; and

✓ to enhance capacity of community level public administrative structures (Kebele Administration) and community-based traditional institutions to actively participate and monitor issues related to triggered safeguards.

Given limited capacity at decentralized level, effective implementation of safeguards instruments will require the support from FPCUs and RPCU. The Social and Environmental Safeguard Specialist at FPCU will be responsible to assist the regional experts, the woreda experts and key stakeholders in terms of facilitating awareness and trainings on Safeguards management issues relevant to the project.

8.1.1 Institutional Capacity Assessment

The project interventions will be undertaken in a decentralized approach and the safeguards instruments (ESIA and an enhanced social assessment) requirements will be applied at the woreda level and in some cases at regional level. Woreda level EFCC offices do not have the essential capacity to apply these safeguards instruments effectively. GoE staff at all levels will therefore need training to

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strengthen social and environmental impact assessments for the specific sites of the project as well as their implementation; and to ensure adequate monitoring. Additionally, specific training and capacity building to grassroots government staff (Development Agents/DAs) and Community Leaders (Kebele Development Committee/KDC) who will be involved in implementation and monitoring of the multipurpose water supply scheme in their respective areas.

8.1.2 Technical capacity building

In view of the above-mentioned apparent shortcomings, sufficient knowledge on environmental management principles, implementation, follow-up monitoring and impact mitigation is a necessity.

Training and awareness creation is required at different levels of implementation for project implementing agencies. The capacity building training plan will be developed to (i) enhance the capacity of all implementing entities mainly at Woreda and regional level to be able implement and monitor the execution of the safeguards instruments, and (ii) to enhance capacity of community level public administrative structures and community-based institutions to monitor the implementation of the safeguard’s instruments.

As the need is indicated by the Performance Reviews or M&E activities, refresher courses will also be prepared and delivered during the life of the project. Parallel to this, capacity-building trainings focusing on the following major aspects, among others, should be provided for project implementers at Federal, regional, Woreda and Kebele levels: -

• Legal and policy frameworks of the GoE and AfDB, relevant to environmental and social safeguards issues.

• Environmental and Social Assessment Procedures for drought resilience plan.

• Design and operationalization of Grievances Redress Mechanism.

• COVID prevention for program stakeholders.

• Development of a Manual of good environmental practices and safety standards for the program stakeholders.

• Training on environmental and social safeguards, Environmental and Social Assessment Tools (Environmental and Social Impact Studies, Environmental and Social Management Plan, Environmental Audit, etc.) to actors who are responsible for ensuring the integration of the environmental and social safeguards of sub-projects (ESS expert, Monitoring and evaluation expert, Procurement expert, etc.).

• The training involved in the management of environmental and social safeguards on the ISS of the AfDB and Ethiopia safeguards policies and procedures for environmental and social.

• Training on prevention and management of cross border conflict using customary and formal laws and traditional institutions in pastoral and agro pastoral areas,

• Gender mainstreaming in program,

• Reporting, monitoring and follow-up the implementation of ESMP/ESIA etc.;

Especial attention should be given to regional and Woreda Project staff, Environmental experts, Woreda Administration and other stakeholders from the Regional Bureau Environmental, Forest and Climate Change, Bureau of Livestock Resource and Pastoral Development, Bureaus of water Resource development, etc., that will be involved in the project for the effective implementation of Environmental and Social safeguards.

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Furthermore, the EFCC technical staff at Woreda level will provide specific and practical capacity building and trainings to kebele community structures who are involved in the monitoring of ESS at grass root level. The safeguard unit at FPCU should plan to provide at least one capacity building trainings on annual basis for the region pertinent staff on environmental and social safeguards management.

Following this training, the RPCU and EFCC Bureau at regional level and EFCC staff at Woreda level should design a means to expand and cascade this training to grass root level through the provision of awareness creation interventions to Woreda level technical and experts, administration staff and community level representatives.

At the AfDB level, efforts to provide and coordinate capacity building for Federal and regional safeguards experts in the form of exposure visits and experience sharing with other program benefited countries will be designed. In this regard best experiences can be extracted from member countries with in AfDB and neighboring countries which are implementing similar projects.

Such experience sharing trainings and exposure visits should focus on cross cutting issue mainly on how to promote Resilience initiatives in the horn of Africa, Climate adaptation and mitigation measures, ISS (Integrated Safeguards Management System) of AfDB and ESAP which can significantly accelerate the project interventions in member countries, including Ethiopia.

8.1.3 Institutional strengthening measures

For effective implementation of the ESMP and ESIA, technical assistance is required at Federal, region, Woreda and local (Kebele) level to build the capacity of the staff to discharge their responsibilities as per the requirements set out in this ESMP/ESIA as follow;

1. Recruit an environmental and social safeguard specialist for federal PCU and one for each of the four regionals PCU, and appointment of Safeguard focal person for each program implementing woreda that will report to Woreda Project Coordinator and regional ES Safeguard specialist. The safeguard specialist tasks will include;

• Assist in environmental and social screening task,

• Choice of mitigation measures,

• Sharing of HoA safeguard activities and reports to appropriate institutions,

• Conduct of environmental and social monitoring and learning for the project,

• Organize capacity building training and experience sharing on environmental and social safeguards tools to project implementation staffs and relevant stakeholders.

2. Develop partnership and collaboration with federal and regional institutions in charge of overseeing environmental and social impacts and assessment of development projects.

3. Mainstreaming environmental and social management into the project to integrate the tools and recommendations of the safeguard documents into the manuals and management procedures and in the preparation of project budget. This would strengthen inclusion of legislative, regulatory and institutional frameworks in management and support procedures.

4. Updating the ESMP/ESIA (program, schedule and budget): At federal and regional level there is a need for some flexibility for adapting the ESMP/ESIA of the project to changing context and reality to reflect the changes in the project, budget and the implementation schedule.

5. Organizing ESMP best practice and lesson sharing with stakeholders as well as with other projects implemented by the public and NGO in similar thematic and context.

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6. Adoption by the project Codes of Conduct and action plan for the implementation of Environmental and social, health and safety (ESHS) and occupational health and safety (OHS) standards and the prevention of violence based on gender (GBV) and violence against children (VAC). This measure involves getting the project to adopt a set of key definitions, codes of conduct and guidelines. The application of these Codes of Conduct will make it conceivable to ensure that the project meets its objectives in terms of ESHS and OHS standards, as well as to prevent and/or mitigate the risks of GBV and VAC on the project site and in the local communities.