PROJECT INFORMATION DOCUMENT (PID) CONCEPT STAGE

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1 Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Project Name Region Country Sector(s) PROJECT INFORMATION DOCUMENT (PID) CONCEPT STAGE Yemen Civil Society Organization Support Project (P146312) MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Yemen, Republic of Report No.: PIDC1177 Other social services (50%), Sub-national government administration (50%) Theme(s) Other social development (100%) Lending Instrument Investment Project Financing Project ID P Borrower(s) Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor Implementing Agency Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor Environmental C-Not Required Category Date PID Prepared/ 26-Aug-2013 Updated Date PID Approved/ 27-Jan-2014 Disclosed Estimated Date of Appraisal Completion 03-Jan-2014 Estimated Date of 28-Feb-2014 Board Approval Concept Review Track II - The review did authorize the preparation to continue Decision I. Introduction and Context Country Context In 2011, Yemen ranked 154 out of 187 countries on the Human Development Index and had a GDP of US$ 1,209 (Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)). Having just emerged from a difficult and protracted transition, Yemen today faces a complex set of developmental challenges. Rapid population growth of over 3 percent a year, lack of clear alternatives to an oil economy, rapidly depleting water reserves, poor infrastructure with inadequate access to basic services for the majority of the population and acute gender inequality are amongst the most critical of these development challenges. According to the 2012 World Economic Forum s Global gender gap report, Yemen continues to occupy the last place in the region as well as in the overall ranking of 135 countries. For example, women s illiteracy in Yemen is 76 percent, compared to 30 percent for men and only 7.6 percent of women over 25 have completed secondary education. Since the unification in 1990, Yemen has been grappling with establishing a pluralistic political system within a unified nationstate. With the onset of the Arab Spring in 2010, Yemen witnessed a strong and wide-based wave of Page 1 of 6

2 protests and demands for jobs, good governance and political and social change. Following a subsequent power transfer agreement, President Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down after 33 years in power. Elections took place on February 21, 2012, and Abdo Rabbo Mansoor Hadi assumed office as the new President. Yemen has embarked on a political transition process since the transfer of power in February One of the most important elements in the transition process, was the initiation of the National Dialogue mid-march, a process in which all forces and political actors, including youth, the Southern Movement, the Houthis, other political parties, civil society representatives and women participate to address fundamental issues in Yemen s future. These issues include drafting a new constitution, Southern concerns over centralized governance in Sanaa, relations with Houthi combatants, concerns over governance (civil service, judiciary, and local governance), national reconciliation and priorities for sustainable economic development and the rights of vulnerable groups such as women and children. Although the implementation of the National Dialogue is progressing well, Yemen faces significant risks if reforms do not materialize quickly and if substantive changes are not perceived by the population. Although fragmented along various social and political fault lines, civil society organizations (CSOs) in Yemen are amongst the most vibrant and dynamic in the MNA region. Before the transition process in 2011, about 7,000 CSOs were registered across different sectors, most of them being welfare oriented and located in urban centers. Limited participation of women, youth and marginalized groups, as well as growing attempts by the Government to control CSO activities characterized the CSO sphere. CSOs did not have a strong role in service delivery and had limited impact in holding the Government accountable or in establishing appropriate mechanisms to voice community needs and grievances. The current transition has brought new opportunities for CSOs to engage constructively with the Government and donors on development and reform programs. Similarly, the Government of National Reconciliation (GNR) has a unique opportunity to harness the constructive engagement emerging in Yemeni civil society in order to collectively address complex reform issues and support the immediate transition and longer term state-building. The World Bank s 2010 Yemen Civil Society Landscape report highlighted CSOs aspiration to creating a participation mechanism to promote CSOs participation, and the Government s interest to work with committed CSOs as development partners. Sectoral and Institutional Context The GNR and International donors are supportive of an augmented role for CSOs in effective service delivery, participation, and decentralization programs. In the Riyadh conference in September 2012, the GNR and donors reaffirmed their commitment to work with CSOs as key development partners. This was specifically mentioned as one of the pillars in Yemen s Mutual Accountability Framework (MAF), which also emphasized the need to focus on women and youth in both economic and governance realms. These developments signal an increasing recognition among the GNR and the donor community that CSOs constructive engagement, particularly in areas that impact women, youth as well as other marginalized groups, will contribute to a peaceful and successful transition and to more inclusive and sustainable development in Yemen. The political transition in Yemen has created opportunities for CSOs to engage constructively with the Government and donors although the GNR and CSOs remain uncertain how to take advantage of these opportunities. Engaging with Yemeni CSOs is increasingly being seen as a necessity and an important link between the state and citizens. The opportunity for CSOs to play their role as social Page 2 of 6

3 intermediaries is creating space for constructive dialogue between the Government and CSOs and highlighting new needs and demand for technical assistance from the donor community to ensure such collaboration occurs in an effective and productive manner. CSO Mapping and Capacity Assessment findings show that at present, 8317 CSOs are registered in Yemen, with 24 percent of this total coming into existence since It suggests that local CSOs suffer from a number of deficits including: a high turnover rate of membership and employees, poor internal governance, and a lack of transparency and consistency in administrative processes and financial management. A strong dependence on donor funding also impacts CSO s work with many frequently adjusting their portfolios to donor priorities rather than to their constituencies' needs and priorities or their particular expertise. Strengths in the CSO community include geographic diversity and the multi-sectoral focus of many organizations. Many CSOs have young and energetic leadership intent on improving the effectiveness of their organizations and have an increased familiarity with new technologies and social media. CSOs also enjoy a relatively good reputation in regard to their field presence, advocacy and service delivery practices in the communities where they work and thus have a high potential for channeling the voices of citizens to government and vice versa for more participation and inclusion in development programs. There is also an important opening in Yemen at present to encourage the integration of social accountability approaches in CSOs work, including increased CSO engagement in monitoring and assessing government performance, particularly providing feedback on, and voicing demand for, improved service delivery. Citizen engagement through CSOs as social intermediaries enables communities to voice their needs and priorities to policymakers and enables service providers to be more responsive. CSOs also see the present transition as an important opportunity to participate in setting standards within the CSO sector, and to advocate for reforms such as a new Law of Associations, and a transparent registration process. Relationship to CAS The proposed CSO Support Project links to the ISN pillar (iii) enhancing governance and local service delivery, accountability, capacity building, and institutional strengthening. Additionally, the proposed project is in line with the ISN s implementation principles of: (a) intensifying participation and inclusion, especially among women and young people; (b) strengthening institutional capacity, internal governance, transparency, and accountability; and (c) establishing accountable institutional systems, certification of CSOs and their network partners, to ensure a level playing field in the respective sectoral/geographical areas of engagement. Through reforming both the regulatory framework and the registration process, and by supporting networking, capacity building and small grants for action-learning, the proposed project will improve the legal and institutional operating environment of CSOs. In parallel it will equip CSOs with greater capacity to help them become viable development partners. As mentioned in the ISN, this will help promote a more inclusive implementation of various sectoral development programs, complementary to those of the Government, conduct third-party monitoring activities, and increase citizen voice and participation. Women especially will stand to benefit from the project. The recent Yemen Civil Society Assessment (June 2013) revealed that of the CSOs surveyed, 60 percent reported the topic of gender equality and empowerment in their current scope of work ranking the concentration on gender as number 1 among a list of 21 development topics. As such, the improved Page 3 of 6

4 operating environment as well as increased legal support and capacity building availed to CSOs is expected to have a positive impact on the ability of such organizations to deliver targeted services to their female beneficiaries. The establishment of transparent and accountable institutional systems, capacity building and certification of CSOs, will enhance good governance and ensure a level playing field in the respective sectoral and geographical areas of engagement. The design of the proposed project will be informed by the findings of the FY13 CSO Mapping and Capacity Assessment (P143633), and will contribute directly to enhancing the development impact of the FY13-15 Government-CSO Partnership Project (P144665) by promoting the necessary enabling environment to facilitate stronger collaboration and partnership between the public entities and civic sectors. More broadly, it will also complement and bridge other donor supported programs. Inclusive partnerships will give voice to various groups, including women and youth, and promote responsive and accountable service delivery. These activities are critical for rebuilding trust as well as the legitimacy of state institutions, and will contribute to reducing social tensions. II. Proposed Development Objective(s) Proposed Development Objective(s) (From PCN) The proposed project aims to strengthen transparency and governance in the CSO sector and, enhance CSO capacity to support social accountability and development. Key Results (From PCN) The expected key results of the CSO Support Project at the PDO level are: a. Establishment of a transparent and accessible CSO registration and licensing system as well as an updated CSO database under MoSAL;(progress will be measured by the increase in the number of registered CSOs, their geographic distribution, their gender focus and the time it takes for them to complete the registration process) b. Enhanced awareness of regulatory requirement for creating a CSO enabling environment c. Establishment of a CSO capacity-building and certification program that integrates social accountability approach and tools; (progress will be measured by Number of CSOs disaggregated data by geography, sector, and related subsectors, etc. that are trained and certified) d. Enhanced engagement of citizens in social accountability practices used by certified CSOs engaged in delivery of basic services through the action-learning small-grants program; (progress will be measured by the number of direct project beneficiaries engaged in small grant program activities, disaggregated by gender, and age group, and poverty level as documented in government records for the purpose of national poverty reduction); e. Projects implemented by CSOs that incorporate social accountability approaches and tools into their activities; (progress will be measured by number of certified CSOs that integrate social accountability approach and tools into their projects). III. Preliminary Description Concept Description The project will consist of two mutually reinforcing components that will address the enabling environment at the national level, and CSO engagement at the local level: Component One - Enabling Institutional and Legal Environment Page 4 of 6

5 For CSOs to operate transparently and engage constructively with development partners, the project will: (i) support MoSAL in reforming the legal and institutional framework concerning CSO activity, (ii) establish an E-registration process by providing hardware and adapted software in Arabic to improve transparency in, outreach of, and accessibility to the CSO registration process. Alternative design elements would be considered to ensure accessibility of CSOs with limited Internet access. This component will also support MoSAL in terms of outreach and consultation on institutional and regulatory frameworks to build stakeholder buy-in, knowledge of, and ownership of the reforms as well as improve transparency and participation by building sustainable channels of communications with CSOs. Component Two- CSOs Capacity Building, Certification and Small Grants for Action Learning Component 2 will consist of a three-phased capacity building program that will be complemented by Small Grants for Action Learning. CSOs will receive a certification that will make them eligible to apply for small grants in order to implement projects that integrate social accountability mechanisms, processes and tools. Component 2 will be implemented in partnership with Sana a and Aden Universities. This component will utilize a multi-phased approach around the following three modules and subsequent small grant: i. Module 1: CSO Project Management, Procurement and Financial Management, ii. Module 2: CSO Networking and Self-Regulation, iii. Module 3: Social Accountability Concept and Tools iv. Small Grants Program for Action Learning IV. Safeguard Policies that might apply Safeguard Policies Triggered by the Project Yes No TBD Environmental Assessment OP/BP 4.01 Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 Forests OP/BP 4.36 Pest Management OP 4.09 Physical Cultural Resources OP/BP 4.11 Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP 4.12 Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 Projects on International Waterways OP/BP 7.50 Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP 7.60 V. Financing (in USD Million) Total Project Cost: 8.00 Total Bank Financing: 8.00 Financing Gap: 0.00 Financing Source Amount BORROWER/RECIPIENT 0.00 IDA Grant 8.00 Page 5 of 6

6 Total 8.00 VI. Contact point World Bank Contact: Najat Yamouri Title: Senior Social Development Specialist Tel: Borrower/Client/Recipient Name: Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor Contact: Dr. Nabeel Alshoybe Title: Tel: Implementing Agencies Name: Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor Contact: Nabeel Alsohybe Title: Deputy Minister of Labor Tel: VII. For more information contact: The InfoShop The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, D.C Telephone: (202) Fax: (202) Web: Page 6 of 6