Date of Submission to Coordination Unit:
January 24th, 2013
A. GENERAL INFORMATION
1. Activity Name
Government-Civil Society Organizations Partnership Project
2. Requestor Information
Name: Dr. Mohammed Ahmed Ali Al-Hawri
Title: Deputy Minister for Economic Studies and
Forecasts
Organization and Address: Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation
Telephone:+ 967 711 941 100
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
3. Recipient Entity
Name: Dr. Mohammed Ahmed Ali Al-Hawri
Title: Deputy Minister for Economic Studies and
Forecasts
Organization and Address: Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, Sana’a
Telephone: + 967 711 941 100
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
4. ISASC Representative
Name: Junaid Kamal Ahmad
Organization and Address: The World Bank
MSN J6-179
1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433 USA
Telephone: +1 202 458 1340
Title: Sector Director, MNSSD, Middle East and North
Africa Region
Email:[email protected]
5. Type of Execution (check the applicable box)
Type
Country-Execution
√
Joint Country/ISA-Execution
Endorsements
Attach written endorsement
from designated ISA
Attach written endorsement
from designated ISA
Justification
GoY will execute the majority of the grant,
Components 2 and 3. The World Bank will
execute Component 1, a minority component of
the project.
Specifically, the preparation and organization of
the National Learning Forum and associated
technical assistance and coalition building
expertise. The Forum will present and distill
lessons learnt from successful government-CSOs
partnerships in countries that experienced
similar transitions and the Bank, with its
international experience, is better placed to
implement this component.
ISA-Execution for Country
ISA-Execution for
Parliaments
Attach written endorsement
from designated ISA
Attach written endorsements
from designated Ministry and
ISA
6. Geographic Focus
√
Individual country (name of country): Republic of Yemen
Regional or multiple countries (list countries):
7. Amount Requested (USD)
Amount Requested for direct Project Activities:
(of which Amount Requested for direct ISA-Executed Project Activities):
Amount Requested for ISA Indirect Costs: 1
Total Amount Requested:
US$ 1.50 million
(US$ 0.50 million)
US$ 218.700
US$ 1.718.700
8. Expected Project Start, Closing and Final Disbursement Dates
Start Date:
June 30, 2013
Closing
Date:
June 30, 2015
End Disbursement
Date:
December 31, 2015
9. Pillar(s) to which Activity Responds
Pillar
Primary
Secondary
(One only)
(All that apply)
Pillar
Investing in Sustainable Growth.
Enhancing Economic Governance.
This could include such topics as
innovation and technology policy,
enhancing the business environment
(including for small and medium-sized
enterprises as well as for local and foreign
This could include areas such as
transparency,
anti-corruption
and
accountability policies, asset recovery,
public
financial
management
and
oversight, public sector audit and
1
Primary
Secondary
(One only)
(All that apply)
X
ISA indirect costs are for grant preparation, administration, management (implementation support/supervision) including
staff time, travel, consultant costs, etc.
investment
promotion), competition
policy, private sector development
strategies, access to finance, addressing
urban congestion and energy intensity.
Inclusive Development and Job
Creation. This could include support of
policies for integrating lagging regions,
skills and labor market policies, increasing
youth employability, enhancing female
labor force participation, integrating
people with disabilities, vocational
training, pension reform, improving job
conditions and regulations, financial
inclusion, promoting equitable fiscal
policies and social safety net reform.
evaluation, integrity, procurement reform,
regulatory quality and administrative
simplification, investor and consumer
protection, access to economic data and
information,
management
of
environmental and social impacts,
capacity building for local government and
decentralization, support for the Open
Government Partnership, creation of new
and innovative government agencies
related to new transitional reforms,
reform of public service delivery in the
social and infrastructure sectors, and
sound banking systems.
X
Competitiveness and Integration.
This could include such topics as logistics,
behind-the-border
regulatory
convergence,
trade
strategy
and
negotiations, planning and facilitation of
cross-border
infrastructure,
and
promoting and facilitating infrastructure
projects, particularly in the areas of urban
infrastructure, transport, trade facilitation
and private sector development.
B. STRATEGIC CONTEXT
10. Country and Sector Issues
Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MNA) region, faces daunting development
challenges. With a GDP per capita of US$1,209 (PPP), Yemen ranked 154 out of 187 countries in the 2011 Human
Development Index. Rapid population growth of over 3% 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 development challenges Yemen is confronted with. Since the
unification in 1990, Yemen has been grappling with establishing a pluralistic political system within a unified nationstate. With the Arab Spring uprising, protests in Yemen started against unemployment and weak governance,
escalating to specific demands for 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
AbdoRabboMansoorHadi assumed office as the new President.
Since the transfer of power in 2011, Yemen has embarked on a political transition process. The Government of
National Reconciliation (GNR) was formed and confirmed by the Parliament in December 2011. Although the
implementation of the National Dialogue is largely on track, Yemen faces uncertainties that come with political and
economic transitions.
Civil society organizations (CSOs) in Yemen are one of the most vibrant and dynamic in the MNA region. The current
transition has brought new opportunities for CSOs to engage constructively with the Government and donors on
development and reform programs. 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 role of CSOs in effective service delivery, participation, and decentralization programs has been embraced by the
GNR and the donor community. In the Riyadh conference in September 2012, the GNR and donors reaffirmed their
commitment to partner 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 have opened a unique window of opportunity to
strengthen CSOs’ constructive engagement with the Government, particularly in areas that impact women, youth as
well as other marginalized groups. Government-CSOs partnership will contribute to a peaceful and successful
transition preparing the ground for more inclusive and sustainable development in Yemen.
For the first time in Yemen’s modern history, CSOs have an explicit mandate to engage actively with Government
counterparts. With the country facing transition challenges, engaging with Yemeni CSOs is no longer seen as an
opportunity but a necessity, as it has the potential of building a sustainable link between the state and citizens,
channeling the voices of Yemenis to government entities and reaching out to women, youth and marginalized groups
while helping to hold the Government accountable.
CSOs, youth and women’s groups, in the current transition in Yemen, are seeking to enhance their legitimacy and
enhance their voice vis-à-vis the Government and the society at large. Many of these formal and informal
organizations have been driving the recent change in the country and are also giving voice to various marginalized
groups. The transformation of civic participation during the current transition has created a unique opportunity for
constructive dialogue between the Government and CSOs that supports collaborative approaches to address
development challenges. It is crucial to take advantage of this historical window of opportunity, as Yemen embarks on
a two-year National Dialogue (until Spring 2014).
11. Alignment with Transition Fund Objective
The Government-CSOs Partnership Project is aligned with the objectives of the Transition Fund. It aims to support the
current transition and its immediate aftermath and will have a transformational impact. Specifically, through
facilitating an informed dialogue between line ministries and CSOs, and supporting their efforts to agree on a
Partnership and Mutual Accountability Framework (PMAF) with a results-oriented action plan for each targeted
sector, the project will help promote more inclusive implementation of various sectoral development programs. The
project will also help to establish sustainable dialogue channels between CSOs and the Government to better
articulate and implement development programs. The formulation of PMAF and sector action plans will also enhance
the development impact of donor supported programs.
12. Alignment with Country’s National Strategy
The GNR’s Transitional Program for Stability and Development (TPSD) lays out two main national priorities
addressing the political and economic transition for the next two years: 1) political and security stability and state
building, and 2) socio-economic recovery. The project supports the TPSD by building inclusive and sustainable
partnerships between the Government and CSOs. These partnerships, as shown by global experience can play an
important role in restoring confidence in the government’s ability to implement institutional change and in extending
the state’s capacity, particularly, in the area of service delivery. CSOs engagement with government institutions will
also help channeling community grievances that will, thus, be addressed more effectively and in a timely manner.
These actions are critical for rebuilding trust between stakeholders and the legitimacy of state institutions, which will
contribute to increasing stability and reducing the overall conflict risk in the country.
C. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
13. Project Objective
To enhance Government-CSOs partnership in the implementation and monitoring of sector development programs.
14. Project Components
Component One: Knowledge for Development Partnership (Bank-executed)
Objective: Foster joint learning of effective government-CSO partnerships to create an environment that promotes joint
priority setting and identification of complementarities and overlaps.
This component will finance the preparation and organization of the National Learning Forum with the support of
international experts in multi-stakeholder networking and coalition building. The Forum will gather government
representatives and CSO leaders from different governorates in Yemen. Government and CSO representatives from
the Philippines, Turkey and Indonesia, as well as the Palestinian NGO Development Center (NDC) representatives, will
present the demand and supply side perspective of their experiences and the enabling factors that supported their
partnerships as well as the roles played by each stakeholder in improving development results. This will help Yemeni
stakeholders better understand and contextualize the challenges and opportunities for partnership in the Yemeni context.
Component Two – Partnership and Mutual Accountability for Improved Participation and Inclusion
(Recipient-executed):
Objective: Facilitate and provide support to the Government and CSOs to develop a Government-CSOs PMAF as a joint
mechanism for effective collaboration and partnership.
This component will finance the organization of parallel dialogue sessions between line ministries and CSOs that are
active in the same development sectors to exchange views on sector development issues and priorities, and to identify
complementarities and overlaps between these stakeholder groups. These sessions will cover sector development
programs currently implemented, as well as the potential role of each stakeholder, in order to identify points of
convergence and synergy for collaboration. Inherent weaknesses in terms of participation and accountability in the
targeted sectors will be identified so that these can be meaningfully addressed with CSO involvement. Given the
donor-dependent nature of development programs in Yemen in general, and in CSOs activities in particular,
participation of key donors in some of the sessions will be crucial. Based on the outcome of the parallel dialogue
sessions, a draft PMAF will be formulated by experts/facilitators of multi-stakeholder coalition and partnership
building. The draft PMAF will be discussed and validated at a general meeting with all participants. The validated
PMAF in the targeted sectors will be submitted to MoPIC and largely disseminated.
Component Three – Sector Action Plans for Improved Development Results and Capacity Building Activities
(Recipient-executed):
Objective: Provide support to line ministries and CSOs to develop result-oriented action plans in selected sectors for a
collaborative implementation and/or monitoring of sector development projects on a pilot basis.
Given that any reform is a long-term process, and rests on the credibility of effectiveness of formal and informal
institutions, it is important to test the feasibility of the PMAF through sector-specific, results oriented action plans.
Building on the synergies that will have emerged in the parallel sector dialogue sessions, sector action plans will be
jointly formulated in select sectors by CSOs and line ministries collaboratively as a pilot initiative. The sector action
plans will attempt to operationalize the principles enshrined in the PMAF, thereby testing its sustainability and will
also shed light on the aspects that need to be refined, added or clarified. These action plans are expected to be
monitored by multi-stakeholder committees comprising officials from line ministries and CSO representatives.
Furthermore, a key mechanism for the sustainability of the Government-CSOs partnership will involve, at a later stage,
institutionalization of the PMAF action plans within ongoing Government and donor supported programs.
Recognizing the need to build the capacity of CSOs through action learning to implement and monitor inclusive
development projects while facilitating participation and giving voice to local communities and marginalized groups,
the project will dovetail CSOs’ capacity building needs with the ongoing World Bank capacity building program of
Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in the Arab World (ANSA-AW). Sector CSOs will participate in various
trainings on the approach and concept of social accountability.
15. Key Indicators Linked to Objectives
Results indicators for the project are:
1) Number of partnerships between government(s) and civil society organizations formalized;
2) Number of CSOs representing rural and urban constituencies participating in the partnership; and
3) Number of women and youth groups directly engaged in project activities.
D. IMPLEMENTATION
16. Partnership Arrangements (if applicable)
The primary partners of the proposed project are the Yemeni CSOs participating in the partnership. The findings of the
FY13 CSOs Mapping and Capacity Assessment study will shed light on the existing CSOs, and help to identify the CSOs
participating in the parallel sector dialogue sessions with the Government. The participation will reflect the variance in age,
gender and diversity of the CSO community in Yemen, and especially the CSOs led by and engaged in representing women
and youth will be called on to contribute and partake. The proposed project’s select pilot sectors will be identified in
consultation with sectors, MOPIC and line ministries after the completion of the mapping study and the proposed sectoral
dialogue sessions, and the participating CSOs will be mapped to the sectors where pilot sector action plans (SAPs) will be
implemented. Given the emphasis on service delivery and decentralization, the pilot sectors are likely to be from the health,
education, social protection, and water supply and sanitation sectors.
17. Coordination with Country-led Mechanism/Donor Implemented Activities
The GoY and donor community have been working through a variety of mechanisms to coordinate efforts and resources
towards Yemen’s socio-economic recovery. The work of the Joint Social and Economic Assessment, Transitional Plan for
Security and Development, Riyadh donor conference, Friends of Yemen meetings, and Mutual Accountability Framework
have all acted as fora and mechanisms to this end. This project will be linked to these ongoing mechanisms. It will provide
technical assistance and evidence-based policy advice that is responsive to and in line with the priorities and commitments of
the GoY. Involvement of the Government and other stakeholder agencies will be sought throughout the implementation of
the project.
The project complements other donor initiatives and will be implemented in close coordination with INGOs and Donors to
take advantage of synergies between different donor-funded activities. The team has undertaken consultations with a number
of donors working with CSOs in Yemen, and this project has strong potential complementarities with many planned and
ongoing activities, such as the EU’s Sharaka program and the USAID funded Yemen Responsive Governance Project, as
well as with activities implemented by Yemeni associations funded by Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Opportunities to
leverage results between this project and the other donors’ programs and initiatives will be sought throughout the project
implementation.
18. Institutional and Implementation Arrangements
Implementing Institution
The project counterpart is MoPIC, and the implementing agency will be the Public Works Project PMU. The ministry is
also the main counterpart for the FY13 CSO Mapping and Capacity Assessment study as well as the planned Civil
Society Support Project. MoPIC is well positioned to ensure a transparent and inclusive approach to promote all
stakeholders’ buy-in to the dialogue process, is a cross-sectoral ministry, which is key for the proposed project, and
has more leverage in terms of coordination with various line ministries, the Ministry of Social Affairs, CSOs and key
donors. Finally, MoPIC was also the counterpart ministry for the FY10 Stakeholder Mapping Study, having already
expressed interest to work with CSOs as development partners.
An individual local consultant will be hired to provide “in-house” support to MoPIC teams in terms of coordination
and implementation of the project activities, including follow up actions and liaison with the Public Works Project
PMU who will be responsible for all financial procurement aspects. This experienced PMU administers resources
from over 15 donors. It, concurrently, implements about 450 sub-projects, some of which are related to NGOs, and
ensures that donor funds are utilized in accordance with the rules and procedures of each donor transparently. The
PMU has proved its capacity to respond to donors’ criteria while taking into consideration the needs and constraints
of targeted groups. The ability of the PMU to report in a timely manner to different donors is remarkable, as well as its
monitoring capacity.
Bank-executed component:Component 1 will be Bank-executed, aims at distilling international and regional
experiences and presenting both the demand and supply side perspectives on government-CSO partnerships.
Component 1 will be Bank-executed given the Bank’s comparative advantage in terms of mobilizing South-South
knowledge sharing, access to various stakeholders representing the supply and demand side in other regions, as well
as in MNA. World Bank teams will also coordinate through World Bank country offices to bring in government
representatives from other countries as well as international experts.
19. Monitoring and Evaluation of Results
The Results Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) will be based on the PDO-level results indicators which will be
monitored to evaluate project’s performance towards the objectives. Monitoring and evaluation of project activities
will be integrated into each of the project components’ implementation. MoPIC will be responsible for results
monitoring and will submit an M&E report to the World Bank on a six months basis. The Bank will provide support for
the development of the project’s M&E system through technical advice provided by Bank staff and consultants, and
will support M&E through various management processes such as mid-term reviews and missions.
In addition to integrating the M&E into each project component, the Bank will execute an independent evaluation on
the results of the project using various methods as appropriate, including participants evaluation of dialogue sessions,
in-person interviews as well as focus groups representing both stakeholders (Government and CSOs representatives).
E. PROJECT BUDGETING AND FINANCING
20. Project Financing (including ISA Direct Costs2)
Cost by Component
Component One: Knowledge for Development
Partnership (ISA-executed)
Component Two: Partnership and Mutual
Accountability for Improved Participation and Inclusion
(Recipient-executed):
Component Three : Results-oriented Sector Action
Plans for Effective Development Results (Recipientexecuted):
Total Project Cost
Transition
Fund
(USD)
$500,000
Country CoFinancing
(USD)
Other CoFinancing
(USD)
Total
(USD)
$500,000
$550,000
$550,000
$450,000
$450,000
$1,500,000
$1,500,000
21. Budget Breakdown of Indirect Costs Requested (USD)
Description
For grant preparation, administration and implementation support:
Preparation / implementation support
Staff time
$150.000
Staff travel$50.000
Fund management costs
Total Indirect Costs
2
Amount (USD)
$200,000
$18,700
$218,700
ISA direct costs are those costs related to the ISA’s direct provision of technical assistance within the project.
PDO Level Results
Indicators*
Core
F. Results Framework and Monitoring
Unit of
Measure
Cumulative Target Values**
Data Source/
Methodology
Frequency
Baseline
YR 1
Responsibility
for Data
Collection
YR 2
Indicator One: Number of
partnerships formalized
between government(s) and
civil society organizations
Number
0
-
10
Semiannually
1.
Partnership
agreements
reported by
MOPIC
GovernmentCSOs
Partnership
Project
implementation
unit and ,
MOPIC
Indicator Two: Number of
CSOs representing rural and
urban constituencies
engaged in the dialogue
Number
0
25
50
Semiannually;
Once –
within 6
months of
project
completion
1.
Monitoring
report
Independent
verification
after project
completion
GovernmentCSOs
Partnership
Project
implementation
unit and ,
MOPIC
Indicator Three: Number of
women and youth groups
directly engaged in project’s
activities
Number
0
20
40
Once –
within 6
months of
project
completion
Independent
verification after
project
completion
Indicator Four: Number of
direct sector project
beneficiaries, of which
female (%)3
Number
0
tbd
tbd
Once –
within 6
months of
project
completion
Independent
verification after
project
completion
3
2.
World Bank
GovernmentCSOs
Partnership
Project
implementation
unit and ,
MOPIC
World Bank
GovernmentCSOs
Partnership
Project
implementation
Target numbers will be specified based on the findings from the FY13 Mapping and Capacity Assessment study and the sector dialogue sessions.
unit and ,
MOPIC
World Bank
INTERMEDIATE RESULTS
Core
Cumulative Target
Frequency
Values**
YR 1
YR 2
Intermediate Results (Component One): Successfully disseminating knowledge for developing partnerships (Bank-executed)
PDO Level Results Indicators*
Unit of
Measure
Baseline
Data Source/
Methodology
Responsibility for
Data Collection
1.
National Learning Forum held
Yes / no
No
Yes
Yes
Once
Forum
Completion
Report
2.
Number of government officials and CSO
representatives jointly trained in capacity
building workshops
Number
0
50
100
Semi-Annually
Monitoring
report
GovernmentCSOs
Partnership
Project
implementation
unit and
MOPIC
3.
Technical assistance notes
Number
0
-
2
Implementation
Status Reports
World Bank
4.
Sector Dialogue Sessions
Number
0
2
4
Upon
completion of
notes
Ongoing
Monitoring
report
5.
Development of a Partnership and Mutual
Accountability Framework
Yes / no
No
-
Yes
Once
Monitoring
report
GovernmentCSOs
Partnership
Project
implementation
unit and
MOPIC
GovernmentCSOs
GovernmentCSOs
Partnership
Project
implementation
unit and
MOPIC
World Bank
6.
Creation of Sector Participation Committees
(comprising representatives from line ministries
and CSOs) to sustain dialogue and collaboration
Number
0
2
Semi-Annually
Monitoring
report
Partnership
Project
implementation
unit and
MOPIC
GovernmentCSOs
Partnership
Project
implementation
unit and
MOPIC
Intermediate Result (Component Three): Successfully developing Sector Action Plans (SAPs) for effective development results (Recipient-executed)
7.
Number of Sector Action Plans (SAP) to promote
government-CSO collaboration
Number
0
-
2
Semi-Annually
Monitoring
report
8.
Number of sector networks/coalitions created
Number
0
-
2
Semi-Annually
Monitoring
report
9.
Number of identified actions in SAPs
implemented
Number
0
-
5 out of
10
Once
Implementation
Status Reports
World Bank
Number
tbd
tbd
tbd
Monitoring
report
World Bank
10. Number of direct project beneficiaries, of which
female (%)4
4
Target numbers will be specified based on the selected pilot sectors that will have results oriented action plans.
GovernmentCSOs
Partnership
Project
implementation
unit and
MOPIC
GovernmentCSOs
Partnership
Project
implementation
unit and
MOPIC