Transport Thematic Group event
In September 2015, a Request for Inspection of the Uganda Transport Sector Development Project (TSDP) was registered by the Inspection Panel concerning complaints received from two communities located along a major road being rehabilitated under the project. The allegations of adverse environmental and social impacts stemming from the Project’s works, included prominently those related road workers’ sexual relations with minor girls in the community, and sexual harassment of female employees. Upon the subsequent elaboration and approval by the World Bank Board of Directors of the management action plan in November 2016, the World Bank, learning from the experience of the TSDP and following the recommendations of the Global Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Task Force created at that time, developed and launched a rigorous approach to addressing Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment (SEA/SH) risks in infrastructure operations, guided by the Good Practice Note on Addressing SEA/SH in IPF in Major Civil Works approved in October 2018. With this, the Bank has been applying new standards in SEA/SH/GBV risk identification, mitigation, and response to all new operations in sustainable development and infrastructure sectors. These standards were also integrated into all active operations.
More recently, the Bolivia Santa Cruz Road Corridor Project was subject to an IP investigation upon complaints were filed around SEA/SH/GBV and other matters. The conclusion of the investigation was that the project had complied with GBV/SEA/SH policies and requirements and gave it a clean slate in that respect (though the IP still found shortcomings in, chiefly, the provision of an assessment of the Project’s potential, the adverse impacts on the Chiquitano indigenous communities in the area, the measures to minimize, mitigate, or compensate adequately for the negative impacts associated with development of the borrow pits, and limitations in ensuring an adequate process of free, prior, and informed consultations and in designing a functioning method for responding to concerns raised, including the dispute resolution process appropriately tailored to those indigenous people). The project used a holistic approach to address potential GBV/SEA/SH risks, including a Code of Conduct for their workers and a Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) that include specific language to address project-related SEA/SH risks. It also included strengthened GBV service referral pathway for survivors and concrete measures to empower women and bolster their economic resilience by helping them learn new skills, improve the production and commercialization of traditional arts and crafts, and access more investment opportunities.
On November 21st, starting at 12:00 noon, we will hold an event when the project Task Team Leader—Mr. Gylfi Palsson—and the project social safeguards/GBV lead specialist—Ms. Janine Moussa—will present the mechanisms they put in place to address safeguards requirements and, in particular, those to ensure compliance with protection measures to address adequately GBV/ESA/SH risks.
Mr. Gylfi Pálsson is the Lead Transport Specialist at the World Bank’s Transport Global Practice, where he has worked since 1996. His focus has largely been on Africa and the Latin America and Caribbean Region as well as work on South Asia. Before joining the World Bank, Mr. Palsson worked in the private sector on maritime and port issues. He has a MBA degree from the University of North Carolina.
Ms. Janine Moussa is a GBV consultant at the World Bank with over 20 years of experience in women’s human rights. She co-founded and co-directed the Due Diligence Project on State Obligation to End Violence against Women. She has served as a gender and GBV specialist with the United Nations, the Asian Development Bank, and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights within the Organization of American States. Ms. Moussa has lived and traveled extensively throughout Latin America, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from American University’s Washington College of Law.
Moderator: Mr. Jose Luis Irigoyen
Discussant: Reidar Kvam, co-Chair, Social and Environment Thematic Group
Registrations:
In-Person (MC 1-860) 1818 Society Conference Room
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