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Document of
The World Bank
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Report No: 111463
INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT
PROJECT PAPER
ON A
PROPOSED ADDITIONAL FINANCING GRANT
IN THE AMOUNT OF US$2 MILLION
TO THE
LEBANESE REPUBLIC
FOR A
NATIONAL VOLUNTEER SERVICE PROGRAM PROJECT
December 29, 2016
Social Protection & Labor
MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
This document has a restricted distribution and may be used by recipients only in the
performance of their official duties. Its contents may not otherwise be disclosed without
World Bank authorization.
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CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS
(Exchange Rate Effective {November 30, 2016})
Currency Unit = LBP
1509 LBP = US$1
FISCAL YEAR
January 1 – December 31
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
AF Additional Financing
CPF Country Partnership Framework
EA Environmental Assessment
GRS Grievance Redress Service
LCRP Lebanon Crisis Response Program
MENA Middle East and North Africa
MOSA Ministry of Social Affairs
NGO Non-governmental Organization
NVSP National Volunteer Service Project
PDO Project Development Objective
PIU Project Implementation Unit
POM Project Operations Manual
RVP Regional Vice President
SGP Small Grants Program
SPF State and Peace Building Fund
UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund
USD United States Dollar
Vice President: Hafez Ghanem
Country Director: Ferid Belhaj
Global Practice Senior Director:
Global Practice Director:
Practice Manager:
Michal Rutkowski
Steen Jorgensen
Hana Brixi
Task Team Leader: Rene Leon Solano
-3-
LEBANON
NATIONAL VOLUNTEER SERVICE PROGRAM
CONTENTS
Project Paper Data Sheet 4
Project Paper
I. Introduction 8
II. Background and Rationale for Additional Financing 9
III. Summary of Proposed Changes 16
IV. Appraisal Summary 20
22 V. World Bank Grievance Redress
Annexes
Annex 1: Map of the Most Vulnerable Cadastral Zones
Annex 2: Revised Results Framework and Monitoring Indicators
23
24
Annex 3: Fiduciary Arrangements 33
-4-
ADDITIONAL FINANCING DATA SHEET
Lebanon
Additional Financing for National Volunteer Service Program ( P126734 )
MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
Social Protection and Labor Global Practice .
Basic Information – Parent
Parent Project ID: P126734 Original EA Category: C - Not Required
Current Closing Date: 31-Dec-2016
Basic Information – Additional Financing (AF)
Project ID: P126734 Additional Financing
Type (from AUS):
Scale Up, Level-1
Restructuring
Regional Vice President: Hafez M. H. Ghanem Proposed EA Category: C
Country Director: Ferid Belhaj Expected Effectiveness
Date: 30-Dec-2016
Senior Global Practice
Director
Global Practice Director:
Michal Rutkowski
Steen Jorgensen
Expected Closing Date: 31-Dec-2018
Practice
Manager/Manager: Hana Polackova Brixi Report No: 111463
Team Leader(s): Rene Leon Solano
PHApp
AuthTbl Approval Authority
Approval Authority
Regional Vice-President (RVP)
Please explain
The original project was approved by the RVP. In addition, the restructuring that is being sought is for a
small Recipient Executed Trust Fund grant and, therefore, the approval authority remains with the RVP.
Borrower
Organization Name Contact Title Telephone Email
Ministry of Finance Alain Bifani Director
General 9613-306935
b
Project Financing Data - Parent (National Volunteer Service Program - P126734) (in USD
Million)
Key Dates
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Project Ln/Cr/TF Status Approval
Date Signing Date
Effectiveness
Date
Original
Closing Date
Revised
Closing Date
P126734 TF-10404 Effectiv
e 15-Feb-2011 25-Nov-2011 7-Feb-2013 31-Dec-2016 31-Dec-2018
Disbursements
Project Ln/Cr/TF Status Currency Original Revised Cancelled Disburse
d
Undisbu
rsed
%
Disburse
d
P126734 TF-10404 Effectiv
e USD 2.00 2.00 0.00 1.66 0.34 83
Project Financing Data - Additional Financing National Volunteer Service Program
(P126734)(in USD Million)
[ ] Loan [X] Grant [ ] IDA Grant
[ ] Credit [ ] Guarantee [ ] Other
Total Project Cost: 2.00 Total Bank Financing: 2.00
Financing Gap: 0.00
Financing Source – Additional Financing (AF) Amount
Borrower 0.00
State and Peace Building Fund 2.00
Total 2.00
Policy Waivers
Does the project depart from the CAS in content or in other significant
respects? No
Explanation
Does the project require any policy waiver(s)? No
Explanation
Team Composition
Bank Staff
Name Role Title Specialization Unit
Rene Leon Solano Team Leader
(ADM
Responsible)
Senior Social
Protection Specialist
GSP05
Lina Fares Procurement
Specialist
Senior Procurement
Specialist
GGO05
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Rock Jabbour Financial
Management
Specialist
Financial
Management
Analyst
GGO23
Haneen Sayed Program Leader Program Leader MNC02
Aakanksha Pande Team Member Senior Health
Economist
GHN05
Mazhar Farid Team Member Legal Analyst LEGAM
Mei Wang Counsel Senior Counsel LEGAM
Jumana Jamal Subhi
Alaref
Team Member Research Analyst GSP05
Adriel Arenas Team Member Temporary GSP05
Mirvat Haddad Team Member Program Assistant MNC02
Extended Team
Name Title Location
Locations
Country First Administrative
Division
Location Planned Actual Comments
Lebanon Mont-Liban Mohafazat Mont-
Liban
X
Lebanon Beyrouth Beyrouth X
Lebanon Liban-Nord Mohafazat Liban-
Nord
X
Lebanon Liban-Sud Mohafazat Liban-
Sud
X
Lebanon Beqaa Mohafazat Beqaa X
Lebanon Nabatiye Mohafazat Nabatiye X
Lebanon Aakkar Mohafazat Aakkar X
Lebanon Baalbek-Hermel Mohafazat Baalbek-
Hermel
X
Institutional Data
Parent ( National Volunteer Service Program - P126734 )
Practice Area (Lead)
Social Protection & Labor
Cross Cutting Topics
-7-
[ ] Climate Change
[ X ] Fragile, Conflict & Violence
[ x ] Gender
[ ] Jobs
[ ] Public Private Partnership
Sectors / Climate Change
Sector (Maximum 5 and total % must equal 100)
Major Sector Sector % Adaptation
Co-benefits %
Mitigation Co-
benefits %
Health and other social services Other social services 100
Total 100
Themes
Theme (Maximum 5 and total % must equal 100)
Major theme Theme %
Social protection and risk management 100
Total 100
Additional Financing for National Volunteer Service Program ( P126734)
Practice Area (Lead)
Social Protection & Labor
Contributing Practice Areas
Cross Cutting Topics
[ ] Climate Change
[ X ] Fragile, Conflict & Violence
[ x ] Gender
[ ] Jobs
[ ] Public Private Partnership
Sectors / Climate Change
Sector (Maximum 5 and total % must equal 100)
Major Sector Sector % Adaptation
Co-benefits %
Mitigation Co-
benefits %
-8-
Health and other social services Other social services 100
Total 100
I certify that there is no Adaptation and Mitigation Climate Change Co-benefits information applicable
to this project.
Themes
Theme (Maximum 5 and total % must equal 100)
Major theme Theme %
Social protection and risk management 100
Total 100
Consultants (Will be disclosed in the Monthly Operational Summary)
Consultants Required? Consulting services to be determined
I. Introduction
1. This Project Paper seeks the approval of the Regional Vice-President (RVP) of an additional
financing (AF) grant in an amount of US$2 million as well as a restructuring to the Lebanon
National Volunteer Service Program (P126734). The proposed AF would be provided from the
State and Peace-Building Fund (SPF).
2. The Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) requested the World Bank to scale-up the
successful National Volunteer Service Program (NVSP). The scale-up, which will leverage the
robust operational and institutional mechanisms established at MoSA for the implementation of
NVSP, will seek to address: (i) the unmet social service delivery needs in some of the most
vulnerable Lebanese communities hosting Syrian refugees, as well as; (ii) the fragile inter-
communal relations and social tensions between Lebanese citizens and Syrian refugees living in
the selected host communities.
3. Specifically, the proposed AF will be used to enable the Government of Lebanon (GoL) to
complement its work and that of other donors in those communities that have the highest numbers
of Syrian refugees and of poorest Lebanese households, by providing Lebanese youth aged 15 to
24: (i) volunteering opportunities; and (ii) soft skills training as well as psychosocial awareness
and community-building activities. Through the scale-up, Syrian refugee youth in the targeted
communities will now be able to participate in the project activities. The scale-up is envisaged to
contribute to improved social stability and service delivery.
4. The proposed restructuring of the project is being sought to: (i) revise the Project
Development Objective (PDO) to reflect changes in the scope of project activities; (ii) revise the
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Results Framework (RF) to be in line with the modified PDO; and (iii) extend the parent project’s
closing date by 24 months (from December 31, 2016 to December 31, 2018) to fully implement
the project activities and to align it with the closing date of the proposed AF.
5. The current PDO of the NVSP is “to increase youth civic engagement which in the medium
term will contribute to improved social cohesion across communities and regions by: (i) expanding
youth volunteerism and particularly in communities other than the communities from which the
volunteers come; and (ii) improving the employability of youth through enhanced (soft) skills.”
The proposed revised PDO will be “to improve social stability and service delivery in the most
vulnerable Lebanese communities hosting Syrian refugees through youth volunteering, soft skills
development, and psychosocial awareness activities.”
6. The revised PDO does not include “improving the employability of youth” in the project
development objective. However, the civic engagement and soft skills training activities, -- critical
components of the proposed new phase of NVSP – are expected to increase youth employability.
II. Background and Rationale for Additional Financing in the Amount of US$2.0
million
A. BACKGROUND
7. The on-going crisis in Syria has taken a toll on millions of lives, with an estimated 11
million Syrians having fled their homes since the outbreak of the civil war in March 2011.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 4.8 million Syrians
fled to neighboring countries, and 6.6 million became internally displaced within Syria.
Meanwhile, about one million Syrians have requested asylum in Europe (UNCHR, 2016). In
Lebanon alone, the number of registered Syrian refugees has reached 1,033,513 as of June 2016.
8. The large influx of Syrian refugees in Lebanon has worsened poverty levels among the
Lebanese population. Poverty in Lebanon is significant and regional disparities in living conditions
are acute. The most recent Household Budget Survey (HBS 2011-12) shows that poverty in
Lebanon is 27 percent (pre-Syrian crisis). This means that about one million people in Lebanon
have levels of consumption below the annual poverty line set at 4,729 thousand LBP per capita
per year (or $3,150). Significant regional differences exist. Poverty is the lowest in Beirut (16
percent), followed by Mount Lebanon (22 percent) and Nabatieh (25 percent). The poorest regions
are North Lebanon (36 percent) and Bekaa (38 percent). The Syrian conflict is estimated to have
increased poverty among the Lebanese population by an additional 170,000 people in 2014, with
the existing poor pushed deeper into poverty.
9. Syrian refugees in Lebanon also face significant poverty challenges, and while spread
throughout the country, are primarily concentrated in certain geographic areas. Based on the
UNHCR poverty line of PPP US$5.25 per capita per day, 64 percent of refugees in Lebanon are
considered poor (World Bank, 2016). There are currently around 1,623 cadastral zones in the
country,1 which have been assigned a vulnerability-ranking index by the Government of Lebanon
1 Cadastral zones are below the level of districts/cazas. They are not administrative divisions, and are used solely by
humanitarian practitioners in Lebanon.
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(GoL) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)2. The majority of Syrian refugees live
in communities located within 251 cadastral zones, which are considered the most vulnerable.
These 251 most vulnerable cadastral zones are home to 67 percent of deprived Lebanese and 87
percent of Syrian refugees. They are concentrated primarily in the North and the Beeka regions
(particularly in the Bekaa, Tripoli, and Akkar areas), but can also be found across all Governorates
in Lebanon (Annex 1).
10. Host communities across Lebanon, but in particular those located in the most vulnerable
251 cadastral zones, are struggling to meet basic needs, and face rising and deteriorating intra-
communal social tensions. A 2014 community-level vulnerability assessment3 of the 251 most
vulnerable cadastral zones shows that Lebanese citizens and Syrian refugees reported difficulties
in accessing shelter, water, education and health services. Syrian refugees reported difficulties to
access food and shelter, while host communities identified access to electricity supply and drinking
water as key challenges. In addition, the assessment revealed that lack of employment
opportunities is a key concern for both groups. Recent assessments have also found that Lebanese
households in these cadastral zones are facing higher expenditures, as the cost of goods and
services are rising, particularly food items. Economic hardship has accentuated the already fragile
inter-communal relations and social tensions in host communities, as Lebanese citizens attribute
the decline in their own living standards to presence of Syrian refugees.
11. With support from the international community, the GoL is trying to address the many
challenges afflicting the most vulnerable Lebanese citizens and Syrian refugees. Indeed, the GoL,
led by the MoSA, launched the 2015-2016 Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP), which identifies
priority areas and needs as well as coordinates the delivery of humanitarian and stabilization
programs among all partners. The LCRP seeks to deliver humanitarian assistance and protection
for the most vulnerable Lebanese citizens and Syrian refugees, strengthen the capacity of national
and local service delivery systems, and reinforce Lebanon’s economic, social, and institutional
stability. Moreover, under the National Plan to Safeguard Children and Women in Lebanon, MoSA
and UNICEF are working together to strengthen the capacity of 57 Social Development Centers
(SDCs), which are mostly located within the 251 most vulnerable cadastral zones, in order to
enable them to deliver sufficient and effective services to refugees and host communities.4 As part
of this capacity-building support, frontline workers, service providers, and community members
at these 57 SDCs are trained on the provision of family support services, psychosocial support,
identification, referral and treatment for survivors of violence, hygiene promotion, as well as
primary health services.
12. The international donor community as well as international and national NGOs are actively
involved in the delivery of humanitarian and development interventions, which span: basic
assistance, child protection, information management, education, energy, water, food security,
health, social stability, sexual and gender-based violence, shelter, and livelihood support.
However, the scale as well as the high variability of needs across geographic areas pose a continued
2 The ranking at the cadastral level takes into account two factors: the number of Lebanese living on less than US$4
a day, and the geographic distribution of registered Syrian refugees by cadastre. 3 The assessment was published in 2014 by the REACH initiative, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and UNICEF. 4 There currently exists a community-based network of 222 SDCs affiliated with MoSA that are mandated as the
primary point in the provision of social development services, and in building resilience within communities.
-11-
challenge in addressing the gaps in essential service delivery needs and in alleviating social
tensions and incidents of violence within these communities.
B. HIGHER LEVEL OBJECTIVES TO WHICH THE PROJECT CONTRIBUTES
13. In such a fragile and conflict-prone environment, the new Lebanon Country Partnership
Framework - CPF (FY17-FY22), seeks to mitigate the immediate and potentially long-lasting
impact of the Syria crisis on Lebanon, while strengthening state institutions, addressing existing
vulnerabilities, and bolstering efforts on longer term development challenges.
14. Accordingly, the proposed AF i aligned with the CPF insofar as it seeks to meet the most
immediate needs of Lebanese citizens and Syrian refugees living in the most vulnerable host
communities, as well build the capacity of the GoL and other relevant actors to meet short and
medium term development goals. While addressing an immediate and urgent crisis, the AF also
contributes to the strategic objectives of the World Bank Group of “ending extreme poverty and
promoting shared prosperity”, particularly through targeting the most vulnerable host communities
in Lebanon.
15. The AF is also consistent with the overarching objective of the WBG’s Regional Strategy
for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), which aims at contributing to promoting peace and
stability in the region through economic and social inclusion. Specifically, and given its goal and
target population, the AF is aligned to the Strategy’s “renewing the social contract” and “resilience
to refugee’s shocks” pillars.
C. RATIONALE FOR ADDITIONAL FINANCING
16. NVSP, which addresses one of the most important challenges afflicting Lebanon and the
Middle East and North Africa Region (MENA), (the economic and social inclusion of youth), is
showing concrete results on the ground. The original Grant, in the amount of US$2 million, was
approved by the Peace-Building Fund Secretariat on February 15, 2011, and became effective on
February 7, 2013. Project implementation has been underway for almost three years, with a total
disbursed amount of US$1.66 million (83 percent disbursed). To date, around 6,500 Lebanese
youth aged 15-24 and close to 150 NGOs, universities, schools and municipalities have been
directly involved in the project’s activities. This includes more than 3,300 youth who have
participated in the implementation of 51 volunteering projects throughout Lebanon. In addition,
and thanks largely to a US$320,000 Technical Assistance Program (“Lebanon Youth - National
Volunteer Service Program Strengthening and Sustainability”), the NVSP has developed
important public goods, which includes: (i) an online portal that enables interested youth to apply
for volunteering opportunities posted by eligible NGOs, universities, schools, municipalities and
the private sector, thereby effectively serving as a matching platform; and (ii) a 20-hour soft-skills
training curriculum that was developed specifically for Lebanon, and which is available for both
in-class training and online training through the online portal.
17. Given NVSP’s concrete results to-date, and its proven success in mobilizing youth from
communities other than their own to volunteer for improved social service delivery and social
cohesion, as well as in working in partnership with a wide range of partners, MoSA requested the
-12-
World Bank to provide additional financing to scale-up NVSP in Lebanese communities hosting
Syrian refugees. MoSA is interested in mainstreaming volunteerism across all sectors of the LCRP.
18. The on-going conflict in Syria has shifted the refugee situation from initial emergency to
protracted conflict. Despite the coordinated multi-sectoral response by many partners and donors
on the ground, the high variability of needs, compounded with existing structural problems
prevalent in service delivery as well as limited resources, remain a continued challenge in
addressing the gaps in essential service delivery. Volunteerism presents a real opportunity to
alleviate some of the increasing and unmet needs facing both the Syrian refugees and their
Lebanese host communities. The proposed AF will enable NGOs operating in selected host
communities to mobilize volunteers and implement service delivery projects in key priority areas
and sectors.
19. The Syrian refugee crisis has also had significant social consequences, as it has led to
increasingly fragile inter-communal relations and social tensions between Lebanese and Syrian
refugees living in host communities. Volunteering is seen as a promising pathway to the social
integration of youth, by enabling them to interact with and work together for a common cause, to
develop their soft skills, and to expand their overall social networks. The proposed AF will enable
Lebanese youth to volunteer for improved social service delivery in targeted host communities,
thereby contributing to mitigate some of the social consequences of the Syrian refugee crisis.
20. The prevalent challenges and violence that have been brought about by the Syrian conflict
have had extensive effects on the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of Syrian refugees.
The traumatic experiences related to the conflict are worsened by the everyday struggles of being
displaced, which include: destitution, lack of resources and services to meet basic needs, dangers
of violence and abuse, discrimination and being ostracized5. The proposed AF will promote
awareness among participating youth of the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing challenges
afflicting Syrian refugees, and will provide opportunities for interaction between participating
youth and Lebanese citizens and Syrian refugees living in the targeted host communities through
psychosocial and community building activities. This will contribute to further easing some of the
social tensions in the targeted host communities, and will therefore contribute to the social
stabilization of host communities.
21. The provision of civic engagement opportunities as well as life skills and psychosocial
training have been identified by refugee youth themselves as critical for their positive
development. A recent UNHCR study that surveyed over 1,300 refugee youth aged 15 to 24 from
34 different nationalities identified the ten main challenges preventing their overall social and
economic inclusion in society. These included: lack of empowerment and engagement
opportunities, poor access to youth-sensitive healthcare, including psychosocial support, and
limited skills building opportunities. The proposed AF will address these challenges.6
D. ACTIVITIES TO BE FINANCED THROUGH THE PROPOSED ADDITIONAL FINANCING
22. NVSP has three main components: (i) institution building and capacity development for
volunteer civic engagement; (ii) Small Grants Program (SGP) for NGOs, universities and schools
5 Hassan et al, 2015 6 UNHCR, September 2016. “We Believe in Youth.” Global Refugee Youth Consultations.
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as well as weekend volunteering programs and summer camps for expanding volunteer
opportunities and building employability skills; and (iii) Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of
civic engagement. While most of the activities included under each of the three components will
continue to be financed through the AF, the name of the three components will be slightly revised
to reflect minor adjustments to the project’s design.
23. The proposed new project components are as follows: (i) capacity development,
communications and outreach; (ii) youth volunteering for social stability and service delivery; (iii)
M&E and program management.
24. Component 1: Capacity development, communications and outreach (US$300,000). This
component will finance the development of marketing materials (flyers, brochures, banners,
posters, etc.) to be used through various means of communication (social media, TV, radio,
newspapers, SMS outreach, email, etc.) as well as in national volunteering events to be financed
under this component. These communication and outreach activities will seek to promote overall
awareness on the importance of volunteerism as well as on NVSP activities and results among key
project stakeholders. The component will also finance minor adjustments and overall maintenance
to the NVSP online portal7.
25. In partnership with selected specialized agencies and in collaboration with MoSA, this
component will also finance the design and delivery of capacity building activities for participating
NGOs and youth volunteers as well as staff from NGOs and municipalities. Representatives from
eligible NGOs under the Small Grants Program –SGP (see Component 2.2) will undergo training
on proposal design and management specifically for NVSP, which will include inter alia support
for: (i) identifying the proposed target host community and its social service needs, in close
coordination with SDCs and using the UNHCR database that includes both data on the most
vulnerable host communities as well as ongoing/planned related interventions by partners in the
social stability and service delivery sectors; (ii) developing project proposals, with realistic and
measurable objectives, activities, budget and implementation plan; and (iii) planning the delivery
of the required soft skills training and the psychosocial awareness and community building
activities for participating youth volunteers (see paragraph 24). Beyond capacity building, this
training will ensure that all proposals that are submitted for NVSP funding are relevant for the
targeted host community, and will indirectly promote coordination between the proposed projects
and other relevant Government and donor activities at the local level.
26. Leveraging the 20-hour soft skills training curriculum that was developed specifically for
NVSP, this component will also finance the delivery of a Training of Trainers (ToT) on soft skills
for the representatives from those NGOs whose proposals are selected for funding under the SGP.8
The ToT will enable the trained NGO staff to subsequently deliver the soft skills training to
participating youth volunteers. The soft skills training that will be offered to those youth who
7 The NVSP has developed an online portal that inter alia enables relevant project stakeholders – municipalities,
schools, universities, NGOs and private sector companies - to post volunteering opportunities and eligible youth to
apply for them, thus effectively serving as a matching platform. 8 NVSP has created a soft-skills training curriculum tailored specifically for Lebanon, which is available in the online
portal and enables all interested youth to improve their conflict-management, life and career planning, business, and
entrepreneurship skills. The NVSP team will be in charge of providing the introductory 1h soft skills training for all
participating youth under the volunteering weekend activities.
-14-
participate in the weekend activities under component 2 will be provided directly by MoSA staff,
who have already participated in a soft skills ToT. In addition, and building on the soft-skills
training to be delivered through NVSP as well as on MoSA ongoing related efforts (see paragraph
11), this component will finance the design and delivery of psychosocial awareness and
community building training activities, which will be sensitive to the specific mental health issues
afflicting female members of the targeted host communities. MoSA staff, representatives from the
NGOs and municipalities whose projects are selected for funding under Component 2, as well as
all participating youth volunteers will be trained on basic psychosocial principles to increase their
awareness of psychosocial issues affecting Lebanese and Syrian refugees living in the targeted
host community.9 The training will be critical in the implementation of volunteering projects, to
ensure proper interaction among all project participants. In addition, this component will finance
the design and delivery of psychosocial and community-building activities, to further promote
communication, understanding and respect and thus minimize conflict and overall social tension
among members of the targeted host community (see Component 2).
27. Component 2: Youth volunteering for social stability and service delivery (US$1.2
million). This component seeks to provide volunteering opportunities to Lebanese youth aged 15
to 24, in order to address both the unmet social service delivery needs as well as the social tensions
in communities hosting Syrian refugees. This component will finance the delivery of 60
volunteering projects in the 251 most vulnerable cadastral zones. The participating youth will
benefit from soft skills and psychosocial awareness training, as well as from daily meals and
transportation to/from the project sites. They will receive a certificate of participation from MoSA
and any other relevant project partner. The participation of female youth will be highly encouraged
through the projects’ selection criteria. Syrian refugee youth in the targeted communities will be
able to participate in the project activities. NGOs and municipalities will be in charge of
implementing the volunteering projects financed under this component. The component has the
following two sub-components:
28. Sub-component 2.1: Volunteering weekend activities. This sub-component will finance
30 volunteering weekend activities to be implemented primarily during the first year of the AF, in
order to have a demonstration effect and lay the ground for the implementation of the small grants
(see Sub-component 2.2 below). NGOs and municipalities interested in participating in the
volunteering weekend activities will be able to submit their project proposals to MoSA on an
ongoing basis. The SDC at the target host community will have to endorse the proposed weekend
activity, to ensure its relevance as well as overall coordination at the local level. Each volunteering
weekend activity will have a maximum budget of US$10,000, and will benefit a minimum of 20
youth volunteers. Volunteering weekend activities will provide participating youth at least 8 hours
of volunteering, as well as a 2 hour introduction to soft skills and psychosocial awareness (see
Component 1).
29. Sub-component 2.2: Small Grants Program (SGP). NGOs interested in participating in
the SGP will be required to first respond to an Expression of Interest (EoI), following which
selection will be based on pre-identified eligibility criteria, to undergo the capacity building
training on proposal design and management (see Component 1). Eligible NGOs will then be able
9 The training will focus on the main mental health and psychosocial concepts and frameworks, mental health and
psychosocial consequences of displacement and conflict, psychosocial support and dialogue and mainstreaming
mental health and psychosocial support within volunteer services
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to submit their project proposals following a Call for Proposals (CfP) issued by MoSA.10 This sub-
component will finance 30 small grants, with an average duration of 2 months. Each small grant
will have a maximum budget of US$30,000, and will benefit a minimum of 40 youth volunteers.
Small grants will provide participating youth volunteers at least 40 hours of volunteering, as well
24 hours of soft skills and psychosocial awareness training (see Component 1). In addition, and
in order to complement their volunteering experience, youth volunteers will participate in
psychosocial and community-building activities, which is hoped to further contribute to improve
intra-communal relations and social tension.
30. Component 3: M&E and program management (US$500,000). In order to monitor
progress and evaluate the results achieved under the proposed AF, the AF will benefit from the
existing project results-based M&E system. In particular: (i) all members of the NVSP team have
been trained and are familiar with results-based management and M&E concepts, tools, and
practices; (ii) a results-based M&E plan was produced and is being implemented by the team; (iii)
a rigorous impact evaluation was designed and is currently being conducted to assess whether
volunteerism and soft skills training have an impact on youth employability and social cohesion;
and (iv) a process evaluation, focusing on the relevance, efficiency, and effectiveness the NVSP
processes and procedures. While the impact and process evaluations have yet to be completed,
data from the baseline survey of the impact evaluation as well as early results from the process
evaluations influenced AF design changes, including: (i) increased focus on capacity development,
communications and outreach; (ii) adjustments to contractual arrangements between MoSA and
selected NGOs; and (iii) increased focus on monitoring of project activities. It is expected that the
results of both impact and process evaluations will support MoSA to further fine tune some of
these design features of the project.
31. This component seeks to finance the management, monitoring, and evaluation of the
activities to be implemented under the AF. In particular, this component will support: (i) data
collection - from participating youth, municipalities and NGOs - analysis, and reporting; (ii)
drafting of the final impact evaluation report11; (iii) design and implementation of a program
evaluation by an external evaluator; and (iv) staff /consultants’ time for program management,
monitoring, and evaluation activities. Annex 2 includes the revised project RF.
32. A Project Operations Manual (POM) will be prepared and will include detailed information
about the processes and procedures related to the implementation of the proposed activities.
10 Projects that could be financed under the AF include: distribution of meals, clothes, and blankets; organization of
educational, cultural and recreational activities; cleaning and minor repairs of education and health centers; caring for
the elderly, etc. 11 NVSP impact evaluation report will be produced in January-March 2017. The report will focus on the effects of
program participation on employability/soft skills and social cohesion values among those youth who participated in
volunteering projects implemented in 2015 under the first CfP of the SGP. The final impact evaluation report will
include the results of program participation on employability/soft skills and social cohesion values among those youth
who participated in volunteering projects implemented in 2016 under the second CfP of the SGP. NVSP impact
evaluation report(s) will be produced by the NVSP/WBG team in collaboration with impact evaluation expert(s) as
needed.
-16-
E. IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS
33. The parent project has established effective and efficient operational procedures with
satisfactory management, and this arrangement will be maintained for the AF. Program
implementation will therefore, remain the responsibility of the NVSP Project Implementation Unit
(PIU) at MoSA, with strong collaboration with the MoSA Volunteering Administrative
Committee.
34. No changes in financial management or procurement arrangements are envisaged for the
AF and will follow those of the parent project.
III. Summary of Proposed Changes
The AF of US$2 million to the National Volunteer Service Program (NVSP) is being sought as a
scale-up to address: (i) the unmet social service delivery needs in some of the most vulnerable
Lebanese communities hosting Syrian refugees, as well as (ii) the fragile inter-communal relations
and social tensions between Lebanese citizens and Syrian refugees living in the selected host
communities.
In light of the AF, a Level-1 restructuring is also being sought to introduce the following changes
to the parent project:
(i) Revise the Project Development Objective (PDO) to reflect changes in the scope of
project activities;
(ii) Revise the project’s RF, including key indicators, to be in line with the modified PDO;
(iii) Extend the project’s closing date from December 31, 2016 to December 31, 2018;
The proposed changes will require an amendment of the Grant Agreement.
Change in Implementing Agency Yes [ ] No [ X ]
Change in Project's Development Objectives Yes [ X ] No [ ]
Change in Results Framework Yes [ X ] No [ ]
Change in Safeguard Policies Triggered Yes [ ] No [ X ]
Change of EA category Yes [ ] No [ X ]
Other Changes to Safeguards Yes [ ] No [ X ]
Change in Legal Covenants Yes [ ] No [ X ]
Change in Loan Closing Date(s) Yes [ X ] No [ ]
Cancellations Proposed Yes [ ] No [ X ]
Change in Disbursement Arrangements Yes [ ] No [ X ]
Reallocation between Disbursement Categories Yes [ ] No [ X ]
Change in Disbursement Estimates Yes [ X ] No [ ]
-17-
Change to Components and Cost Yes [ X ] No [ ]
Change in Institutional Arrangements Yes [ ] No [ X ]
Change in Financial Management Yes [ ] No [ X ]
Change in Procurement Yes [ ] No [ X ]
Change in Implementation Schedule Yes [ X ] No [ ]
Other Change(s) Yes [ ] No [ X ]
Development Objective/Results PHHHDO
Project’s Development Objectives
Original PDO
The original PDO is to “increase youth civic engagement to contribute to improved social cohesion
across communities and regions by: (i) expanding youth volunteerism, particularly in communities
other than the communities from which the volunteers come; and (ii) improving the employability
of youth through enhanced skills.”
Change in Project's Development Objectives PHHCPDO
Explanation:
The proposed change in the PDO reflects the addition of a new a set of new activities that address
the needs of participating youth as well as the targeted host communities. In addition, the new PDO
aims to improve social stability (as opposed to social cohesion), so that the project is better aligned
with the definition and strategic objectives of the LCRP 2015-2016.
The original project envisaged to improve the employability (both in terms of skills and insertion)
of participating youth (Lebanese aged 15-24) through: (i) civic engagement, and (ii) soft skills
training. In terms of outcomes, to-date, 1,265 youth have benefited both from 80 hours of
volunteering as well as from 20 hours of soft-skills training through the completion of 22 projects
financed under the first call for proposals (CfP) of the Small Grants Program (SGP). An additional
835 youth are expected to benefit from volunteering and soft skills training through the completion
of 13 projects that were financed under the second CfP, and which are expected to be completed by
mid-late December 2016. There is an ongoing impact evaluation to assess whether civic
engagement coupled with soft skills training does indeed lead to improve employability. The results
of the impact evaluation will be available in March/April 2017. In addition, a process evaluation,
which is also ongoing and whose results will be available during the first quarter of 2017, will help
to identify some of the project’s implementation bottlenecks and lessons learned, including those
related to the delivery of volunteering opportunities and soft skills training.
The revised PDO does not include “improving the employability of youth” as a project objective,
despite the fact that both civic engagement and soft skills training, both of which are thought to
increase youth employability, are critical components of the proposed new phase of NVSP.
Proposed New PDO - Additional Financing (AF)
-18-
The proposed new PDO is to “improve social stability and service delivery in the most vulnerable
Lebanese communities hosting Syrian refugees through youth volunteering, soft skills
development, and psychosocial awareness activities.”
Change in Results Framework PHHCRF
The RF has been revised to be consistent with the revised PDO and the addition of new activities.
Moreover, the revised RF incorporates up-to-date project monitoring data available in the setting of
revised baseline values and new target values. Please refer to Annex 2 for all the changes of
indicators and their baseline and target values.
Risk PHHHRISKS
Risk Category Rating (H, S, M, L)
1. Political and Governance H
2. Macroeconomic S
3. Sector Strategies and Policies S
4. Technical Design of Project or Program M
5. Institutional Capacity for Implementation and Sustainability M
6. Fiduciary M
7. Environment and Social L
8. Stakeholders M
9. Other
OVERALL M
Finance
Loan Closing Date - Additional Financing ( Additional Financing for National
Volunteer Service Program – P126734)
Source of Funds Proposed Additional Financing Loan Closing Date
State and Peace Building Fund 31-Dec-2018
Loan Closing Date(s) - Parent (National Volunteer Service Program- P126734) PHHCLCD
Explanation:
It is proposed that the closing date of the parent project is extended for a period of 24 months (from
December 31, 2016 to December 31, 2018). The extension is sought to fully implement all of the
project activities and to align it with the closing date of the proposed AF.
The project has no overdue audits. The first audit and management letter due June 30, 2015,
covering the period from effectiveness (February 7, 2013) until December 31, 2014, were received
on time and were found acceptable. The second audit and management letter due June 30, 2015,
covering the period from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015, were also received on time and
-19-
found acceptable. The third audit, covering the period from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016,
is expected to be submitted by April 2017.
Ln/Cr/TF Status Original
Closing Date
Current
Closing Date
Proposed
Closing Date
Previous
Closing Date(s)
TF-10404 Effective 31-Mar-2014 31-Dec-2016 31-Dec-2018
Change in Disbursement
Estimates
(including all sources of Financing)PHHCDE
Explanation:
The project’s disbursement estimates are being revised to take into account the additional
financing amount as well as the additional 24 months of project implementation.
Expected Disbursements (in USD Million)(including all Sources of Financing)
Fiscal Year 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
Annual 2177,030 1,067,500 755,470 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Cumulative 2177,030 3,244,530 4,000,000 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Allocations – Initial and Additional Financing (National Volunteer Service
Program - P126734)
Source of
Fund
Currenc
y Category of Expenditure
Allocation Disbursement
%(Type Total)
Proposed Proposed
SPF USD
Goods, works, consultants’
services, training, and
operating costs for capacity
development,
communications and
outreach, weekend activities,
M&E, as well as program
management
2.10 100%
SPF USD
Goods, works, consultants’
services and training for SGP
of the Project
1.90 100%
USD
Total: 4.00 100%
Components
Change to Components and Cost PHHCCC
Explanation:
-20-
While most of the activities included under each of the original three components will continue to
be financed through the AF, the name of the three components will be slightly revised to reflect
minor adjustments to the project’s design and implementation arrangements. In addition, and given
the changes in the scope of project activities, the cost per project component will also be adjusted.
Current Component
Name
Proposed Component
Name
Current
Cost
(US$M)
Proposed
Cost
(US$M)
Action
Institution building and
capacity development
for volunteer civic
engagement
Capacity development,
communications and
outreach
0.72 1.02 Revised
Small Grants Program
for NGOs, universities
and schools as well as
weekend volunteering
programs and summer
camps for expanding
volunteer opportunities
and building
employability skills
Youth volunteering for
social stability and
service delivery
1.10 2.30 Revised
M&E of civic
engagement
M&E and program
management 0.18 .68 Revised
Total: 2.00 4.00
Other Change(s)
Implementing Agency Name Type Action
Ministry of Social Affairs Implementing Agency No Change
Change in Implementation
Schedule
Explanation: Given the proposed extension of project closing date to allow for the additional
activities to be financed under the AF to be completed, the implementation schedule will be
adjusted accordingly.
IV. Appraisal Summary
Economic and Financial Analysis PHHASEFA
Explanation:
-21-
Volunteerism can provide youth the opportunity to participate in an unpaid work experience, thus
increasing their chances of employment. In addition, training in soft skills has been proven to
increase youth’s employability in the short and medium term. Finally, the proposed AF has a strong
component on capacity building of all project stakeholder, which will contribute to the
sustainability of the project activities.
Technical Analysis PHHASTA
Explanation:
The design of all the activities to be financed under the AF are based on: (i) lessons learned from
the implementation of the NVSP; and (ii) international good practices, especially those related to
the soft skills and psychosocial awareness training. The AF implementation will be carried out by
expert specialized agencies in partnership with relevant World Bank teams, thus ensuring that the
AF activities and outputs are of high quality.
Social Analysis PHHASSA
Explanation:
Countries with large percentages of youth who have limited opportunities for participation in
society are likely to face significant social tensions. It is the result of young people becoming
frustrated at their inability to positively affect their own lives or that of their communities.
Volunteerism is part of the solution, as it can bring youth together around shared goals, thus
building more cohesive societies through the development of more meaningful citizenship. In
particular, the proposed AF will enable Lebanese youth to interact with Syrian refugees, which
coupled with improved service delivery, will contribute to mitigate the rising intra-communal
tensions that are afflicting the most vulnerable communities.
Environmental Analysis
Explanation:
The AF is a category C project and, as such, it is not expected to trigger the Bank’s environmental
safeguards.
Risk PHHASRisk
Explanation:
The risks associated with the AF include but are not limited to: (i) unstable political economy; (ii)
conflict and fragility; (iii) challenging coordination among project stakeholders; and (iv) weak
capacity of implementing agencies. However, the parent project has been able to affectively address
these risks by: (i) being flexible in terms of targeting of project sites and implementation
arrangements; (ii) carrying out capacity building activities for all key stakeholders; and (iii) having
the Ministry of Social Affairs involved at all stages, thus building ownership/commitment.
-22-
V. WORLD BANK GRIEVANCE REDRESS
Communities and individuals who believe that they are adversely affected by a World Bank (WB)
supported project may submit complaints to existing project-level grievance redress mechanisms
or the WB’s Grievance Redress Service (GRS). The GRS ensures that complaints received are
promptly reviewed in order to address project-related concerns. Project affected communities and
individuals may submit their complaint to the WB’s independent Inspection Panel which
determines whether harm occurred, or could occur, as a result of WB non-compliance with its
policies and procedures. Complaints may be submitted at any time after concerns have been
brought directly to the World Bank's attention, and Bank Management has been given an
opportunity to respond. For information on how to submit complaints to the World Bank’s
corporate Grievance Redress Service (GRS), please visit http://www.worldbank.org/GRS. For
information on how to submit complaints to the World Bank Inspection Panel, please visit
www.inspectionpanel.org.
-23-
ANNEX 1: MAP OF THE MOST VULNERABLE CADASTRAL ZONES IN LEBANON
-24-
ANNEX 2: RESULTS FRAMEWORK
Project
Name: National Volunteer Service Program (P126734)
Project
Stage: Restructuring Status: DRAFT
Team
Leader: Rene Antonio Leon Solano
Requesting
Unit: GSP05 Created by:
Product
Line:
Recipient Executed
Activities
Responsible
Unit: GSP05 Modified by:
Country: Lebanon Approval FY: 2012
Region: MIDDLE EAST AND
NORTH AFRICA
Lending
Instrument: Specific Investment Loan
.
Project Development Objectives
Original Project Development Objective: To increase youth civic engagement which in the medium term will contribute to improved social cohesion across communities and
regions by: (i) expanding youth volunteerism and particularly in communities other than the communities from which the volunteers
come; and (ii) improving the employability of youth through enhanced (soft) skills.
Proposed New PDO - Additional Financing (AF):
To improve social stability and service delivery in the most vulnerable Lebanese communities hosting Syrian refugees through youth
volunteering, soft skills development, and psychosocial awareness activities.
Results
Core sector indicators are considered: Yes Results reporting level:
-25-
.
Project Development Objective Indicators
Status Indicator Name Core Unit of
Measure Baseline
Actual
(Current) End Target
Add – New
proposed
indicator
Number of Lebanese
municipalities where social
stability has been
strengthened through youth
volunteering
projects/activities
Number Value 0 0 30
Date 15-Nov-2016 31-Dec-2018
Comment No projects
targeting social
stability
No more than 2
projects in one
municipality
Revised –
Proposed
change in
target value
Number of volunteering
projects under SGP Number Value 0.00 22 65
Date 15-Nov-2016 31-Dec-2018
Comment No projects funded
by MOSA to
NGOs directly
targeting the
involvement of
volunteers
Original target was
33 projects. 13
projects are
underway and will
be completed, for a
total of 35 projects,
by current project
closing date
(December 31,
2016).
Revised –
Proposed
change in
target value
Number of youth involved
with volunteering projects of
NGOs, universities, and
schools.
Number Value 0 1,265 3,600
Date 15-Nov-2016 31-Dec-2018
Comment No youth involved
with volunteering
projects funded by
MOSA of NGOs,
Original target was
1,650 projects. 835
volunteers are
expected to benefit
from the 13 projects
-26-
universities, and
schools
that are underway,
for a total of 2,100
by current project
closing date
(December 31,
2016).
No change Increased employability/soft
skills of volunteers
participating in the program
Percentage Value - 0.00 5.00
Date - 15-Nov-2016 31-Dec-2016
Comment - Value refers
to baseline
data collected
in December
2015. No
difference
observed in
leadership/tea
mwork and
communicati
on skills.
5% increase from
baseline value one
year after their
volunteering
experience
Revised –
Proposed
change in
target value
Number of volunteers
involved in volunteering
activities financed by the
project (Youth Summer
Camps and Weekend
Activities)
Number Value 0 1,249 2,749
Date 15-Nov-2016 31-Dec-2018
Comment No summer camps
are planned for
2017-2018.
Original target was
1,650 youth
volunteers by
current project
closing date
(December 31,
2016).
-27-
Add – new
proposed
indicator
Proportion of youth
volunteers with increased
awareness/understanding of
key psychosocial concepts.
Percentage Value 0.00 00.00 80.00
Date 15-Nov-2016 31-Dec-2018
Comment
No Change Understanding of youth
volunteer needs and attitudes
through a baseline survey
addressed to youth included
in project proposals
submitted to the NVSP
Yes/No Value No Baseline survey
completed
Yes
Date 15-Nov-2016 30-Dec-2016
Comment No national
survey has
been done to
specifically
understand
the needs and
attitudes of
youth
towards
volunteerism
1 baseline
survey
conducted
Delete –
Substitute by
proposed new
indicator
below
Increased the sense of social
cohesion of the youth
following their volunteering
experience
Percentage Value - 15-Nov-2016 31-Dec-2016
Date 40.00 42.00
Comment 5% increase
from baseline
value one year
following their
volunteering
New proposed
indicator
Increase in tolerance values
of the youth at the end of
their volunteering
experience.
Percentage Value - 07-Jan-2016 31-Dec-2016
Date 40.00 42.00
Comment Value refers to
baseline data
2% increase
from baseline
-28-
collected in
December 2015.
value one year
following their
volunteering
No Change Information on volunteer
opportunities through
development of an online
portal
Yes/No Value No Yes Yes
Date 15-Nov-2016 31-Dec-2016
Comment No online
portal at
MOSA for
volunteering
activities
Portal has been
developed and is
operational and
being used
Online portal
fully
operational
No Change Percentage of former
volunteers who were offered
a job following their
volunteering experience
Percentage Value 0.00 12.00 15.00
Date 15-Nov-2016 31-Dec-2016
Comment Value refers to
baseline data
collected in
December 2015.
15% increase
from baseline
value one year
following their
volunteering
experience.
Intermediate Results Indicators
Status Indicator Name Core Unit of Measure Baseline Actual(Current) End Target
Add – New
proposed
indicator
Number of social service
projects carried out in
communities hosting Syrian
refugees by youth volunteers
Number Value 0 0 30
Date 15-Nov-2016 31-Dec-2018
Comment
Add – New
proposed
indicator
Number of social service
weekend activities carried
out in communities hosting
Number Value 0 0 30
Date 15-Nov-2016 31-Dec-2018
Comment
-29-
Syrian refugees by youth
volunteers
No Change Communication &
Awareness plan approved by
the NPCV
Yes/No Value No Yes
Date 15-Nov-2016 31-Dec-2016
Comment 1 plan
approved by
NPCVP
Revised –
Proposed
change in
target value
Partner organizations
interested in volunteerism
are registered at the online
portal
Number Value 0.00 148 168
Date 15-Nov-2016 31-Dec-2018
Comment 70 NGOs and
20 universities /
schools
Original target
was 100 by
current project
closing date
(December
2016). Some
partner
organizations
are expected to
be current
partners and/or
implement
both SGP and
weekend
activities
Revised –
Proposed
change in
target value
Number of youth interested
in volunteering who have
registered on the online
portal
Number Value 0 6,584 7,584
Date 15-Nov-2016 31-Dec-2018
Comment Original target
was 1,850
youth by
-30-
current project
closing date
(December 31,
2016). 2/3 of
already
registered
volunteers are
expected to
participate in
new phase.
No Change Partner organization &
MoSA staff trained on
volunteer management /
volunteer training on soft
skills and social cohesion
Text Value 0 116 176
Date 07-Jan-2016 31-Dec-2016
Comment Original target
was 1,850
youth by
current project
closing date
(December 31,
2016).
Add – New
proposed
indicator
Number of youth volunteers
who have received 24h of
soft skills /psycho-social
awareness training.
Number Value 0 0 1,500
Date 15-Nov-2016 31-Dec-2018
Comment No psycho-
social
awareness
training was
delivered to
youth
volunteers
20h of soft
skills and 4h of
psycho-social
awareness
training
No Change Percentage Value 0.00 0.00 80.00
Date 15-Nov-2016 31-Dec-2016
-31-
Percentage of youth satisfied
with their NVSP
volunteering experience
Comment Satisfaction data
to be collected
in Dec 2016.
80% of
volunteers
satisfied
Add – New
proposed
indicator
Proportion of beneficiaries
of volunteering projects in
host communities who are
satisfied with the services
received.
Percentage Value 0 0.00 80.00
Date 15-Nov-2016 31-Dec-2018
Comment No psycho-
social
awareness
training was
delivered to
youth
volunteers
No Change Percentage of youth
involved in volunteering
activities in communities
other than their own
Percentage Value 0.00 43 25.00
Date 15-Nov-2016 31-Dec-2016
Comment
Delete Increased understanding of
social cohesion by the youth
volunteering in NVSP
projects following the
training
Percentage points
increase
Value 0 0 10.00
Date 15-Nov-2016 31-Dec-2016
Comment No pre-post
learning
assessment was
conducted
No Change M&E plan approved by the
NPCV Yes/NO Value No 0 Yes
Date 07-Jan-2016 31-Dec-2016
Comment
Evaluation report produced Yes/No Value No 0 Yes
-32-
Delete –
substitute by
indicator
below
Date 07-Jan-2016 31-Dec-2016
Comment
Add – New
proposed
indicator
Evaluation reports produced Number Value 0 1 3
Date 15-Nov-2016 31-Dec-2018
1 baseline
analysis report
produced
Includes
impact and
process
evaluation
reports
-33-
ANNEX 3: FIDUCIARY ARRANGEMENTS
Financial Management
The financial management arrangements have been discussed and will follow the same
arrangements of the ongoing NVSP. The PIU housed at the MoSA handling the execution of the
initial project will be responsible for the FM arrangements of the project. The PIU team includes
a Financial Officer (FO) who will be responsible, among others tasks, for managing the Project
Designated Account (DA), honor the entities requests for issuing payments, consolidating the
project accounts and issue periodical financial reports to reflect the overall grant financial position.
The FM performance of the NVSP is satisfactory. The main challenge is the delays in transfers of
funds from the Ministry of Finance (MoF) treasury account to the project’s DA.
Accounting: The project will utilize the current accounting procedures of the initial project, which
are based on a ring fenced system of excel spread sheets. The PIU will be responsible for recording
the daily transactions and preparing the required financial reports.
Internal Controls: a Project Operations Manual (POM) is being utilized by the current project and
will also be used for the AF. The POM contains a detailed chapter on accounting and financial
management. The POM will be updated for the AF.
Financial Reporting: The PIU will be responsible for preparing Quarterly un-audited Interim
Financial Reports (IFRs) detailing the grant: (i) sources and uses of funds; (ii) contract
expenditures; (iii) uses of funds by grant activity, component and category; (iv) DA reconciliation
statement; and (v) consolidated list of fixed assets purchased through the project. The IFRs will be
submitted to the Bank no later than 45 days after the end of the quarter to which they relate. In
addition, the annual Project Financial Statements (PFS) will be prepared by the PIU bearing the
same information as the IFRs and will be audited by an external independent auditor.
Budgeting: A project annual budget and disbursement plan will be produced and maintained by
the project based on the project procurement plan and implementation schedule, to ensure timely
availability of funds. It will be used as an effective monitoring tool for comparing planned
expenditures with actual ones and monitoring the existing variances.
External Audit: the PFS will be audited by an independent private external auditor acceptable to
the World Bank, to be engaged within six months after effectiveness. The audit Terms of Reference
(TORs) will be cleared by the World Bank. The project audited PFS and management letter will
be due for submission by no later than 6 months after the end of each fiscal year. The audited PFS
will be made public as per the World Bank disclosure policy. There are no overdue audit reports
related to the ongoing NVSP project.
Flow of Funds: The project flow of funds will go through MoF treasury account for grants and
donations and then transferred to the DA based on transfer requests submitted by PIU to MoF.
Funds will then be disbursed to fund the various activities.
-34-
Disbursements Arrangements
The additional financing will follow the same disbursements arrangements as the parent project.
The provisions of the parent project disbursement letter will form the basis for the additional
financing. The project will utilize the same Designated Account (DA) to receive the funds of the
additional financing. The disbursements methods will be advances to and documentation,
reimbursements and direct payments. The DA ceiling is set at US$ 200,000. The minimum ceiling
for direct payments and reimbursements will be set at US$ 100,000. MOSA through the PIU will
be responsible for submitting monthly replenishments applications with appropriate supporting
documents. Funds will be channeled through MoF treasury account for grants and donations to the
project DA.
The following table specifies the categories of eligible expenditures that will be financed out of
the proceeds of the Grant (including initial and additional financing) as per the amended grant
agreement:
Category Amount of the Grant
Allocated (expressed in
USD)
Percentage of Expenditures
to be financed (inclusive of
Taxes)
(1) Goods, works consultant
services, training, and
operating costs under parts A,
B.2 and C of the project
2,100,000 100%
(2) Goods, works,
consultants’ services and
Training for Small Grants
under Part B.1 of the project
1,900,000 100%
TOTAL AMOUNT 4,000,000 100%
E – Disbursement: The World Bank has introduced e-disbursement for all Lebanon supported
projects. Under e-disbursement, all transactions will be conducted and associated supporting
documents scanned and transmitted on line through the Bank’s Client Connection system. E-
disbursement will considerably speed up disbursements and facilitate project implementation.
Reporting on Use of Grant Proceeds
(i) Supporting Documentation. Supporting documentation should be provided with each
application for withdrawal as set out below:
For requests for Reimbursement and reporting eligible expenditures paid from the Designated Account:
- Records evidencing eligible expenditures (e.g. copies of receipts, supplier
invoices) for payments made under contracts costing US$ 50,000 per contract or
more;
-35-
- Statement of Expenditure in the form attached (Attachment 4 of the Disbursement Letter)
List of payments against contracts that are subject to the World Bank's prior
review, in the form attached (Attachment 5 of the Disbursement letter).
For requests for Direct Payment: records evidencing eligible expenditures, e.g., copies
of receipts, supplier invoices
Procurement
The MoSA/PIU has acquired solid experience in processing procurement using international
procedures. Capacity and knowledge has been enhanced in finding efficient channels of
communication with the project’s implementing agencies - IAs (NGOs and municipalities), and
incorporating their procurement processes within a satisfactory business line. The project design
was enhanced during the implementation of the original project, and no procurement issues are
expected to be challenging the proposed AF. The capacity assessment is reviewed, and
implementation arrangements are confirmed satisfactory and will thus remain the same. Therefore,
the project shall continue to be managed centrally by MoSA, but the component that provides
grants to IAs (Component 2 of the proposed AF) shall use the simplified procurement processing
as defined in the grant OM.
For purchase of Goods and Works, the World Bank same Guidelines “Procurement under IBRD
Loans and IDA Credits” version of January 2011, updated in July 2014 shall be used. No
international competitive bidding is expected. For national competitive bidding, the MoSA/PIU
has developed Standard Bidding Documents acceptable to the Bank. The grant shall use, especially
with respect to the sub-projects provided to the IAs, shopping procedures that include: (a) explicit
statement to bidders of the evaluation and award criteria; (b) local advertising or through MoSA
website, allowing bidders not less than 14 days to prepare and submit quotations; (c) award to
lowest evaluated bidder; and (d) foreign bidders would not be precluded from participation.
Whenever justifiable, Direct Contracting can also be used.
For the selection of consultants, the World Bank same Guidelines “Selection and Employment of
Consultants by World Bank Borrowers” version of January 2011, updated in July 2014 shall be
used. It is foreseen that Quality and Cost Based Selection as well as other methods, as seen
appropriate to the assignments, and selection of Individual consultants shall be used. Whenever
justifiable, single sourcing of firms and sole sourcing of individuals can also be used.
The procurement function shall be supported by MoSA technical staff with the support of the
Procurement Officer and field consultants (for approval of projects and reception).
The procurement plan shall be developed and will be updated bi-yearly or as seen necessary.
SGP arrangements
The selected NGOs are responsible for implementing their approved projects, which could include
contracting for civil works, purchasing goods, as well as selecting and recruiting consultants and
temporary personnel that they may need to carry out their projects.
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Selected IAs must comply with the World Bank “Procurement Guidelines”[1] and “Consultant
Guidelines”[2]
Procurement Process: Selected IAs can launch the procurement of works, goods, and consultants
once their project has been approved. All selected IAs should designate a Procurement Focal Point
who will handle all procurement related matters. The PIU shall conduct on-site spot checks to
ascertain whether the prices paid and the quality of the works and goods supplied and of services
performed are within acceptable limits.
Procurement of Works and Goods: The method of procurement largely depends on the estimated
value of each contract, taking also into account local practices and the capacity of the IA to manage
the process:
a- Direct Contracting:
When the estimated amount of the contract is lower than US$500, the selected IA will
select a contractor or supplier familiar to them, agree on a price with him/her and award
the contract for this negotiated price.
b- Local Shopping:
When the estimated amount of the contract is equal to or greater than US$500 but lower
than US$30,000, local shopping should be used. At least two quotations from different
bidders are needed to prove that the IA has conducted and selected the lowest evaluated
bidder on the basis of criteria mentioned in the request for quotation (RFQ).
Procurement of Services (Consultants): In most cases, services (consultants) will consist of the
recruitment by the selected IA of an individual consultant or engineering consulting firm for SGP
approved project preparation and supervision, or of temporary personnel to carry out activities
(such as training) included in the approved project. Selected IAs should prepare terms of references
clearly stating the scope of the assignments, and the required qualifications and experience.
a- Single Sourcing:
When the estimated amount of the contract is lower than US$5,000, contracting directly
on a single source basis is acceptable.
b- Competition:
When the estimated amount of the contract is equal to or greater than US$5,000, the
selected IA should collect at least three interested and qualified candidates.
Conflict of Interest: In order to avoid conflicts of interest, members of the selected IA responsible
for the management of the approved project cannot be selected as contractors, suppliers or
consultants for the implementation of the community approved project. Members of their families,
and enterprises managed by them and by members of their families, are also excluded.
Formal Contract Agreements: The selected IA shall ensure that formal contract agreements are
executed whenever the contract value exceeds US$ 5,000; in all other cases, the selected IA may
not be required to prepare formal contract documents provided that clear letters of award
[1] These guidelines can be found on the following link: http://go.worldbank.org/1KKD1KNT40 [2] These guidelines can be found on the following link: http://go.worldbank.org/U9IPSLUDC0
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notification, acceptance or other acceptable documents are issued on behalf of the selected IA. All
contract agreements or other documents shall be for definite duration. Renewal or extension of
contracts shall not be undertaken without the prior approval of the selected IA.
Procurement Records: The selected IA should keep all procurement records and documents
available for inspection by the PIU and World Bank representatives / auditors, as well as other
relevant parties, for a period of five (5) years.
