Safeguard and Social Development Support

Under the Social and Environmental Support component of the project, this time, project has designed to launch all sorts of activities through SSDS program.

Major activities on this program are to support safeguard, social upliftment program, environmental monitoring, public relation and resettlement (SUP, EMP, PRP, and RAP).

Objective of SSDS
The Objectives of this consolidated safeguards and social development support

• To build up a social development program with significant community participation ownership and empowerment.
• To provide project management skills to support social, environmental and public relations activities under the subproject.
• To ensure compliance of the subproject with social and environment safeguard requirements of both GoN and ADB.
• To provide technical advisory and capacity building services to the Melamchi Water Supply Development Board (MWSDB), the HSMVSUPIC and other similar local committees formed to assist the MWSBD in implementing any component of the project, if any, and associated project stake holders on all social, environmental, Public relation, community development and SUP implementation related activities.
• To organize and carry out special events (e.g. field visits by GoN representatives, donor agencies, etc) as required by the MWSDB including media liaison, presentations on the public information program, logistics, preparation of materials and coordination of other items.
• To safe guard the project from upcoming local disturbances and to run the project smoothly by addressing local grievance in time.
• To ensure the smooth construction activities of project component by safeguarding the local disturbances.
• The liaison with the local line agencies towards the resettlement activities, land acquisition, components determination and grievances handling

Scope of Work
In a more concise form the detailed description of work proposed to performed by SSDS can be detailed as follows:

• Take over the responsibilities from the ongoing /past consultant.
• Ensure community participation, empowerment, and self determination in local development activities under the subproject; and insulate the tunnel contractor and other civil works contractors from costly civil disturbances and/or work stoppages. This will include preparation of updating of the community participation and liaison plan outlining the activities to be carried out for community outreach and participation on close collaboration with local committee (HSMVSUPIC).
• Assist with design, oversight, management, and implementation of the community oriented social and environmental support activities.
• Enhance the organizational capacity of HSMVSUPIC and other committees in relation to the project, if any, – initially a community owned and empowered organization, and later a self-sustaining organization capable of identifying the rural organization and social development needs of the community; and managing the implementation of the sub project’s social and environmental components mutually agreed between MWSDB and HSMVSUPIC.
• Build the capacity of the HSMVSUPIC executive committee and secretariat staff to plan, execute manage and monitor expenditures of social and environmental development funds for community, social and environmental development activities; and the capacity of grievance management unit of HSMVSUPIC to handle grievances/claims/disputes.
• Ensure that the subproject including social and environmental development activities under SUP is implemented in accordance with social and environmental safeguard requirement, monitor the performance of safeguard compliance, and advise MWSDB and HSMC on taking necessary measured in the event of noncompliance.
• Ensuring that all mitigation measures and monitoring requirements outlined in the EMP are carried out in different stages (preconstruction, construction, and post-construction) of the project as stipulated in the EMP.
• Ensuring that the environment of subproject sites and the region of influence is protected and developed in a way that meets the needs of local people. The stakeholders and the national interests.
• Assist updating and implementing social and environmental strategies and plans for social and environmental safeguards i.e., the RAP, EMP, and ethnic minority development plan as and when required.
• Recommend strategies to establish and maintain effective system that ensure timely resolution of contractor –consultant-community conflicts and enhance community ownership and empowerment initiatives undertaken under the subproject.
• Review subproject activities for gender responsiveness and recommend measures for integrating gender-related issues in subproject implementation.
• Develop and institutionalize systems and practices within HSMC that fulfill financial, public relation, performance monitoring, management, and evaluation requirements and enhance community ownership and empowerment initiatives undertaken under the subproject.
• Review subproject activities for gender responsiveness and recommend measures for integrating gender-related issues in subproject implementation.
• Develop and institutionalize systems and practices within HSMC that fulfill financial, public relation, performance monitoring, management, and evaluation requirements as per GoN rules and regulation and the donor agency guidelines under the subproject.
• Provide proactive and effective corporate public relations support to the subproject at the PMU. PIU and the local committees level.
• Prepare consolidated progress report (monthly, trimester and annual) with a summary of periodic and cumulative figures and data.
• Assist the PMU and HSMC and other local committees in getting their accounts audited by regular and technical audits approved by GoN.
• Prepare a list of non-compliances along with recommendations to deal with them.
• Organize and carry out special events (e.g. field visits by GoN representatives, donor agencies , etc) as required by the MWSDB including media liaison, representation on the Public Information Program, logistics, preparation of materials and coordination of other items.
• Hold meetings, at least once in three months in Melamchi Water Supply Project to discuss safeguards, public relation and SUP related issues. The team consists of representatives from office of MWSDB, representatives from district line agencies and other project stakeholders. The consultant will be required to hold any such meetings, as and when required, and provide information on the status of the community information program for the project and other related issues.
• Carry out research into what types of benefits accrue as a result of the different project activities, e.g, adit access roads, blacktopping of access roads, bridges and other EMP, RAP and SUP activities, to the different Stakeholders.
• Carry out programs and activities to disseminate project information and performance to counter false allegations and negative publicity of the project.
• Safeguard the probable disturbances to the construction activities that might come due to misinterpretation and false information about the project.
• Carry out the educational, health development and income generation activities in the project site to develop the capacities of local people.