<div><h4>Description</h4><p>The project road section is part of the A380 network between Bukhara and Nukus. The project will modernize a bypass section of the 4-lane dual carriageway of the A380 (581-673km) of about 92 km from Turtkul towards Nukus. The project will also develop the institutional capacity of the Committee for Roads under the Ministry of Transport, strengthen the traffic management and vehicle overloading control, improve the quality control of road works, and increase road safety. The project will also enhance climate change resilience measures by designing the road elevations, alignments and structures that are less susceptible to flooding, heavy snowfall, and landslides and that incorporates the adverse risks of climate conditions.</p><h4>Impact</h4><p><p>Regional trade and economic connectivity on the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Corridor 2 is enhanced, particularly between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.</p></p></div>

Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Road Corridor 2 Resilience and Modernization Project

Initial poverty and social analysis public project number: 55244 -002 octobe r 2023 uzbekistan: central asia regional economic cooperation corridor 2 resilience and modernization proje ct this document is being disclosed to the public in accordance with adb's access to information policy. currency equivalents as of 26 september 2023 currency unit - sum sum sum 1.00 = 0.082 1.00 = sum 12,205.40 currency unit - sum sum abbreviations adb - asian development bank carec - central asia regional economic cooperation corridor fgfos - foreign government financial organizations gdp - gross domestic product its - intelligent transport system km - kilometer mof - ministry of economy and finance mot - ministry of transport pmu - project management unit - public-private partnership ta - technical assistance wim - weigh-in-motion note i in this report, refers to united states dollars in preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the asian development bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. initial poverty and social analysis country: republic of uzbekistan project title: central asia regional economiccooperation road corridor 2 resilience and modernization projectlendingfinancing modality: project departmentdivision sectors group transport sector office i. poverty impact and social dimensions a. links to the national poverty reduction strategy and country partnership strategy in 2017, the president of uzbekistan signed a decree, on uzbekistan's development strategy which includes the country's five -area development strategy for 2017-2021. the program is aligned with the third priority of the development strategy on economic development and liberalization, specifically, on the integrated and balanced socio-economic development of provinces, districts and cities, and the optimum and efficient use of potential in the area. the proposed program will pave the way for increased domestic and international trade along the central asia regional economic cooperation carec corridors. the 1,204 km long a380 of which the project is a key section, forms part of the carec corridor 2. this is one of the key trade routes in the region, connecting the regions of kashkadarya, bukhara, khorezm, and the republic of karakalpakstan and providing access to kazakhstan and the caspian sea port of aktau. in addition, the program will support the fourth priority of the strategy on the development of the social sphere, specifically on the development and modernization of road transport. the program will contribute to the achievement of the objective of this priority area -- the construction and reconstruction of road infrastructure, particularly, the development of regional roads. through the reconstruction of approximately 25 km of the a380 and improvements in project management, logistics and road safety, the program helps achieve the objective of the country partnership strategy on reducing economic and social disparities. b. poverty targeting general intervention individual or household ti-h geographic ti-g non-income mdgs ti-m1, m2, etc. karakalpakstan , located at the northwestern end of uzbekistan, is the country's largest region, occupying about 35 of the total land area in the country. as of january 2021, its population was estimated at of 1.92 million with a significantly higher number of rural settlements 1,124 compared to urban settlements 26the road segment to be constructed will help facilitate more economic activities and improve the volume of the gross domestic product estimated at sum 22 billion, which is significantly lower compared to the other regions. the program will provide improved access of the residents in the rural areas to social and economic services and opportunities which are mostly in the urban centers. c. poverty and social analysis 1. key issues and potential beneficiaries. road users and traders will directly and significantly benefit from the program, as the rehabilitated road will help move goods and services more efficiently and enhance development in the region. residents along the road section to be rehabilitated, will be able to avail services and opportunities located in the nearby district capital towns of tortkul and beruniy as well as the regional capitals of nukus and bukhara. 2. impact channels and expected systemic changes. the program is expected to benefit local population and regionalinternational traders through i reduced travel time on the improved surface, ii reduction of travel costs by reducing vehicle operation costs, and reduction of road accidents by installing road safety facilities, such as pedestrian crossings. in addition, during the construction works, local population will be benefitted by providing short-term employment opportunities. 3. focus of and resources allocated in the transaction ta or due diligence. the program will conduct poverty, social, and gender analysis psga. this will look into the current social and economic conditions and issues of communities, as well as their concerns with regard to travel and mobility. in addition, the project will identify potential social impacts during construction and operation, and the appropriate mitigating measures. the due diligence will note social issues related to construction, such as health concerns including sexually-transmitted infections such as hivaids, human trafficking and take measures to increase awareness among construction workers, communities, and travelers on these health matters. 2 ii. gender and development 1. what are the key gender issues in the sector andor subsector that are lik ely to be relevant to this project or program in a survey done among households in karakalpakstan in 2019 for a similar project, it was noted that 87 of women do not own nor have access to cars and 84 of women walk to mar kets and hospitals. efficient and safe travel and mobility through public transport and safety features along th e road were noted as key concerns. women who participated in the survey recommended the construction of bus shelters with sufficient lighting, lighting at resettlement junctions, increased frequency of public tran sport, provision of separate toilets for women and men, facilities for mother and child at bus shelters. the consulta tions with the communities, including in tortkul and the conduct of the poverty, social, and gender analysis psg a will identify the area-specific gender issues and recommended actions to ensure safe travel of women and othe r vulnerable groups. the psga will also look into other issues that the project may possibly address. 2. does the proposed project or program have the potential to contribute to the promotion of gender equity andor empowerment of women by providing women access to and use of opportunities , services, resources, assets, and participation in decision-making yesno the project site is located at a considerable distance from the communities. the completed road will facilitate women's travel to the urban centers to avail of health services , education, and economic opportunities through more efficient travel and shorter travel time. 3. could the proposed project have an adverse impact on women andor girls or widen gende r inequality yesno the project will take measures to promote the safety and welfare of women through faster and more efficient travel on the reconstructed road section, the display of police an d medical emergency numbers as well as helplines for women's concerns on the variable message signs vms that will be installed alo ng the reconstructed section of the project road section and it other road sections reconstructed under prev ious projects.4. indicate the intended gender mainstreaming category: gen gender equity egm effective gender mainstreaming sge some gender elements nge no gender elements . participation and empowering the poor 1. who are the main stakeholders of the project, including beneficiaries and a ffected people explain how they will each participate in the project's design.the stakeholders include the road users passengers, driv ers, pedestrians, persons who will be affected, displaced as a result of the roadworks, and the communities near the pro ject area. the project will consult these groups for the conduct of the poverty, social, and gender analysis ps ga. their views, interests, and recommendations will be considered in the project design. 2. who are the key, active, and relevant csos in the project area the civil society organizations csos active in the projec t area will be identified and consulted during the due diligence. 3. are there issues during project design for which participation of the poor and vulnerable i s important yesno if yes, what are these issues 4. how will the project ensure the participation of beneficiaries and affected peopl e, particularly the poor and vulnerable andor csos, during project design to address these issues the project will ensure that consultations, especially amon g affected persons on concerns related to physical, economic, and social displacement will be noted. discussion s, including those among women and other vulnerable groups, will look into their specific concerns and will identi fy measures to address these. 5. what level of cso participation is planned during the project design m information generation and sharingm consultationna collaboration na partnership the consultations will ensure representation from all groups. th e discussions will cover social and economic issues, the communities' perception of the possible social and economic impacts of the project, safety and mobility conc erns, concerns related to physical, social, and economic displa cement. civil society organizations csos active in the area that promote the interest of communities and vulnerable grou ps will be consulted. 3iv. social safeguards a. involuntary resettlement category a b c fi 1. does the project have the potential to involve involuntary land acquisition res ulting in physical and economic displacementyes no initial assessment of the program indicated that the current pro ject would likely impact more than 100 households and farm owners. this information shall be thoroughly studied du ring the further processing. 2. what action plan is required to address involuntary resettlement as part of the tr ansaction ta or due diligence process resettlement plan resettlement framework social impact matrix environmental and social management system arrangement none b. indigenous peoples categorya b c fi 1. does the proposed project have the potential to directly or indirectly affe ct the dignity, human rights, livelihood systems, or culture of indigenous peoples yes no 2. does it affect the territories or natural and cultural resources indigenous peoples own, use, occupy, or claim, as their ancestral domainyesno not applicable 3. will the project require broad community support of affected indigenous communities yes no not applicable. 4. what action plan is required to address risks to indigenous peoples as part of the transaction ta or due diligence process indigenous peoples plan indigenous peoples planning framework social impact matrix environmental and social management system arrangement none v. other social issues and risks 1. what other social issues and risks should be considered in the project design creating decent jobs and employment l adhering to core labor standards labor retrenchment spread of communicable diseases, including hivaids l increase in human trafficking affordability increase in unplanned migration increase in vulnerability to natural disasterscreating political instability creating internal social conflicts others, please specify 2. how are these additional social issues and risks going to be addressed in the projec t design during the course of project processing, the mitigation mea sures relevant to other social issues and risk shall be defined in applicable environment and social managemen t plan. specific assurances for core labor standards will be included in the loan covenants due to documented problems in uzbekistan in this respect. vi. transaction ta or due diligence resource requirement 1. do the terms of reference for the transaction ta or other due diligence contain key informa tion needed to be gathered during transaction ta or due diligence process to better analyze i pov erty and social impact, ii gender impact, participation dimensions, iv social safeguards, and v othe r social risks are the relevant specialists identified yes no 2. what resources e.g., consultants, survey budget, and workshop are allocated fo r conducting poverty, social, andor gender analysis; and the participation plan during the transaction ta or due dilige nce the f-trta will include a team of international and national social developmentgender specialists and land acquisition and resettlement specialists to carry out pov erty, social and gender analysis, social safeguards due diligence, and prepare safeguards frameworks and plans. th e f-trta will also include socio-economic surveys which will cover the above thematic areas. adb = asian development bank, cso = civil society organization, f -trta - transaction technical assistance facility, ta = technical assistance. source: asian development bank estimates.

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Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Corridor 2 Resilience and Modernization Project: Initial Poverty and Social Analysis

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