WASHINGTON (World Bank press service) — This consultation seeks feedback on the draft Environmental and Social System Assessment (ESSA) for the World Bank-financed Tajikistan Power Sector Financial Recovery Program-for-Results.

World Bank welcomes feedback from representatives of government, civil society, the private sector, the development community, and energy experts, and will be reflected in the final ESSA, which will help complete preparation of the Tajikistan Power Sector Financial Recovery Program-for-Results.

Tajikistan Power Sector Financial Recovery Program-for-Results
To improve the efficiency and financial standing of the country’s power sector, the Government of Tajikistan has prepared a Financial Recovery Program for the power utility company Barqi Tojik. The Government has asked the World Bank and other development partners to finance this Program.

The World Bank will avail of the Program-for-Results (PforR) financing instrument to support the Government of Tajikistan’s Financial Recovery Program for Barqi Tojik. During preparation of the PforR, the Bank is required to complete an assessment of environmental and social systems in Tajikistan which are relevant to the Financial Recovery Program of Barqi Tojik. The draft ESSA outlines the results of this assessment.

The overall objective of the Environmental and Social System Assessment is to minimize any potential risks and promote sustainable development. As such, the Assessment aims to:

1. Identify potential environmental and social benefits, risks and impacts;
2. Review the policy and legal framework related to management of environmental and social impacts;
3. Assess the institutional capacity for environmental and social management systems;
4. Assess the performance of the Financial Recovery Program;
5. Identify gaps, if any, in the effective implementation of the PforR, and outline actions and measures to fill those gaps.

Consultations
These consultations seek feedback from representatives of the Government of Tajikistan, local and international civil society, private sector, international donor agencies and energy experts. Feedback received will be incorporated into the final ESSA, which will be disclosed at a future date on the World Bank website.

The online consultations are open from April 16-April 23, 2019.

Face to face consultations will take place on April 22 and April 23 at the World Bank Office in Dushanbe.

World Bank invites to send your comments, questions or suggestions in English, Tajik or Russian to mailto: by April 23, 2019. If you have any questions on the process of the consultations, you can email Nigina Alieva, Communications Officer, mailto:.

General information on the World Bank Group’s work in Tajikistan is available here: www.worldbank.org/Tajikistan.