Increasing Urban Resilience in Guatemala Project

dropped

Failure

The project will address the effects of unplanned urbanization in Guatemala’s Mancomunidad Gran Ciudad del Sur, particularly focusing on increasing communities’ access to urban infrastructure and basic public services. By improving the resilience of urban infrastructure and access to basic services in the urban areas, the project will therefore help municipalities in the Mancomunidad del Sur address one of the main causes of urban poverty and informality. By improving the quality and resilience of the urban infrastructure and basic services, the project will improve the living conditions of the most vulnerable urban dwellers, including women, indigenous groups and the elder, and thus reducing their vulnerability to climate risks. Lastly, by strengthening urban policy and institutional capacity at the local and national levels, the project will help build stronger foundations needed to address the long-term economic, social, and climate sustainability aspects of rapid urbanization in Guatemala. These objectives are aligned with key government plans, including the 2032 K’atun National Development Plan; the Innovation and Development of Guatemala and the subsequent COVID-19 joint public-private economic and social recovery plan “Guatemala Moving Forward” (Guatemala no se detiene), which call for an efficient and sustained public investment in human capital, particularly among poor and marginalized groups.The proposed operation builds on the participatory approach proposed under the Urban Infrastructure and Violence Prevention Project (P143495), with a broadened scope to reflect the expanded Mancomunidad Gran Ciudad del Sur, and the region’s exposure to multiple hazards. The proposed Project would maintain the original project’s strategy, which includes: a) engaging community residents through a community mobilization process that built on the institutional foundations provided by the existing Community Development Councils (Consejos Comunitarios de Desarrollo, COCODES) ; b) improving basic living conditions in targeted communities through the provision of infrastructure and services that satisfy basic needs (e.g., for potable water, sanitation, and paved roads); enable provision of social and economic services to vulnerable groups (e.g., community centers); and/or reduce social risks and natural hazards through safer and more resilient built environments. The proposed operation’s financing envelope aims to better reflect the needs and absorptive capacity of the larger and more populous, Mancomunidad del Sur, now including Guatemala City, and reflecting Guatemala’s increased risk profile as regards dealing with natural hazards (especially climate-related, like flooding and landslides), the operation will also have a greater emphasis on urban resilience and disaster risk management investments.The project will be developed under a framework approach by which the operation defines procedures, guidelines, and eligibility criteria for all fiduciary, environmental, and social management aspects. The framework approach is considered appropriate for this type of operation that anticipates implementing a relatively standard package of small-scale investments in multiple project locations. The project will further prioritize specific urban neighborhoods that present high poverty, low access to basic services and urban infrastructure and urban growth rates. Regarding distribution of the project funds, that will benefit the participating municipalities, will be based on data driven approach using a methodology reflecting project development objective. A composite index was established combining indicators covering key characteristics of the participating municipalities: (i) population – to account for the size of the municipality, (ii) number of people living in poverty – to priorities support for areas experiencing higher level of economic deprivation, (iii) community infrastructure and housing deficiencies – to focus core activities of the project on the areas with highest need, and (iv) exposure to disaster risks – to support most vulnerable areas and maximized the contributing to increased disaster and climate resilience.

FY17 - Water, Sanitation and Waste Management

World Bank Group

Project

Road, Water Supply and Storage, Waste Processing and Treatment, Government