Integrated Regional and Local Development Project

dropped

Failure

In order to develop new tourism product linking the various “Municipal Clusters” and leveraging the specific economic potential ofmost remote and/or lagging areas, a regional-development approach would be applied in line with the current initiatives by theMinistry Regional Development and Infrastructure, whereas targeted public investments could provide a platform for boosting privatesector investments, creating new opportunities for jobs and catalyzing growth of small and medium enterprises in the tourism valuechain. This approach would also help to strengthen institutional capacity for sustainable regional development that promotesequity, improved coordination, improved management and sustainable use of cultural and natural assets and improved public privatedialogue for planning and management in the tourism sector and at key destinations, particularly those away from the most popularroutes.The project would consist of four components: Component 1 - Service Delivery for Sustainable Growth - will consist ofsubcomponent 1.1 for Upgrading and Regeneration of Urban Centers, subcomponent 1.2 for Sustainable Mountain Development, andsubcomponent 1.3. for Provision of Public Infrastructure to Attract Private Investments; Component 2 - Disaster Risk Management andResilience - will assist the Borrower in improving the preparedness for potential emergencies, through the delivery of selectedresilient lifeline infrastructures combined to the enhancement of the institutional and technical capacity for disaster managementand response; Component 3 - Skills Building and Institutional Strengthening- will invest in the institutional strengthening of theMunicipal Development Fund of Georgia (the project implementing entity), as well as of the National Agency for Cultural HeritagePreservation of Georgia (NACHP), Georgia National Tourism Administration (GNTA), Mountain Resorts Development Company (MRDC), andrelevant regional and local entities; and Component 4 - Project Management - will cover costs of overall project implementation,including: staff salaries, contracting of local and international experts and consultants to assist in the implementation ofinvestments, external consultants and specialists for technical issues, training of staff and consultants associated withproject implementation, procurement, social and environmental management, monitoring and evaluation.The proposed project is fullyaligned with the objectives of the Country Partnership Framework (FY19-22), which supports sustainable and inclusive growth inGeorgia, also paying a special attention to vulnerable groups and lagging regions. More specifically, the project supports FocusArea 1: Enhance Inclusive Growth and Competitiveness, as it aims at increasing economic participation, by implementing anintegrated approach to tourism and other sectorial development in lagging regions, with a focus on infrastructures, urban renewal,cultural heritage restoration, skills development, attraction of private sector investments. The project also promotes theimprovement of connectivity and integration, in order to reduce disparities and to help people living in rural and remote areas tobetter connect to services, business opportunities and markets. And it also supports Focus Area 3: Build Resilience, as itcontributes to the enhancement of natural resources, as well as to the increase of sustainability of Georgia’s forests, at the sametime strengthening the disaster risk management and the preparedness system.

FY17 - Industry, Trade and Services,FY17 - Public Administration

World Bank Group

Project

Hotel, Commercial, Government