Projects

OPERATIONAL WORK

The Social Development Group is currently involved in several operational projects - under preparation or in the pipe-line - below are a few examples;

Macedonia:   "Children and Youth Development Project in FYR of Macedonia"; in partnership with UNICEF,consisting of two phases:

Phase I:         $ 2 million Post Conflict Grant
Phase II:        $ 2.5 million Learning and Innovation Loan approved in June 2001.

Below is a short summary of Phase II of this project;

Project development objective:
The project's main development objective is to promote the social integration of children, adolescents and youth from different cultural backgrounds in the development process of Macedonia .

In particular the project will:
(a) test community-based approaches to support adolescents and youth at risk (14-24) and prevent their marginalization and reduce exposure to abuse (drug, alcohol, etc.);
(b) strengthen the institutional capacity at central and local level to address children and youth issues by (i) monitoring social trends affecting youth and assess the impact of project activities, and (ii) raising awareness and commitment of policy makers and communities for children and youth issues.

Ultimately, it is expected that this project will promote development assistance that minimizes potential causes of conflict. This is pursued by (i) investing in the mental and physical well-being of the new generations, and (ii) enhancing inter-ethnic social cohesion through community-based approaches involving children and youth from all the key ethnic groups in FYR of Macedonia. The focus on children and young cohorts reflects the World Bank's Social Cohesion Action Plan for South East Europe, currently under preparation, which supports the social and economic empowerment of women and youth, as groups who can most effectively bring about social stability and change in the medium and long term.

Main Project Components:

Component 1: Youth
During the second phase of the post conflict grant implementation, UNICEF has been piloting youth activities in 8 urban locations throughout the country. The beneficiaries are currently nearly 4,000 children/youth aged 7-24, and their parents and teachers. The youth activities are totally inter-ethnic and cover sports, computer and IT training, English language, social skills and creativity, journalism, debates, seminars and workshops, as well as other scholastic activities.

Under this component, the project will (i) continue to test methods and the experimentation carried out in 8 existing centers financed by the Post Conflict grant and (ii) establish 8 new centers. If lessons are successful, the project will support the process of taking over activities organized by the centers from local governments and communities with support from the central government. Criteria to locate the new centers run by local NGOs will be identified during the first year of the project implementation, based on lessons learned from the already existing centers. Tentative criteria include (a) geographical coverage based on needs and availability of social services for the youth and on ethnic diversity, etc; (b) existing local capacity, the efficiency of the existing NGOs and their participatory approaches and (c) scope for community ownership.

Component 2: Institutional Development
In order to make the first two components more effective and sustainable, this component will aim at mainstreaming children and youth issues and human rights of public concern (i.e. enforcing the birth registration requirements, combating corporal punishment practices in schools, awareness raising programs on the rights of children and adolescents, especially as to sexual abuse, trafficking of human beings and family violence), with a holistic and gender-focused child rights approach. The full commitment by the Macedonian government is assured by the leading role the Minister of Labor and Social Policy has in the Government and by the Action Plan drafted by the Social Cohesion Working Group of the Stability Pact for South East Europe.

The component will support (i) the establishment of the Project Implementation Unit and the identification of training needs (i.e, procurement); (ii) a policy dialogue and Children and Youth Strategy to involve and promote the ownership of the proposed program within policy makers and communities; (iii) the establishment of a mechanism for monitoring social trends affecting youth and beneficiaries responsiveness to the proposed activities and awareness raising programs with policy makers and communities.



Northern Albania and Kosovo:Post-Conflict Grant of $ 1.2 million, focusing on " Early Childhood Development in Northern Albania and Kosovo"

The main objectives of the project are to improve access of deprived children to Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) activities in Northern Albania and rural Kosovo, and to support social cohesion and conflict prevention through the community dynamics generated by the ECCD activities.

The specific objectives of the grant are:

• To enhance the role of women as mediators and agents of non-violent conflict resolution;
• To promote/strengthen trust and networks outside the family structure;
• To improve household and community involvement in ECCD;
• To improve the learning environment of deprived children; and
• To create a more inclusive and effective response from government authorities with respect to ECCD.
  
  The project beneficiaries include (i) children aged 0-6 living in rural communities selected by the project; (ii) mothers (child health and education and their own empowerment); (iii) fathers, grandparents and other caregivers (awareness activities); (iv) communities (awareness activities and increased trust within groups and with authorities); (v) ECCD professionals (training); (vi) influential local leaders including elders; and (vii) central and municipal education authorities (technical assistance).
  
  The project objectives will be achieved through the following activities:
  
• Awareness-raising on ECCD and non-violent conflict resolution;
• Assessment of needs and resources;
• Establishment and/or support to local and central steering committees for ECCD;
• Support to community-based initiatives for ECCD; and
• Strengthening government response.
  
  The Project would be implemented by UNICEF over two years and will build upon an earlier PCF grant in Macedonia, "Promoting Inter-Ethnic Dialogue and Supporting Learning Environment of Children".
  
  Kosovo:     $ 300,000 project focusing on "Restoring Social Capital in Prizren"

This is a community-based social capital pilot project that emphasizes the multi-cultural roots of Kosovar society, and contributes toward strengthening tolerance and building a sense of shared history. It focus on Prizren, which is known for the diversity and beauty of its architectural and historical heritage. This heritage plays an important role in preserving Prizren's multi-ethnic society made up of Albanians, Turks, Muslim Slavs, Romas and Gorani communities. As in the rest of Kosovo, relations between these communities are still tense, compounded by the arrival of a large number of internally displaced persons from villages surrounding the city. City officials estimate that the population of the city has doubled, putting enormous pressure on the social and economic infrastructure. Yet, social capital can play a critical role in peace building and cohesion.

Croatia:        " Croatia Social and Economic Recovery Project (CSERP)" (second phase)

The CSERP is a multisectoral project addressing the post conflict reconstruction and sustainable development of Croatia's war-affected and disadvantaged areas. The main development objective is to increase social cohesion and sustainable economic opportunities among different war-affected and marginalized groups within the different ethnic communities living in the project areas. To achieve this, the project will adopt a social fund type approach to fund community-selected subproject activities. It will include two major components: (i) an investment program, and (ii) a local level institution development program.

Key Performance indicators will include

(i) increased inter-ethnic cohesion;
(ii) increase the social inclusion and empowerment of marginalized and war-affected groups;
(iii) increase of socially and environmentally sustainable economic activities;
(iv) increased access to social services and utilities; (v) improved access to productive capacity and assets through demining;
(vi) improved performance of local institutions in their regional capacity, and in their interaction with communities needs.

The project has two main components:
(i) a community investment program, and
(ii) a local level institutional development program.
A third component, project management, will support the implementation of the main components through the establishment of a Social and Economic Recovery Fund (SERF).

The project will be managed by an autonomous and decentralized body, overseen by a Steering Committee. Decentralized offices will be established, each covering two or more counties. Approval of subprojects will be the responsibility of subproject approval committees, composed of various stakeholders. The Council of Europe Development Bank will jointly supervise the project with the World Bank.

This second phase of the Croatia project follows the first phase described below.

Croatia:        " Croatia: Zadar and Sibenik-Knin Counties Refugee Return and Regional Development Project" (first phase)

Project funded by the Post Conflict Grant of $ 1 million ( approved in July 2000). Assistance provided through the Social and Economic Recovery Fund.  Identification mission took place in October' 2000. Implementing partners: GISPLAN (Split) and Catholic Relief Service.

This projectaims at facilitating the expected and already on-going return of Croatian Serbs to Zadar and Sibenik-Knin Counties, also known as Northern Dalmatia. This project is fully in line with the Stability Pact principles and framework ("ensuring the safe and free return of all refugees and displaced persons to their homes, while assisting the countries in the region by sharing the burden imposed upon them"). Moreover, the return of Croatian Serbs, when sustainable and integrated socio-economic conditions are put in place, could contribute to the development of the whole region, benefiting and improving consequently also the Croat domicile and the Bosnian Croats living in the same area. The long-term objective of the project is therefore to create pre-conditions for Croatian Serb return (including young and working age people) and a broader economic development of Northern Dalmatia.

In particular, the project:

(i) Promotes the territorial competitiveness of the Northern Dalmatian Region in view of the Stabilization and Access Agreement with the European Union; this will be pursued through the strengthening of the regional planning capacity of different public and non- public institutions, and by contributing to improve the linkages among coastal areas, and between the coast and the hinterland, so as to provide better economic opportunities for returnees as well as the local population;

(ii) Tests approaches to develop a Social and Economic Recovery Fund to promote producers capacity and to address gaps in the access to basic social services by vulnerable groups, especially returnees and settlers, and to provide an efficient mechanism to channel donors funding; and

(iii) Promotes a series of economic and social linkages between members of different ethnic communities and improve collaboration between local public and private institutions in view of reducing social tensions (i.e. technical agricultural units, social welfare centers, commodity markets, etc.).

ANALYTICAL WORK

On-going analytical work currently includes the following studies;

South East Europe" Youth Inclusion and Empowerment in South Eastern Europe Study"

The main rationale for focusing on youth inclusion and empowerment in SEE is the need to address the income and non-income dimensions of poverty of this group. In particular, the focus on youth is based on three factors: the demographic profile of the countries in this sub-region, high youth unemployment rates, and increased risky behaviors among youth. In the countries of SEE, it is estimated that 9.3 million youth are between 15-24 years, comprising about 16% of the population. These youth have come of age during the transition years and have been strongly affected by increased poverty during the transition and in many cases, have been excluded from access to employment or productive assets, they have been directly or indirectly affected by conflict- through violence, displacement, and interrupted or inadequate education.

Youth unemployment in SEE is double to triple the overall unemployment rate, and unemployment rates for young women tend to be higher. Unemployed youth, especially males, may become active in criminal organizations and illegal activities, posing serious obstacles to economic development and stability in the region.

The overarching goal of this study is to provide a multi-dimensional policy framework for youth development in SEE for governments, donors and the World Bank that could be used in aligning public expenditures and investments with youth needs and priorities. In particular, the study will attempt to answer the following questions:

• What is underlying age structure within SEE countries, also reflecting ethnicity?
• What are the youth policy implications of different countries' demographic profiles, considering the impact of other factors (i.e. economic transition, conflict, etc.)?
• What are the patterns of youth employment, under-employment and unemployment in SEE?
• What are the dimensions of risky behaviors and their economic implications?
• What is the relationship between social exclusion and the above described patterns?
  

Kosovo" Conflict and Change in Kosovo: Impact on Institutions and Society "is one of the group's recently completed analytical work, focusing on Kosovo Social Assessment (completed).

Short summary of the study
(i) Kosovo has been depicted as a province dominated by hatred. However, in looking at the evolution of its social institutions over time, one can find traditions of intra-community and inter-ethnic coexistence and cooperation. These traditions may help explain why an increasing number of Kosovars are in favor of reconciliation. This study traces the potential for supporting that process through the creation of inclusive social institutions that foster trust, cooperation, and participation among Kosovar Albanians, and between Kosovar Albanians and other ethnic groups. It also proposes a medium-term strategy for development of the province and surrounding areas, based on strengthening social capital and supporting the activities of civil society groups. The study does not focus on emergency issues such as shelter, food security and other types of humanitarian assistance, many of which have been reported and analyzed in detail elsewhere, including by the many agencies cited in the footnotes and bibliography.


(ii) The premise of this study is that efforts to achieve stability and sustainable economic growth in Kosovo depend on the creation of inclusive institutions that promote intra-community cohesion and inter-ethnic reconciliation. The related concepts of social cohesion, social capital, and reconciliation are central to the analysis. The report assesses the presence in Kosovo of two kinds of social capital—bonding and bridging—and the implications of each for promoting social cohesion and managing conflict within and among Kosovo's various ethnic groups. While bonding social capital can be exclusionary, reinforcing ties within groups but promoting distrust of outsiders and therefore social fragmentation and the impoverishment of public life, bridging social capital tends to nurture relationships across groups, and therefore promotes inclusion, reconciliation, and cohesion. The assessment focuses on the potential in Kosovo for developing bridging social capital as a precondition for the emergence of linking social capital, which is implicit in state institutions that are inclusive and empowering, that foster participation in and transparency of the decision-making process, and that therefore enable the cooperative engagement of all groups in building a peaceful society. The development of linking social capital in Kosovo is not, however, specifically evaluated in this report due to the rapidly evolving nature of state institutions.

(iii) The study is part of a larger series of local-level institution studies being carried out by the World Bank to guide implementation of its Regional Strategy for South Eastern Europe.

The study aims at analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of local level institutions to identify ways to improve well-being of the population and social cohesion. The focus is on trust, ownership, and legitimacy in local institutions as well as the degree of inclusiveness or exclusiveness. Dynamics between formal (local government) and informal (local community) institutions, and their relationship with national level institutions are analyzed. In particular, the study focuses on delivery of social services to the population, trying to analyze current gaps. The main objective of the study will be therefore to provide practical guidance to the government on the ways formal institutions interact with informal institutions and looks at ways in which the presence or absence of trust can affect the delivery of social services, from the viewpoint of different population groups (elderly, women, Internally Displaced People, etc.).