Ethnic Minorities and CDD
Designing CDD programs so that
they benefit ethnic minority
populations
Objective of Study
• Gain a better understanding of what design
features World Bank projects have used in order to
ensure that ethnic minority populations are
empowered and able to benefit from programs
using a demand-driven approach.
• Provide practical advice to TTLs interested in
designing their projects so that they serve ethnic
minorities.
Link to Other Research
• A similar analysis is underway of demand-driven
programs that serve Disabled People and Waraffected Populations (Ex-combatants and
internally displaced people and refugees returning
to their place of origin)
• Each of these three groups have special needs and
are at risk of being marginalized in a demanddriven environment unless special features are
incorporated into the CDD design that ensures
their inclusion.
Dates of 2 Other BBLs
• CDD and Disabled People – May 18
• CDD and War-affected Populations – June 1
Methodology Used
• Search of World Bank Project Database for
projects that target ethnic minorities and
include one or more CDD components.
• Desk review of PADs of 10 relelvant project
and ICRs and Evaluations, when available.
• Write-up on key findings on cross-cutting
themes
Cross-cutting Themes
•
•
•
•
Vulnerabilities of Targeted Group
Types of Interventions
Targeting Strategies Used
Division of Labor (Central Government,
Local Government, NGOs, Associations,
and CBOs)
• Empowerment
Projects Serving “Indigenous”
Groups
• The World Bank database captures projects that
serve beneficiaries that fit the Bank’s definition of
“indigenous” as outlined below.
• The World Bank defined the term “Indigenous
Peoples” in 1982 as “tribal groups who lived in
isolation and were at risk of acculturation”.
• In 1987 the definition of was revised to “groups
with socio-cultural systems, modes of production,
and forms of ecological adaptation, different from
those of the dominant group.”
Overview of Projects Serving
“Indigenous” since 1984
• Total of 116 projects
• Geographic Breakdown:
–
–
–
–
–
Latin America 70%
Asia – 24%
Africa – 4%
Europe – 1%
Middle East – 1%
Overview of Projects Serving
“Indigenous” (…cont’d)
• Sector Breakdown
–
–
–
–
–
Natural Resource Management – 28%
Education – 14%
Rural Development 11%
Social Funds 7%
Other Social Protection – 4%
Growth in # Projects Serving
“Indigenous” Populations
# P ro je c ts s e rv in g In d ig e n o u s C o m m u n itie s
70
61
# of P rojects
60
50
36
40
# P rojec ts
30
20
16
10
0
1990 - 1994
1995 - 1999
5 Ye a r P e rio d s
2000 - 2004
Projects serving Other Ethnic
Groups
• The Bank’s Database is less successful in
capturing ethnic groups that do not fit into
the “indigenous” definition.
• For this reason, only one project serving
non-indigenous ethnic groups was included
in the sample – the Bulgarian Social Fund,
which serves the ethnic Turk and Roma
peoples was included.
Project Sample Analyzed
Social Fund
Latin America
Ecuador
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Peru
Asia
India
Philippines
Vietnam
Europe
Bulgaria
Total
Rural
Development
Indigenous
Development
Water and
Sanitation
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
4
3
2
1
Characteristics of Ethnic
Minorities Served
• Geographically concentrated
• Remote rural communities far from municipal
capitals
• Poverty Rates well above average, for example:
– Ecuador: 86% indigenous <poverty line vs. 56% for
overall populations
– Bulgaria: Roma ten times more likely to be poor than
the ethnic Bulgarians.
Characteristics of Ethnic
Minorities Served
• Higher rates of illiteracy, particularly among
women
• Lower school enrollment
• High percent of low birth-weight children
• Lack of secure access to arable land and
water resources
Types of Interventions –
Community Level
• Socio-economic infrastructure
• Social assistance projects
• Productive activities (agriculture, microenterprise, etc.)
• Capacity-building for community-level
associations (needs assessment, project
identification, planning, implementation and
management.)
Types of Interventions –
Regional and Municipal Levels
• Rural road and water projects serving multiple
municipalities or districts (e.g. Vietnam)
• Strategic planning for ethnic group spread
geographically across several municipalities and
departments (Honduras and Ecuador)
• Capacity building for local government to be more
responsive to demand from minority communities
(Chattisgarh, India)
Types of Interventions – National
Level
• Changing the constitution and making laws
protecting indigenous rights to ancestral resources
such as land, water, and cultural heritage sites
(Ecuador, Philippines, Peru).
• Legal assistance to indigenous to establish title to
land.
• Empowerment of ethnic group through capacity
building of ethnic association (Ecuador, Peru, and
early Honduras).
Targeting Strategies Used
• Geographic targeting when ethnic group is
geographically concentrated. (Mexico) Best when
census data is broken down by ethnic group.
Allocate funds accordingly.
• Poverty targeting is effective in serving ethnic
groups since they tend to experience high levels of
poverty and extreme poverty. Ideal if poverty data
is broken down by ethnic group. (Bulgaria) If no
data will need to use proxies for poverty.
Targeting Strategies Used –
Proxy Indicators
• Prioritize small communities (Mexico –
communities with less than 5,000)
• Prioritize remote communities (Vietnam and
Maharasthtra – India)
• Prioritize communities lacking basic socioeconomic infrastructure by limiting sub-project
menu.
• Prioritize communities using indicators such as
literacy rates, school enrollment rates, and average
distance to potable water supply.
Targeting Strategies Used
• Working through indigenous associations to
identify beneficiary communities
(Honduras)
• Using tailored local language promotional
campaign targeting minority communities
(Chhattisgarh, India, the Philippines,
Vietnam)
Targeting Strategies Used
• Capacity-building for minority communities to
enhance their competitiveness in accessing
municipal funding. (Honduras, Philippines)
• Independent Verification and Grievance
Mechanisms (Mexico – Federal verification;
Vietnam – Special panel reviews commune plans;
Philippines – grievance mechanism)
Division of Labor – Communitybased Organizations (CBOs)
• Needs assessment, project identification and
prioritization.
• Sub-project planning.
• Sub-project implementation (procurement,
financial management, supervision)
• In-kind and cash contributions.
• Operation and maintenance of sub-project.
Links with Local Government
• By-pass local government (Ecuador and Peru and
Honduras – Early phase)
• Prepare ethnic communities to compete for local
government funds (Honduras – New Phase;
Nicaragua)
• Special rules for ethnic communities in competing
for local government funding (e.g. India – clusters
of 30 – 50 tribal households may compete for
funds separate from village they belong to.)
• Minimal changes to local planning process to
accommodate ethnic minority communities
(Vietnam)
Role of Central Government
• Minimal for cases where project targets a specific
state or region (India and Philippines)
• Oversight role to ensure that funds are distributed
to ethnic minority communities with rewards for
compliance (Mexico)
• Establish constitutional protection for ethnic
minorities (Ecuador, Philippines, Peru)
• Create national level government institution to
orient, coordinate, and articulate policies and
multi-sector actions for the development of
indigenous minorities (CODENPE and CODAE in
Ecuador; SETAI in Peru).
Role of Central Government
• Create a national-level Consultative or
Advisory Committee for project, which
often includes representatives of the main
ethnic associations (e.g. Multi-sectoral
Commission for Indigenous Affairs (CAI)
in Peru; Committee of Ethnic Minorities
and Mountainous Areas in Vietnam).
Role of NGOs
• Most common role – supplier of training and
technical assistance to ethnic communities and, in
some cases, to ethnic associations and
municipalities.
• NGOs as intermediaries between government and
community organizations (Nicaragua)
• NGOs as facilitators or stewards of the rules of the
game – they disseminate the rules of the game
(India)
• NGOs assist with monitoring and evaluation
(Vietnam)
Role of Minority Associations
• Participate in project Advisory Committee
(Majority of Projects)
• Assist with targeting and project promotion
(Honduras)
• Contracted to assist communities to conduct
participatory needs assessment and planning
process.
• Serve as intermediaries between the program and
the communities.
• Project builds capacity of ethnic association
(Ecuador, Peru, and early phase Honduras)
Role of Minority Associations –
(…continued)
• Monitor project implementation at the
community level (Peru and Honduras)
• Develop strategic plans for ethnic group
(Honduras)
How do these projects Empower
Ethnic Minority Communities?
• Secures their access to key resources – land and
water.
• Gives them access to community assets – schools,
health posts, water points – that will improve their
future prospects.
• Gives them access to income generating
opportunities.
• Builds their capacity to compete for municipal
level funding.
• In a minority of cases, builds the capacity of an
ethnic association (politically sensitive issue)
Recommendations
• Bank database should capture all projects that
attempt to address special needs of ethnic
minorities, not just those that fit the definition of
“indigenous”.
• Targeting strategies should ideally be simple,
passive, and low-cost.
• If geographic and poverty data are available and
broken down by ethnic group, use it for targeting
purposes. If not, add a few more features, such as
– tailored promotional strategy; use poverty
proxies.
Recommendations –
(…continued)
• Avoid targeting long-term – ultimate goal should to
be assist ethnic minority communities to compete on
a level playing field for available resources. Longterm targeting may result in marginalization.
• Build bridges to local government, ultimately, they
will control the funds as decentralization trend
proceeds.
• Involve ethnic associations in project design and
oversight.
• Recognize that building the capacity of ethnic
associations could have political overtones.