Technical Assistance Report

Project Number: 53042-001 Transaction Technical Assistance Facility (F-TRTA) June 2019

People’s Republic of China: Preparing

Environmental and Rural Development Projects This document is being disclosed to the public in accordance with ADB’s Access to Information Policy.

CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (as of 1 May 2019)

Currency unit – Yuan (CNY)

CNY1.00 = $0.1485 $1.00 = CNY6.7348

ABBREVIATIONS

ADB – Asian Development Bank PRC – People’s Republic of China TA

YREB – –

technical assistance Yangtze River Economic Belt

NOTE In this report, “$” refers to United States dollars.

Vice-President Ahmed M. Saeed, Vice-President, Operations 2 Director General Amy S.P. Leung, East Asia Department (EARD) Director Qingfeng Zhang, Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture

Division, EARD Team leader Deputy team leader

Pavit Ramachandran, Principal Environment Specialist, EARD Au Shion Yee, Senior Water Resources Specialist, EARD

Team members Omar Shariff Belisario, Senior Operations Assistant, EARD Xueliang Cai, Water Resources Specialist, EARD Mingyuan Fan, Senior Water Resources Specialist, EARD Yoshiaki Kobayashi, Principal Water Resources Specialist, EARD

Kang Hang Leung, Senior Finance Specialist, EARD Rabindra Osti, Senior Water Resources Specialist, EARD Suzanne Kay Robertson, Senior Natural Resources and Agriculture Specialist, EARD

In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area.

CONTENTS

Page TRANSACTION TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FACILITY AT A GLANCE

I. THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FACILITY 1

A. Justification 1 B. Outputs and Activities 3 C. Cost and Financing 4 D. Implementation Arrangements 4

II. THE PRESIDENT'S DECISION 5

APPENDIXES

1. Cost Estimates and Financing Plan 6

2. Projects under Technical Assistance Facility 7

3. List of Linked Documents 8

I. THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FACILITY A. Justification 1. The Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has recognized the need to support economic development of rural areas through modernizing agriculture and reforming agriculture support programs toward more sustainable and greener economic development. The National Strategic Plan for Rural Vitalization, 2018–20221 was released aimed at reducing rural poverty, modernizing the rural economy, enhancing the rural ecological environment, and promoting green and inclusive growth. The Asian Development Bank (ADB), together with the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance, signed a memorandum of understanding on 29 August 2018 to provide assistance in the following areas: (i) management of solid waste and wastewater by addressing rural and agricultural non-point source pollution and promoting re-use of agricultural waste; and (ii) enhancing rural development through modernizing agriculture and raising productivity. More importantly, the rural vitalization strategy aligns with, and builds on the ecological and environmental improvement priorities under ADB’s Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) framework approach and the government’s YREB Development Plan,2 further strengthening the foundation towards achieving the vision of an ecological civilization. This programmatic approach is anchored in an ensuing set of projects that will help support efforts to reduce remaining pockets of poverty in rural areas consistent with national poverty eradication objectives and a key operational priority under ADB’s Strategy 2030.3 2. This transaction technical assistance (TA) facility will provide project preparation support to a series of ensuing interrelated projects under a rural vitalization framework (Table 1). The TA facility is suitable to ensure a consistent approach by (i) addressing cross-sectoral themes supporting environment protection and rural vitalization through local capacity improvement; (ii) enhancing project implementation readiness; and (iii) strengthening coordination for sustainable rural development and environmental protection in the YREB and surrounding areas. All ensuing projects require a similar set of safeguard, financial management, and economic assessments. The TA facility will identify appropriate lending modalities for ensuing projects, and examine their suitability for sector loans, sector development programs, financial intermediary loans, and results-based lending, in addition to the standard project investment lending modality. In addition, the TA facility will support exploring innovative financing models to address limited funding for investments in environmental protection and rural vitalization. The TA facility is consistent with the ADB’s country partnership strategy for the PRC, 2016–2020,4 and was included in ADB’s country operations business plan for the PRC, 2019–2021.5 The design of the TA facility aligns with ADB’s sector and thematic operational plans, namely the Water Operational Plan 2011–2020, Urban Operational Plan 2012–2020, Environment Operational Directions 2013–2020, and Operational Plan for Agriculture and Natural Resources: Promoting Sustainable Food Security in Asia and the Pacific in 2015–2020.6

1 Government of the PRC. 2018. National Strategic Plan for Rural Vitalization, 2018-2022. Beijing. 2 Government of the PRC. 2016. Outline of the Yangtze River Economic Belt Development Plan, 2016–2030. Beijing. 3 ADB. 2018. Strategy 2030: Achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific. Manila. 4 ADB. 2016. Country Partnership Strategy: People’s Republic of China, 2016–2020—Transforming Partnership:

People’s Republic of China and Asian Development Bank. Manila. 5 ADB. 2019. Country Operations Business Plan: People’s Republic of China, 2019–2021. Manila. 6 ADB. 2010. Sustainable Transport Initiative Operational Plan. Manila; ADB. 2011. Water Operational Plan, 2011–

2020. Manila; ADB. 2013. Urban Operational Plan, 2012–2020. Manila; ADB. 2013. Environmental Operational Directions, 2013–2020. Manila; ADB. 2015. Operational Plan for Agriculture and Natural Resources: Promoting Sustainable Food Security in Asia and the Pacific in 2015–2020. Manila.

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Table 1: TA Subproject Implementation Period and Budget Allocation for Preparation of Ensuing Project

No. Title Year Allocation ($’000)

1 Jiangxi Ganzhou Rural Vitalization and Comprehensive Environment Improvement

2019–2021 420.0

2 Hunan Xiangxi Rural Vitalization and Special Industry Development 2019–2021 420.0 3 Fujian Mulanxi River Basin Ecological Rehabilitation and Small Towns

Development 2019–2021 420.0

4 Hunan Miluo River Basin Comprehensive Environment Improvement 2019–2021 420.0 5 Henan Xichuan Integrated Ecological Protection and Environment

Improvement 2019–2021 420.0

Total 2,100.0 Source: Asian Development Bank estimates.

3. Jiangxi Ganzhou Rural Vitalization and Comprehensive Environment Improvement. This project will help improve the ecological environment of key towns and villages and improve the quality of rural vitalization and development in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province. It will also promote reforms in the supervision system of ecological environment and coordination of mountain, water, forest, farmland, lake, and grassland ecosystems governance. 4. Hunan Xiangxi Rural Vitalization and Special Industry Development. This project will enhance industrial competitiveness, improve the economic participation ability of farmers in poverty-stricken areas, promote the increase in farmers’ income, improve rural living environment, and build ecologically livable villages in Xiangxi, Hunan Province. 5. Fujian Mulanxi River Basin Ecological Rehabilitation and Small Towns Development. This project will promote the formation of an ecological corridor, improvement of ecological environment, creation of waterfront recreational space, and the development of water-related industries in the Mulanxi River Basin. 6. Hunan Miluo River Basin Comprehensive Environment Improvement. This project will help protect water and ecological resources, prevent and control geological disasters, protect people’s lives and properties, and achieve economic, social, and ecological low-carbon development in the Miluo River Basin. 7. Henan Xichuan Integrated Ecological Protection and Environment Improvement. This project will strengthen the ecological protection and comprehensive environmental governance of the Danjiangkou Reservoir, and implement high-efficiency water-saving irrigation, rural environmental cleanup, and agricultural non-point source pollution control. 8. Chishui River Transprovincial Environmental and Eco-compensation. This project will promote green development by protecting the water quality and ecological environment and incorporating innovative integrated water resources management principles and eco compensation scheme. 9. In addition to the pipeline of ensuing projects summarized above, the programmatic and integrated approach that will be adopted through the TA facility will ensure synergies with other associated ADB projects under preparation in the Yangtze River Basin and surrounding areas involving rural environment protection and rural-urban connectivity. Notable illustrations include the proposed Jilin Songhua Lake Integrated Ecological and Environmental Improvement Project that will focus on river environmental treatment, ecological rehabilitation, flood control, wastewater treatment, and agriculture non-point source control, among others; and the proposed Shaanxi

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Logistics Development Project that will develop cold chain infrastructure, urban-rural connectivity and bulk agricultural commodity distribution, and private sector non-sovereign operations focused on food processing and value chain financing. 10. The facility will adopt a ‘One ADB’ approach in the design and development of individual investment projects. The project teams will work closely with (i) Private Sector Operations Department to ensure opportunities to attract private sector participation are optimized; (ii) Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department to identify and scale-up opportunities for technological, business process, and design innovations; (iii) Strategy and Policy Department to scope-out appropriate modalities for specific investments, including opportunities for deploying results-based lending and sector development project lending, as appropriate; and (iv) other regional departments to ensure best practices in environmental management, natural capital investment, and innovative financing models are replicated or adapted in the relevant projects. B. Outputs and Activities 11. Output 1: Technical feasibility assessments conducted, and innovative financing models assessed. This output will support the review of project feasibility study reports and preliminary engineering designs and provide technical support to strengthen the project design to ensure project activities can improve environmentally sustainable growth and rural development in the YREB and surrounding areas. Key activities will include: (i) a comprehensive analysis of the local feasibility studies undertaken; (ii) analysis of baseline situation in the project areas including land management, social and economic development plans, land use plans, disaster risk hazard mapping, and relevant environmental regulations and policies; (iii) assessment of ongoing and proposed pollution control and rehabilitation activities; (iv) preparation of the guidelines for activity selection criteria for the ensuing projects which are appropriate to the rural vitalization framework, local situation, and compliant with all the regulations and policies; (v) provision of technical support to strengthen project design that includes integrated management plans for economic development, pollution control, ecosystem rehabilitation, disaster resilience perspective, and innovative approaches to mitigate and adapt to the impact of climate change and improve natural resource management; and (vi) developing innovative financing arrangements to mobilize private sector participation and investments in aimed at establishing a sustainable financing mechanism model for environmental protection and rural vitalization. 12. Output 2: Safeguard analysis and documentation completed. This output will support the review and preparation of requisite project-specific safeguard due diligence reports. Key activities will include: (i) preparation of stakeholder analysis, participation plans and conduct stakeholder workshops across all levels; (ii) preparation of social and gender impact assessments; (iii) preparation of resettlement plans and ethnic minority development plans (as required); (iv) carrying out social, poverty, and gender assessments; (v) preparation of participation, gender, and capacity building plans; and (vi) preparation of project environmental impact assessments and initial environmental examination. 13. Output 3: Investment plans and procurement packages prepared. This output will support the review and preparation of economic, financial and governance due diligence requirements for project preparation. Key activities will include: (i) carrying out of financial and economic analyses; (ii) carrying out of financial management assessment of executing and implementing agencies; (iii) carrying out project procurement risk assessment and strategic procurement planning document; and (iv) preparation of draft procurement plans.

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14. Output 4: Project management capacity of the executing and implementing agencies improved. This output will strengthen the capacity of the executing and implementing agencies to improve project readiness and implementation. Key activities will include: (i) carrying out of an institutional analysis of relevant institutions at project areas; (ii) review and recommendation of the institutional capacity building requirements for the implementing agencies to enhance cooperation and coordination of the Yangtze River Basin and surrounding areas; (iii) provision of training in project management, safeguards, and procurement; and (iv) finalization of project documents. C. Cost and Financing 15. The TA facility is estimated to cost $2.4 million, of which $2.1 million will be financed on a grant basis by ADB’s Technical Assistance Special Fund (TASF-other sources). The key expenditure items are listed in Appendix 1. The TA facility will explore opportunities for cofinancing for each TA subproject. 16. The government will provide counterpart support in the form of counterpart staff, office facilities, domestic transportation, provision of available government data and studies for the TA consultants’ use, provision of meeting rooms, and other in-kind contributions. The government was informed that approval of the TA does not commit ADB to finance any ensuing project. D. Implementation Arrangements 17. ADB will administer the TA facility and the TA activities for each ensuing project in coordination with PRC counterparts. ADB will coordinate the TA facility implementation through its East Asia Department’s Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Division. 18. The implementation arrangements are summarized in Table 2.

Table 2: Overall Implementation Arrangements Aspects Arrangements

Indicative implementation period July 2019–December 2021

Executing agencies Ministry of Finance; National Development and Reform Commission

Implementing agencies Ganzhou Municipal Government; Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Government; Xianyou County Municipal Government; State Office for Comprehensive Agriculture Development; Pingjiang Country Municipal Government; Xichuan County Municipal Government; and other relevant agencies specific to each TA subproject to be identified during TA implementation

Consultants To be selected and engaged by ADB

International expertsa 85 person-months $404,800

National expertsa 105 person-months $1,202,800

Disbursement The TA facility resources will be disbursed following ADB's Technical Assistance Disbursement Handbook (2010, as amended from time to time).

ADB = Asian Development Bank, TA = technical assistance. a The selection method will be indicated in the concept paper for each ensuing project. Source: Asian Development Bank.

19. Consulting services. The TA activities for each ensuing project will require a team of international and national consultants to be engaged specific to each TA project. The cost and requisite fields of expertise are indicative, and estimates will be finalized prior to approval of each TA project in consultation with the government during follow-up missions. ADB will engage the

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consultants following the ADB Procurement Policy (2017, as amended from time to time) and its associated project administration instructions and/or staff instructions.7 ADB will also engage resource persons during the implementation period. 20. Firms and/or individual consultants will be recruited based on the requirements of each TA subproject. Consulting firms will be engaged following either the quality- and cost-based selection method, with a quality-cost ratio of 90:10 using full, simplified, or bio-data technical proposal procedures; or consultant’s qualification selection, as appropriate. An open framework agreement (with competitively awarded call-offs) will be considered for the quality- and cost-based selection package. Individual consultants will be selected using the individual consultant’s selection method and will be engaged to provide specialized technical and administrative inputs to fulfill ADB due diligence requirements and enhance project readiness. Lump-sum or output-based contracts will be considered for consulting services under the TA facility to reduce administrative burden and improve the economy, efficiency, and value for money.

II. THE PRESIDENT'S DECISION 21. The President, acting under the authority delegated by the Board, has approved the provision of technical assistance not exceeding the amount of $2,100,000 on a grant basis to the Government of the People’s Republic of China for preparing Environmental and Rural Development Projects, and hereby reports this action to the Board.

7 Terms of Reference for Consultants (accessible from the list of linked documents in Appendix 3).

6 Appendix 1

COST ESTIMATES AND FINANCING PLAN ($’000)

Item Amount

Asian Development Banka 1. Consultants

a. Remuneration and per diem i. International consultants 404.8 ii. National consultants 1,202.8

b. Out-of-pocket expenditures i. International and local travel 150.0 ii. Reports and communications 50.0 iii. Miscellaneous administration and support costs 40.0

2. Surveys 3. Workshop, training, seminars, and conferences

100.0 100.0

4. Contingencies 52.40 Total 2,100.0

The technical assistance (TA) is estimated to cost $2.4 million of which contributions from the Asian Development Bank are presented in the table. The government will provide counterpart support in the form of counterpart staff, office facilities, domestic transportation, provision of available relevant government data and studies for the TA consultants’ use, provision of meeting rooms and other in-kind contributions. The value of the government contribution is estimated to account for 12% of the total TA cost. a Financed by the Asian Development Bank’s Technical Assistance Special Fund (TASF-other sources). Source: Asian Development Bank estimates.

Appendix 2 7

PROJECTS UNDER TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FACILITY

Table A2.1: Indicative Consultants’ Input Allocation (person-month)

Item TA

Facility Project 1 complex

Project 2 complex

Project 3 complex

Project 4 low risk

Project 5 complex

International consultants

Economist 20.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 Environment specialist 15.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 Social development/resettlement specialist

15.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0

Finance specialist 7.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 Climate change specialist 5.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 Agriculture specialist 5.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 Water resources management specialist

5.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

Civil engineer 7.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.0 2.0 Information technology specialist 5.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

Sub-total 85.0 17.0 17.0 17.0 16.5 17.5

National consultants

Environment specialist 15.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 Social development/resettlement specialist

15.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0

Finance specialist 7.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 Project management specialist 15.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 Climate change specialist 5.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 Agriculture specialist 5.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 Water resources management specialist

5.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

GIS specialist/hydrologist 15.0 4.0 4.0 3.0 3.0 1.0 Wetlands and vegetation specialist 10.0 2.0 3.0 0.0 3.0 2.0 Civil engineer 7.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.0 2.0 Information technology specialist 5.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

Sub-total 105.0 22.0 23.0 19.0 21.5 19.5

Total 190.0 TA = technical assistance. Source: Asian Development Bank estimates.

8 Appendix 3

LIST OF LINKED DOCUMENTS http://www.adb.org/Documents/LinkedDocs/?id=53042-001-TAReport

1. Terms of Reference for Consultants

PRC (53042-001): Preparing the Environment and Rural Development Facility

Terms of Reference for Consultants

1. Firms and individual consultants will be recruited based on the requirements of each technical assistance (TA) project under the facility. Consulting firms will be engaged following either the quality- and cost-based selection method, with a quality-cost ratio of 90:10 (because of the high complexity of the assignment and the impact of the expected outputs), using full, simplified or biodata technical proposal procedures; or consultant’s qualification selection, as appropriate. Individual consultants will be selected using the individual consultant’s selection method and will be engaged to provide specialized technical and administrative inputs to fulfill Asian Development Bank (ADB) due diligence requirements and enhance project readiness. The consultants will be recruited in accordance with the ADB Procurement Policy (2017, as amended from time to time) and its associated staff instructions. Lump-sum or output-based contracts will also be considered for consulting services to reduce administrative burden and improve the economy, efficiency and value for money. 2. A range of consultant inputs will be needed for each project. The consulting services presented here are indicative. The projects will require the services of project specific technical specialists as well as recurring specialist positions. Indicative consultant requirements are listed in Table A3.1. Consulting services will be finalized during the preparation of individual TA project concept and TA. The outline for terms of reference for recurring specialist positions is described in paras. 3–16.

Table A3.1: Summary of Potential Consulting Services Requirement

Recurring Specialist Positions Person-months

International National

Economist 20.0 - Environment specialist 15.0 15.0 Social development/resettlement specialist 15.0 15.0 Finance specialist 7.5 7.5 Project management and procurement specialist Climate change specialist Agriculture specialist Water resources management specialist GIS specialist/hydrologist Wetlands and vegetation specialist Civil engineer Information technology specialist

- 5.0 5.0 5.0

- -

7.5 5.0

15.0 5.0 5.0 5.0

15.0 10.0 7.5 5.0

Total 85.0 105.0 Source: Asian Development Bank estimates.

3. Economist (international, 20.0 person-months [pm]). The specialist ideally will have a graduate degree in economics, finance or a relevant discipline, and work experience in economic and financial analysis of at least one ADB project, or one of other international development banks. The specialist, in cooperation with a national financial specialist, will conduct economic analyses of the project and each project following ADB’s Guidelines for the Economic Analysis of Projects (2017), Key Areas of Economic Analysis of Investment Projects: An Overview (2013), Cost-Benefit Analysis for the Development–Practical Guide (2013) and ADB’s Financial Management and Analysis of Projects (2005). The specialist will: (i) assess the macroeconomic and the sector contexts; (ii) assess demand and supply of goods produced with support of the project, including examining opportunities to access the broader regional markets for agricultural products; (iii) identify and establish economic rationale of the public sector involvement; (iv) analyze least-cost

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investment options to achieve the project objective; (v) undertake economic cost-benefit analysis of each project; (vi) assess financial and institutional sustainability; (vii) undertake a distribution analysis to quantify which project main beneficiary and stakeholder groups will gain benefits and bear costs and what extent; (viii) undertake sensitivity analysis on key risks affecting the economic viability of each project, and propose for measures of risks; (ix) prepare an economic analysis report; (x) assist the national financial specialist in carrying out all the tasks required for the financial analysis and financial management assessments to ensure high quality of that documentation; (xi) provide other necessary inputs relevant to cost estimates and financing plan, economic and financial analyses, and financial management assessments; and (xii) prepare the climate change financing estimates for the project. 4. Environment specialist (international, 15.0 pm). The specialist ideally will have a graduate degree or relevant qualification in environmental studies and work experience in environmental assessment. The specialist will: (i) assess possible environmental impacts of each project activity; (ii) prepare an environmental impact assessment (EIA) or initial environment examination (IEE) as appropriate, which complies with ADB requirements, including description of habitats and biodiversity values, general characterization of the project area in relation to regional environmental resources and values, project boundary and zone of influence, potential environmental benefits and impacts, public consultations, an environmental management plan (EMP) comprising mitigation measures, monitoring program and cost estimates, institutional arrangements, implementation schedule, and grievance redress mechanism; (iii) assess the safety of wastewater reuse; (iv) develop a monitoring program for integration within the project performance monitoring system to be prepared by the team leader; (v) identify ‘associated facilities’ to the project and, if necessary, conduct due diligence on any relevant environmental issues as per ADB’s Safeguard Policy Statement (2009); (vi) incorporate the findings of other team members as relevant into the EIA/IEE; and (vii) provide necessary inputs to the draft report and recommendation of the President (RRP). 5. Environment specialist (national, 15.0 pm). The specialist ideally will have a graduate degree or relevant qualification in environmental studies and demonstrated experience in environmental assessment. The specialist will support the international environment specialist to: (i) describe and assess the existing conditions and environmental values in the project area and relevant policies and regulations; (ii) assess potential environmental impacts of project construction and operation and develop mitigation measures for the project components; (iii) prepare an EIA which complies with ADB requirements; (iv) obtain and translate as necessary relevant national documents to support the work of the team members; (v) incorporate the findings of other team members as relevant into the EIA; (vi) prepare an EIA report, including an EMP for the project; and (vii) provide inputs as necessary to the draft RRP. 6. Social development/social safeguards specialist (international, 15.0 pm). The specialist ideally will have a graduate degree or relevant qualification in social safeguards, social development preferably for the agricultural sector, and demonstrated experience in working with communities and developers to strengthen community livelihood programs, technical skills and integrate community values, skills, and culture with project development. and work experience on resettlement, including ADB or World Bank projects. The specialist will (i) collect data on land use for the project activities and conduct due diligence to ascertain whether it triggers safeguard requirements on involuntary resettlement of ADB’s Safeguard Policy Statement (2009); (ii) assess the land-leases or land use rights transfer (LURT) contracts to ensure land transfer is voluntary, transparent, fair, and beneficial to farmers; (iii) prepare LURT due diligence report for existing contracts and develop a LURT framework for future contract that may be needed during the project implementation; (iv) prepare resettlement plans; and (v) provide inputs to the RRP, project

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administration manual (PAM), and other linked documents. The specialist will assist in the design of project outputs in conjunction with other relevant specialists, including social aspects related to project activities. In particular, the specialist will take a leadership role and undertake the following tasks: (i) collect sex disaggregated data to document the socioeconomic conditions of existing farmer and/or rural populations, and identify possible gender gaps; (ii) document data on land use and whether the project will cause any physical and/or economic displacement, and prepare a due diligence report on land use; (iii) assist the executing agency in preparing a resettlement plan and ethnic minority development plan, if required; (iv) conduct poverty, social, and gender analyses, to prepare reports with sufficiently detailed information/data to develop project documents including poverty, social and gender action plans; (v) prepare a consultation and participation plan; (vi) prepare poverty and social assessment, gender action plan including proposed indicators, targets, and baseline information, and a social action plan; (vii) conduct a labor analysis; (viii) identify project opportunities to strengthen project benefits for local stakeholders, including ethnic minorities and/or vulnerable and marginalized communities; (ix) assess impacts on ethnic minorities and prepare an ethnic minority development plan as per ADB’s requirement; and (x) provide necessary inputs to the draft RRP, PAM, including on rationale and expected benefits of proposed gender actions for the gender sections, participation and social safeguards, and other social risks. 7. Social development/social safeguards specialist (national, 15.0 pm). The specialist ideally will have a master’s degree or relevant qualification in social sciences and/or agricultural development studies and work experience in social development studies and social safeguards. The specialist will support the international social development specialist to: (i) design project outputs, including social aspects related to project activities; (ii) conduct poverty, social, and gender analyses; (iii) identify project opportunities to strengthen project benefits for local stakeholders, including ethnic minorities and/or vulnerable and marginalized communities; (iv) prepare a consultation and participation plan, gender action plan, ethnic minority development plan, social development action plan, resettlement plans, LURT Framework, and due diligence reports, as per ADB’s requirement; (v) conduct a labor analysis; and (vi) provide necessary inputs to the draft RRP, PAM, and other project documents requiring social inputs. 8. Finance specialist (international, 7.5 pm; national, 7.5 pm). The specialist ideally will have a recognized professional accountancy qualification; and work experience in financial analysis of at least one ADB, or one of other international development banks. The specialist will closely work with the international economist to ensure high-quality financial due diligence and financial management assessment. The specialist will: (i) conduct a financial management assessment of the executing and implementing agencies, including their capacity to manage ADB’s advance account fund and statement of expenditure procedures; (ii) assess their policies and capacity for financial and disbursement management and identify any further need for capacity development and design funds flow and disbursement arrangements; (iii) review existing procedures for disbursement, funds flow, and approvals; and design streamlined funds flow and procedures for contracting and disbursement under the project, and internal control and audits; (iv) review on-lending arrangements; (v) prepare and update project cost estimates and financing plan and conduct financial viability evaluation of the project; (vi) assess and reach an agreement on financial reporting, auditing, and disclosure arrangements; (vii) conduct financial analysis and sustainability assessment of the executing and implementing agencies; and (viii) design financial covenants and financial management action plan. 9. Project management and procurement specialist (national, 15.0 pm). The specialist ideally will have a degree in engineering and at least 7 years work experience in project management, procurement, and consulting services. The specialist will: (i) conduct a procurement

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risk assessment and a procurement capacity assessment of the executing and implementing agencies to undertake procurement and consultant recruitments envisaged under the project; (ii) prepare a procurement plan, including: (a) contract packages indicating the procurement method for each contract and the source of financing; and (b) indicative procurement schedule and implementation schedule indicating the tasks on the critical path; (iii) assess the capacity of the executing and implementing agencies for project implementation, and prepare training proposals to be included in the project; (iv) provide necessary training on project management, procurement, and consulting services; and (v) assist in developing the design and monitoring framework and performance targets. 10. Climate change specialist (international, 5.0 pm; national, 5.0 pm). The specialist ideally will have a post-graduate degree in climate science, or related fields; and work experience and demonstrated expertise in evaluating climate risk in water resources, agriculture, and forestry setting, as well as prior experience in incorporating climate change impacts into natural resources management practices and urban development. The specialist will: (i) collect data for project sites; (ii) identify climate hazards and threats and their impact on the project areas, including projected climate change impacts, spatial distribution of environmental disaster risks, as well as loss and damage from such impacts; (iii) review current land use management practices and identify practices that increase or decrease climate hazards and risks; (iv) make recommendations in regard to climate change adaptation and mitigation options; (v) contribute to consultations and workshops to inform and jointly review TA results with project stakeholders; and (vi) prepare the climate risk and vulnerability report, as well as other, provide inputs for other reports required by ADB. 11. Agriculture specialist (international, 5.0 pm; national, 5.0 pm). The specialist ideally will have a master’s degree in agriculture or agronomy or related field and preferably more than 5 years of experience in estimating crop water requirements, designing cropping patterns and cropping intensities in the region with focus on both productivity and soil and water conservation. The expert will: (i) propose cropping patterns and intensities taking into account the soil quality, climatic conditions and crop water requirements; (ii) investigate existing irrigation method and assess validity of those methods; (iii) assess current fertilizer and pesticide use and help optimize their use in reference to their application methods and productivity as well as provide trainings as needed; (iv) support in the design of farm waste management including composting; (v) prepare cropping calendar; (vi) propose suitable cropping patterns and climate smart agricultural practices; and (vii) provide input for economic and financial analysis of the projects. 12. Water resources management specialist (international, 5.0 pm; national, 5.0 pm). The specialist ideally will have a post-graduate degree or relevant qualification in water resource

management, pollution control，low impact development, or related fields and at least 10 years

of work experience in water resources management. The specialist will: (i) review national policies and the master plans for project areas and develop sector analysis in line with international best practice to cover water resources, rural water and wastewater management, ecological compensations, and green financing; (ii) conduct peer review of the design for point and non-point source pollution control, including verifying design standards, hydraulic calculations, and cost estimates; (iii) conduct peer review of the design for river water quality and flow monitoring and hydraulic modeling; (iv) based on existing data, or a simplified climate model, assess likely changes in temperature and precipitation amounts, and likelihood of severe storms; (v) provide recommendations for improving the project design; (vi) review the technical capacity and experience of executing agency and implementing agencies; and (vii) conduct full analysis and modelling of other sources of pollution, including their transport and effect to the river, to assess the impact of each source on the water quality objectives.

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13. Geographic information system (GIS) specialist/hydrologist (national, 15.0 pm). The expert ideally will have a post-graduate degree in a relevant field with demonstrated hydrological modelling in GIS with focus on climate change adaptation and spatial planning with applications in project planning and design and at least 10 years of working experience. The expert ideally should have experience in (i) climate change, catchment process, and hydrological modellings; (ii) planning, programming, and implementation of river basin management, reservoir operation and maintenance, and climate change adaptation projects, including strong understanding of the ecosystem-based approach; (iii) identifying options and mechanism to develop a water resources management system for collecting and processing data, and disseminating to stakeholders; and (vi) supporting assets management system. The expert ideally should have an advance level of skill in using GIS tools to collect and use geocoded data to perform the aforementioned tasks and also help the project team to develop the project atlas. 14. Wetlands and vegetation specialist (national, 10.0 pm). The specialist ideally will have a degree or relevant qualification in ecology, botany or related fields, and work experience in artificial wetland designing, vegetation, and forestation. The specialist will assist in (i) assessing the wetland functional and biodiversity values of the project sites and river sections; (ii) designing the village ponds reconstruction; (iii) assessing potential project impacts to wetland biodiversity and river function; (iv) designing artificial wetlands; (v) selecting tree and/or plant species for water-front area creation including bio-shields; and (vi) selecting bio-engineering measures for erosion control. The specialist should also serve as an ecologist for other project sub-components and provide trainings to the staff as needed. 15. Civil engineer (international, 7.5 pm; national, 7.5 pm). The expert ideally will have a relevant civil engineering degree or equivalent and at least 10 years work experience specialized in civil works designing with experience in river bank protection, river channel improvement, dredging, levees, dam construction, and other infrastructure including technical expertise focusing, as appropriate, on the specializations of integrated water resource management and/or water supply, wastewater treatment and sanitation management, and solid waste management and pollution control, or equivalent. The specialist will preferably have experience in applying innovative approaches in urban and rural settings in farm and agricultural waste management, wetlands, soil and water conservation, and climate change adaptation projects, including strong understanding of ecosystem-based or nature-based practices in the People’s Republic of China. The expert will undertake the following tasks: (i) review the master plans for project areas; (ii) conduct peer review of the design for the water/wastewater/solid waste collection and treatment subcomponents, including verifying design standards, hydraulic calculations, cost estimates, and drawings for instruction and installation works; (iii) provide recommendations and training for improving designs; (iv) review the technical capacity and experience of executing agency and implementing agencies; and (v) provide necessary inputs to the draft RRP. Experience in preparing feasibility study reports, detailed engineering design, bidding document and contract awards will be highly regarded. He/she should be familiar with ADB project preparation and requirements. The specialist will assist the team leader in accomplishing his/her tasks. 16. Information technology (IT) specialist (international, 5.0 pm; national, 5.0 pm). The international specialist ideally will have a master’s degree in science, engineering, IT, management or social sciences, and at least 15 years of experience in design and implementation of IT projects. The specialist will also possess at least 3 years of experience in large-scale IT project management with significant IT hardware and software procurement and preferably hold certifications in software development life cycle management and/or IT procurement. The specialist will also have significant experience in designing innovative digital technology solutions,

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using Industry 4.0 technologies such as artificial intelligence, bigdata, blockchain, cloud technology,

internet-of-things and 3D printing. The national specialist shall possess a bachelor’s degree in

science, commerce, management, or engineering and have at least 10 years of large-scale IT project management experience, preferably in agriculture and natural resources management field, and have experience in the application of digital technology solutions, including using Industry 4.0 technologies such as artificial intelligence, bigdata, blockchain, cloud technology, internet-of-

things and 3D printing. Additionally, the national specialist shall possess experience in IT

procurement and contract management aspects. Together, the specialists will: (i) develop a comprehensive project management plan of IT components of the projects; (ii) develop the overall IT functional requirements of projects; (iii) develop a procurement plan and facilitate the procurement of software, hardware, and services; (iv) develop an IT training and communication plan; (v) coordinate with stakeholders and implement IT components of projects; and (vi) develop an IT maintenance and operations plan as well as service level agreements with system integrators.