The Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) Overview

The Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) was developed to assist the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) to assess and manage the potential environmental and social risks and impacts of the Access to Finance (A2F) project.

The key environmental and social (E&S) risks of the A2F project stem from the probability that there may be poor compliance with national laws and regulations by Micro, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (MSMEs).

Environmental, Occupational Health & Safety Screening Procedure for the CEF

Screening and management protocols were developed to determine the risks that may arise from the lack of appropriate MSME E&S practices.

As part of the established protocols, the Credit Enhancement Facility (CEF) application procedures outline certain steps which are designed to ensure that environmental considerations are addressed.

In general terms, MSMEs are expected to conform to the requirements of the EMSF and AFIs effectively screen the MSMEs and verify their eligibility for the CEF. The ESMF requirements will be incorporated into the guarantee agreements with AFIs, who are required to report annually to the DBJ.

The DBJ, in turn, ensures that the AFIs conform to relevant ESMF obligations. The Environmental and Social Management Specialist at the DBJ and the Risk Management Specialists at AFIs, directly manages these activities.

The Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM)

  1. The GRM includes a register to track, address and resolve any complaints or related issues associated with the A2F project
  2. CEF Guarantee beneficiaries must be informed of the GRM
  3. Complaints can be sent to email a2fgrievances@dbankjm.com to the attention of the Project Coordinator or a call can be made to the DBJ
  4. Reported issues should include a name, date, and contact information with detailed description of the case

IDB’S INTEGRITY PROVISIONS

These are requirements under the CEF Guarantee Process and Include:

  1. The provision of information on Prohibited Practices, List of Sanctioned Parties, reporting of potential prohibited practices and an Integrity Declaration for beneficiaries of loans.
  2. Requirements for the AFIs and the DBJ to check the List of Sanctioned Parties of the Inter-American Development Bank to ensure that neither the beneficiary of the credits or its legal representative have been declared ineligible by the IDB

Information on sanctioned firms and individuals, as well as all information on how to report a potential prohibited practice, may be found at www.iadb.org/integrity.