1824/0C-CR and its Amending Agreement Loan Agreement No. 1824/0C-CR and its Sole Annex, signed on January 30, 2008, between the Republic of Costa Rica and the Inter-American Development Bank, for an amount up to nineteen million dollars of the United States of America (US $19,000,000), intended to finance the Tourism Program in Protected Wild Areas, and its Amending Agreement No. LEG/SGO/CID/IDBDOC#35218709, are approved.
The texts of the aforementioned loan agreement and the project, the sole annex, the general rules applicable to the loan agreement, its respective amending agreement, and its letters of understanding that are annexed below form an integral part of this law.
"Resolution DE-165/06 LOAN AGREEMENT No. 1824/OC-CR between the REPUBLIC OF COSTA RICA and the INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK Tourism Program in Protected Wild Areas LEG/SGO/CID/IDBDOCS#735806 LOAN AGREEMENT SPECIAL STIPULATIONS INTRODUCTION Parties, Object, Integral Elements, and Executing Agency 1. PARTIES AND OBJECT OF THE AGREEMENT AGREEMENT entered into on this 30th day of January 2008 between the REPUBLIC OF COSTA RICA, through its Ministry of Finance, hereinafter referred to as the "Borrower," and the INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK, hereinafter referred to as the "Bank," to cooperate in the execution of a tourism program in Protected Wild Areas, hereinafter referred to as the "Program." The Sole Annex details the most relevant aspects of the Program.
2. INTEGRAL ELEMENTS OF THE AGREEMENT AND REFERENCE TO THE GENERAL RULES (a) This Agreement is comprised of these Special Stipulations, the General Rules, and the Sole Annex attached hereto. If any provision of the Special Stipulations or the Annex is inconsistent with or contradicts the General Rules, the provisions of the Special Stipulations or the Annex shall prevail. Where there is inconsistency or contradiction between provisions of the Special Stipulations or the Annex, the principle that the specific provision prevails over the general one shall apply.
(b) The General Rules establish in detail the procedural provisions relating to the application of the rules on amortization, interest, credit commission, inspection and supervision, disbursements, as well as other provisions related to the execution of the Program. The General Rules also include definitions of a general nature.
3. EXECUTING AGENCY (a) The parties agree that the execution of the Program and the use of the Bank's financing resources shall be carried out by the Borrower, through its Ministry of Environment and Energy, "MINAE" via the National System of Conservation Areas "SINAC," which for the purposes of this Agreement shall be referred to as the "Executing Agency." (b) Also participating in the Program shall be: (i) the Costa Rican Tourism Institute, hereinafter "ICT," in the definition of tourism strategies and operational plans and in the promotion and marketing thereof, and (ii) the beneficiary Municipalities that have signed participation agreements with the Executing Agency, under the terms set forth in this agreement and in the Program's Operational Regulations.
(Sinalevi Note: Point 3) above thus amended by amending agreement of August 9, 2010, contained in this same agreement)
Cost, Financing, and Additional Resources CLAUSE 1.01. Cost of the Program. The total cost of the Program is estimated at the equivalent of twenty-five million dollars of the United States of America (US$25,000,000). Unless otherwise expressed in this Agreement, hereinafter the term "dollars" means the legal tender in the United States of America.
CLAUSE 1.02. Amount of the financing. (a) Under the terms of this Agreement, the Bank undertakes to grant to the Borrower, and the latter accepts, financing, hereinafter referred to as the "Financing," charged to the resources of the Single Currency Facility of the Bank's ordinary capital, up to a sum of nineteen million dollars (US$19,000,000), forming part of said resources. The amounts disbursed under this Financing shall constitute the "Loan." (b) The Loan shall be a Loan from the Single Currency Facility with Adjustable Interest Rate and may be changed to a Loan from the Single Currency Facility with LIBOR-Based Interest Rate only if the Borrower decides to make such change in accordance with the provisions of Clause 2.03 of these Special Stipulations and Article 4.01(g) of the General Rules.
CLAUSE 1.03. Availability of currency. Notwithstanding the provisions in Clauses 1.02 and 3.01(a), if the Bank does not have access to the agreed Single Currency, the Bank, in consultation with the Borrower, shall disburse another Single Currency of its choice. The Bank may continue making disbursements in the Single Currency of its choice as long as the lack of access to the agreed currency persists. Amortization payments shall be made in the Single Currency disbursed with the financial charges corresponding to that Single Currency.
CLAUSE 1.04. Additional resources. The amount of additional resources that, in accordance with Article 6.04 of the General Rules, the Borrower undertakes to contribute in a timely manner for the complete and uninterrupted execution of the Program, is estimated at the equivalent of six million dollars (US$6,000,000), without this estimate implying any limitation or reduction of the Borrower's obligation in accordance with said Article. To calculate the equivalent in dollars, the rule indicated in paragraph (b) of Article 3.06 of the General Rules shall be followed.
Amortization, Interest, Inspection and Supervision, and Credit Commission CLAUSE 2.01. Amortization. The Loan shall be amortized by the Borrower through consecutive semi-annual installments, as nearly equal as possible. The first installment shall be paid at five (5) years and six (6) months from the effective date of this Agreement, taking into account the provisions of Article 3.01 of the General Rules, and the last, no later than twenty (20) years from the date of signing of this Agreement.
CLAUSE 2.02. Interest. (a) The Borrower shall pay interest on the daily debit balances of the Loan at a rate that shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of Article 3.04 of the General Rules for a Single Currency Facility Loan with an Adjustable Interest Rate. The Bank shall notify the Borrower, as soon as possible after its determination, of the applicable interest rate during each Quarter or Semester, as the case may be. If the Borrower decides to modify its selection of the interest rate alternative for the Single Currency Facility Loan in accordance with the provisions of Clause 2.03 of these Special Stipulations and Article 4.01(g) of the General Rules, the Borrower shall pay interest at a rate that shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of Article 3.04 of the General Rules for a Single Currency Facility Loan with a LIBOR-Based Interest Rate.
(b) Interest shall be paid to the Bank semi-annually, beginning six (6) months from the effective date of this Agreement, taking into account the provisions of Article 3.01 of the General Rules.
CLAUSE 2.03. Confirmation or change of selection of the interest rate alternative applicable to the Financing. In accordance with the provisions of Article 4.01(g) of the General Rules, the Borrower shall confirm to the Bank in writing, as a condition precedent to the first disbursement of the Financing, its decision to maintain the interest rate alternative applicable to the Financing in accordance with the provisions of Clauses 1.02(b) and 2.02(a) of these Special Stipulations, or its decision to change the selected interest rate alternative to the LIBOR-Based Interest Rate alternative. Once the Borrower has made this selection, in accordance with the provisions of Article 4.01(g) of the General Rules, the interest rate alternative applicable to the Financing may not be changed again, at any time during the life of the Loan.
CLAUSE 2.04. Resources for general inspection and supervision. During the disbursement period, no resources from the Financing amount shall be allocated to cover the Bank's expenses for general inspection and supervision, unless the Bank establishes otherwise during said period as a result of its semi-annual review of financial charges and notifies the Borrower accordingly. Under no circumstances may a charge for this concept in a given semester exceed the result of applying 1% to the Financing amount, divided by the number of semesters included in the original disbursement period.
CLAUSE 2.05. Credit commission. The Borrower shall pay a Credit Commission of 0.25% per year, in accordance with the provisions of Article 3.02 of the General Rules. This percentage may be modified semi-annually by the Bank, without, in any case, exceeding the percentage provided for in the aforementioned Article.
Disbursements CLAUSE 3.01. Currencies of disbursements and use of funds. (a) The Financing amount shall be disbursed in dollars forming part of the Single Currency Facility of the Bank's ordinary capital resources, to pay for goods and services acquired through international competition and for the other purposes indicated in this Agreement.
(b) The Financing resources may only be used for the payment of goods and services originating from the Bank's member countries.
CLAUSE 3.02. Special conditions precedent to the first disbursement. The first disbursement of the Financing is subject to the fulfillment, to the Bank's satisfaction, in addition to the conditions precedent stipulated in Article 4.01 of the General Rules, of the following requirements:
(a) That the Executing Agency and the ICT have signed a cooperation agreement, which establishes the responsibilities corresponding to said institutions in the execution of the Program, on the understanding that the use of its resources and the realization of all activities planned to execute it shall be subject to the terms and conditions established in this Agreement and in the Program's Operational Regulations; and (b) That the Executing Agency has approved the Program's Operational Regulations and it has entered into force, under the terms previously agreed with the Bank.
(Sinalevi Note: Clause 3.02 above thus amended by amending agreement of August 9, 2010, contained in this same agreement) CLAUSE 3.03. Reimbursement of expenses with charge to the Financing. With the Bank's acceptance, resources from the Financing may be used to reimburse expenses made or to finance those made in the Program as of December 18, 2006 and up to the date of this Agreement, provided that requirements substantially analogous to those established in this same instrument have been met.
(Sinalevi Note: Thus amended by amending agreement of August 9, 2010, contained in this same agreement) CLAUSE 3.04 Period for disbursing the Financing resources. The period for finalizing the disbursements of the resources of the Financing shall be five (5) years, counted from the effective date of this Agreement.
CLAUSE 3.05. Revolving Fund. (a) For the purposes of the provisions of Article 4.07 (b) of the General Rules, the amount of the Revolving Fund shall not exceed five percent (5%) of the Financing amount.
(b) The reports relating to the execution of the Program that the Borrower must provide to the Bank according to Article 7.03(a)(i) of the General Rules of this Agreement, must include the accounting-financial information on the management of the Revolving Fund resources and information on the status of the special accounts used for the management of the Financing resources and the local contribution, in the form reasonably requested by the Bank.
(c) For the purposes of managing the loan resources and their transfers, the principle of the State's Single Treasury Account shall apply.
Execution of the Program CLAUSE 4.01. Procurement of works and goods. The procurement of works and goods shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions established in Document GN-2349-7 ("Policies for the procurement of works and goods financed by the Inter-American Development Bank"), dated July 2006 (hereinafter referred to as the "Procurement Policies"), which the Borrower through the Executing Agency declares to know, and by the following provisions:
(a) International public bidding: Unless paragraph (b) of this Clause establishes otherwise, the works and goods must be procured in accordance with the provisions of Section II of the Procurement Policies. The provisions of paragraphs 2.55 and 2.56, and Appendix 2 of said Policies, regarding domestic preference margin in the comparison of bids, shall apply to goods manufactured in the territory of the Borrower.
(b) Other procurement procedures: The following procurement methods may be used for the procurement of works and goods that the Bank agrees meet the requirements established in the provisions of Section III of the Procurement Policies:
(i) National Public Bidding. Works whose estimated cost is less than the equivalent of US$3,000,000 per contract and goods whose estimated cost is less than the equivalent of US$250,000 per contract, may be procured in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs 3.3 and 3.4 of the Procurement Policies and taking into account the following:
(1) The Borrower through the Executing Agency undertakes to ensure that no restrictions shall be established on the participation of natural or legal persons nor on the procurement of works and goods from Bank member countries. Nor shall it be required, as a condition for participation in a bidding process for works or goods, to be registered in any registry, nor financing on account of the contracting party, nor shall the following be established: (A) percentages of locally sourced goods or services that must be included as a mandatory requirement in the bidding documents; and (B) nor preference margins that have not been previously agreed with the Bank; (2) The Borrower through the Executing Agency undertakes to agree with the Bank on the bidding document or documents to be used in National Public Biddings for the procurement of works and goods financed by the Bank; (3) The Borrower through the Executing Agency undertakes to ensure that only the reproduction costs of the bidding documents shall be charged to participants in National Public Biddings for the procurement of works and goods financed by the Bank; (4) The Borrower through the Executing Agency undertakes to ensure that the bid evaluation process, its stages, the factors to be evaluated, and the award shall be governed by the provisions of paragraphs 2.48 to 2.54 and 2.58 to 2.60 of the Procurement Policies. For publicity purposes, it may be carried out by the Borrower through the Executing Agency, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 3.4 of the Procurement Policies; (5) The Borrower through the Executing Agency undertakes to obtain the Bank's prior consent before making use of special emergency procedures or applying exceptions to the competitive procurement procedures agreed with the Bank based on assumptions such as the exclusion of a subject, those related to the nature of the procurement, concurrent circumstances, low amount, single supplier, special security reasons, compelling urgency, or those that the Comptroller General of the Republic could authorize by reasoned resolution; (6) The Borrower through the Executing Agency undertakes to ensure that the bidding documents distinguish between correctable errors or omissions and those that are not, in relation to any aspect of the bids. A bidder shall not be automatically disqualified for not having presented complete information, whether due to involuntary omission or because the requirement was not clearly established in the bidding documents. Provided that they are errors or omissions of a correctable nature—generally because they are matters related to data verification, historical information, or aspects that do not affect the principle that bids must substantially conform to what is established in the bidding documents—, the Borrower through the Executing Agency must allow, within a reasonable period, the interested party to provide the missing information or correct the correctable error. Failure to sign a bid or failure to present a required guarantee shall be considered non-correctable omissions. Nor shall the correction of errors or omissions be permitted to be used to alter the substance of a bid or to improve it; (7) The Borrower through the Executing Agency undertakes to allow bidders to withdraw proposals delivered prior to the deadline set for the submission of bids and to ensure that, once the public opening of bids has taken place, no improvements, advantages, discounts, or any other proposal that modifies said bids shall be admitted; (8) The Borrower through the Executing Agency undertakes to ensure that, once the public opening of bids has taken place, and until the contract award has been notified to the awardee, no information relating to the analysis, clarification, and evaluation of the bids, nor about the recommendations regarding the award, shall be disclosed to bidders or to persons not officially involved with the procurement procedure in question; (9) The Borrower through the Executing Agency undertakes to ensure that the regime of protests that any of the bidders may file shall be governed by the provisions of paragraphs 11 to 14 of Appendix 3 of the Procurement Policies; (10) The Borrower through the Executing Agency undertakes to ensure that in the event that joint bids are submitted (joint ventures, consortia, or associations), the submission of a single guarantee enforceable indistinctly regardless of the bidder in breach shall be required; and (11) The Borrower through the Executing Agency undertakes to accept, in relation to the types of bid bond guarantees, contract performance bond guarantees, and advance payment bond guarantees, among others, the following: a demand guarantee, an irrevocable letter of credit, and a cashier's check or certificate. Regarding the percentages of the guarantees, these may not exceed under any circumstances the following maximum percentages: (I) for works, the bid security guarantee shall not exceed 3% of the contract value; and the contract performance guarantee, in the case of bank guarantees shall be between 5% and 10% of the contract value; and in the case of performance bonds issued by a surety company, the guarantee shall be up to 30% of the contract value; and (II) for goods, the bid security guarantee shall be between 2% and 5% of the value estimated in the official budget; and the contract performance guarantee shall be between 5% and 10% of the contract value. The guarantees must be issued by a reputable entity from an eligible country. When issued by foreign banks or institutions, at the bidder's choice: (i) it may be issued by a bank domiciled in the Republic of Costa Rica or, (ii) with the Borrower's consent, directly by a foreign bank from a member country acceptable to the Borrower. In all cases the guarantees must be acceptable to the Borrower, who may not unreasonably deny acceptance.
(ii) Price Comparison. Works whose estimated cost is less than the equivalent of US$250,000 per contract, and for goods whose estimated cost is less than the equivalent of US$50,000 per contract, may be procured in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 3.5 of the Procurement Policies.
(c) Other procurement obligations. The Executing Agency undertakes to carry out the procurement of the works and goods in accordance with the general plans, the technical, social and environmental specifications, the budgets, and the other documents required for the procurement or construction, and where applicable, the specific bidding documents and other documents necessary for the call for prequalification or a bidding process; and in the case of works, to obtain with respect to the properties where the Program's works shall be built, prior to the signing of the works contract, legal possession, any easements (servidumbres), or other rights necessary to commence the works.
(d) Review by the Bank of procurement decisions:
(i) Procurement Planning: Before any call for prequalification or bidding, as the case may be, can be carried out for the award of a contract, the Executing Agency must submit for the review and approval of the Bank, the proposed procurement plan for the Program, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 1 of Appendix 1 of the Procurement Policies. This plan must be updated every twelve (12) months during the execution of the Program, and each updated version shall be submitted to the Bank's review and approval. The procurement of goods must be carried out in accordance with said procurement plan approved by the Bank and with the provisions of the aforementioned paragraph 1.
(ii) Ex-ante review: Unless the Bank and the Borrower through the Executing Agency agree otherwise in writing, each contract for works and goods to be awarded as established in this Clause 4.01 shall be reviewed by the Bank in accordance with the procedures established in paragraphs 2 and 3 of Appendix 1 of the Procurement Policies. For these purposes, the Executing Agency must submit to the Bank evidence of compliance with the provisions of paragraph (c) of this Clause.
CLAUSE 4.02. Maintenance. The Executing Agency undertakes to: (i) ensure that the works and equipment included in the Program are properly maintained in accordance with generally accepted technical standards; (ii) submit to the Bank, within a period of (3) months from the completion of each work, its operation and maintenance plan, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph V of the Sole Annex; and (iii) submit to the Bank, up to three (3) years after the last disbursement of the Financing and within the first quarter of each calendar year, an annual report on the operation and maintenance of the respective works. If from the inspections carried out by the Bank, or from the reports it receives, it is determined that maintenance is being performed below the agreed levels, the Borrower through the Executing Agency must adopt the necessary measures to completely correct the deficiencies.
CLAUSE 4.03. Recognition of expenses from the approval of the Financing. The Bank may recognize as part of the local counterpart, the expenses made or to be made in the Program as of December 18, 2006 and up to the date of this Agreement, provided that requirements substantially analogous to those established in this same instrument have been met.
CLAUSE 4.04. Contracting and selection of consultants. The selection and contracting of consultants must be carried out in accordance with the provisions established in Document GN-2350-7 ("Policies for the selection and contracting of consultants financed by the Inter-American Development Bank"), dated July 2006 (hereinafter referred to as the "Consultant Policies"), which the Borrower through the Executing Agency declares to know, and by the following provisions:
(a) Selection based on quality and cost: Unless paragraph (b) of this Clause establishes otherwise, the selection and contracting of consultants must be carried out in accordance with the provisions of Section II and paragraphs 3.16 to 3.20 of the Consultant Policies applicable to the selection of consultants based on quality and cost. For the purposes of the provisions of paragraph 2.7 of the Consultant Policies, the shortlist of consultants whose estimated cost is less than the equivalent of US$200,000 per contract may be composed entirely of national consultants.
(b) Other procedures for the selection and contracting of consultants: The following selection methods may be used for the contracting of consultants that the Bank agrees meet the requirements established in the Consultant Policies: (i) Quality-Based Selection, in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs 3.1 to 3.4 of the Consultant Policies; (ii) Selection Based on a Fixed Budget, in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs 3.1 and 3.5 of the Consultant Policies; (iii) Least-Cost Selection, in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs 3.1 and 3.6 of the Consultant Policies; (iv) Selection Based on Qualifications, in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs 3.1, 3.7, and 3.8 of the Consultant Policies; (v) Direct Selection, in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs 3.9 to 3.13 of the Consultant Policies; and (vi) Individual consultants for services that meet the requirements established in paragraph 5.1 of the Consultant Policies, in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3, and 5.4 of said Policies.
(c) Review by the Bank of the consultant selection process:
(i) Planning of the selection and contracting: Before any request for proposals to consultants can be made for any project, the Executing Agency must submit for the review and approval of the Bank, a plan for the selection and contracting of consultants that must include the estimated cost of each contract, the grouping of contracts, and the selection criteria and the applicable procedures, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 1 of Appendix 1 of the Consultant Policies. This plan must be updated every 12 months during the execution of the project, and each updated version shall be submitted for the review and approval of the Bank. The selection and contracting of consultants shall be carried out in accordance with the selection and contracting plan approved by the Bank and its corresponding updates.
(ii) Ex-ante review: Unless the Bank determines otherwise in writing, all contracts with consulting firms or individual consultants entered into during the execution of the Program shall be reviewed ex-ante, in accordance with the procedures established in paragraphs 2 and 3 of Appendix 1 of the Consultant Policies. In the case of contracts with individual consultants, the Borrower, through the Executing Agency, must submit for the Bank's consideration and approval, the report comparing the qualifications and experience of the candidates, the terms of reference, and the conditions of the consulting contract. The consultant may only be contracted after the Bank has expressed its no objection.
SECTION 4.05. Annual Operational Plans (Planes Operativos Anuales, POAs). (a) The Executing Agency (Organismo Ejecutor) shall submit, to the satisfaction of the Bank and during the annual meetings referred to in Section 4.06 below, the corresponding POA for the next year of Program execution, which shall contain the report of activities carried out corresponding to the POA of the previous year and the activities proposed to be carried out during the following year. Additionally, the POA shall, at a minimum, include: (i) the goals to be achieved in the year at both the product and objective levels, compared with the forecasts of the initial report and with the Program's objectives; (ii) the detail and schedule of activities and the critical path analysis for carrying out said activities; (iii) the specification of the activities planned for compliance with contractual conditions during the year; (iv) the procurement plan and the plan for the selection and contracting of consulting services; and (v) the budget and disbursement schedule.
(b) The POA corresponding to the first year of Program execution shall be submitted as part of the initial report referred to in Article 4.01(d) of the General Conditions (Normas Generales).
SECTION 4.06. Annual follow-up meetings. The Borrower, through the Executing Agency (Organismo Ejecutor), shall hold joint annual supervision and evaluation meetings for the Program with the Bank no later than June 30 of each calendar year during the execution of the Program, in which, in addition to presenting the POA for the following year, the following shall be analyzed: (i) the progress achieved in the execution of the Program's components; (ii) the effectiveness and efficiency of each of the activities carried out within the components; (iii) the experiences and difficulties encountered in executing the contemplated activities and the proposed solutions; (iv) the schedule for the procurement of goods and consulting services to carry out the evaluations contemplated for the Program; (v) the goals established for each of the components; and (vi) other relevant topics related to the execution of the Program, to verify the extent to which the Program's objective is being achieved.
(Sinalevi Note: Thus amended the foregoing section 4.06 by modification contract dated August 9, 2010, contained in this same contract) SECTION 4.07. Monitoring and Evaluation. The Executing Agency (Organismo Ejecutor) undertakes to contract, using the resources of the Financing (Financiamiento), consulting services, in accordance with terms of reference previously approved by the Bank, to carry out the following external evaluations of the Program:
(a) A mid-term evaluation of the Program, to be submitted 90 days after the end of the first two and a half years of Program execution or when forty-five percent (45%) of the Financing resources have been disbursed, whichever occurs first.
(b) A final evaluation of the Program, to be submitted within 90 days from the date on which ninety percent (90%) of the Financing resources have been disbursed.
(c) Both evaluations shall specifically analyze: (i) the nature of the impacts on the local economy around each Wild Protected Area (Área Silvestre Protegida, ASP) supported by the Program; (ii) the impact of the Program on the management of each of these areas; (iii) the impact on the management of SINAC in the intervention areas contemplated by the Program; (iv) the impact of the Program on the environment inside and around the ASPs; (v) the effectiveness and efficiency of the bidding, contracting, award, procurement, and disbursement processes; and of the planning and formulation activities under the responsibility of the Executing Agency (Organismo Ejecutor); (vi) the quantity and quality of support projects for the Municipalities and the private sector; (vii) the results of the institutional strengthening of SINAC; (viii) the degree of compliance with the operation and maintenance tasks of completed works; (ix) the degree of compliance with contractual commitments and with what is established in the Program's Operational Regulations (Reglamento Operativo del Programa); (x) the results of the financial execution; (xi) compliance with the Program's baseline, goals, and indicators of the Program's monitoring and evaluation matrix; and (xii) a synthesis of the socio-environmental impacts resulting from the Program. The mid-term evaluation shall also include the possibility of adjusting the list of ASPs that will receive Program financing.
(d) The evaluations shall be carried out by firms contracted by SINAC and financed with Financing (Financiamiento) resources.
(Sinalevi Note: Thus amended the foregoing section 4.07 by modification contract dated August 9, 2010, contained in this same contract) SECTION 4.08. Environmental and social measures. The Executing Agency (Organismo Ejecutor) shall carry out the execution of the activities included in the Program, in accordance with the environmental and social standards established in the legislation of the Republic of Costa Rica, in order to ensure that: (a) any possible environmental consequence of the activities included in the Program is evaluated in a timely manner to avoid, mitigate, or compensate for adverse environmental and social impacts; (b) the actions promoted by the Program do not generate interventions that negatively affect protected areas, cultural heritage, environmentally fragile zones, or areas of high ecological richness; and (c) in the event that it is necessary to carry out the resettlement of any population or community, it is carried out without contravening the Bank's policies and procedures on the matter.
SECTION 4.09. Special condition of execution. Prior to the initiation of the first tender for works or procurement of goods or consulting services, the Executing Agency (Organismo Ejecutor) undertakes to create and put into operation the Advisory Committee for the Sustainable Tourism Program (Comité Asesor del Programa de Turismo Sostenible), composed of representatives of the Executing Agency (Organismo Ejecutor), ICT, the National Chamber of Tourism (Cámara Nacional de Turismo, CANATUR), and the National Union of Local Governments (Unión Nacional de Gobiernos Locales, UNGL). The functions and responsibilities of said Committee shall be detailed in the Program's Operational Regulations (Reglamento Operativo del Programa).
Records, Inspections, and Reports SECTION 5.01. Records, inspections, and reports. The Borrower undertakes that, by itself or through the Executing Agency (Organismo Ejecutor), records shall be kept, inspections shall be permitted, and reports and financial statements shall be provided, in accordance with the provisions established in Chapter VII of the General Conditions (Normas Generales), and that in the specific case of the semi-annual progress reports for each year referred to in Article 7.03(a)(i) of the General Conditions (Normas Generales), information shall be included relating to the update of the schedule and budget allocations for the remaining activities, the progress achieved in relation to compliance with the Program's indicators, and a summary of the goals achieved and problems encountered during the corresponding period.
SECTION 5.02. Audits. (a) In relation to the provisions of Article 7.03 of the General Conditions (Normas Generales), the Program's financial statements shall be submitted annually, duly audited by an independent public accounting firm acceptable to the Bank, during its execution period.
(b) The audits referred to in this section shall be carried out in accordance with the terms of reference previously agreed with the Bank and with the requirements of the Bank's audit policies and procedures. The Bank's procedures on the matter shall be used in the selection and contracting of the auditing firm or firms. The audit costs shall be charged to the Financing (Financiamiento).
Miscellaneous Provisions SECTION 6.01. Effectiveness of the Contract. (a) The parties place on record that the effectiveness of this Contract begins on the date on which, in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Costa Rica, it acquires full legal validity. The Borrower is obliged to notify the Bank in writing of said effective date, attaching the documentation that accredits it.
(b) If within a period of one (1) year from the signing of this instrument, this Contract has not entered into effect, all the provisions, offers, and expectations of rights contained herein shall be deemed non-existent for all legal purposes without the need for notifications, and, therefore, no liability shall arise for any of the parties.
SECTION 6.02. Termination. The total payment of the Loan (Préstamo), interest, and commissions shall conclude this Contract and all obligations deriving from it.
SECTION 6.03. Validity. The rights and obligations established in this Contract are valid and enforceable, in accordance with the terms agreed herein, without relation to the legislation of any particular country.
SECTION 6.04. Communications. All notices, requests, communications, or notifications that the parties must address to each other by virtue of this Contract shall be made in writing and shall be considered effected from the moment the corresponding document is delivered to the recipient at the respective address noted below, unless the parties agree otherwise in writing:
Of the Borrower:
Postal Address:
Ministerio de Hacienda Avenida 2da, Calles 1 y 3 San José, Costa Rica Facsimile: (506) 255-4874 For matters related to Program execution:
Postal Address:
Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación (SINAC) Apartado 11384-1000 San José, Costa Rica Facsimile: (506) 248-2451 Of the Bank:
Postal Address:
Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo 1300 New York Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20577 USA Facsimile: (202) 623-3096
Arbitration SECTION 7.01. Arbitration clause. For the resolution of any controversy arising from this Contract that is not resolved by agreement between the parties, they unconditionally and irrevocably submit to the procedure and award of the Arbitration Tribunal referred to in Chapter IX of the General Conditions (Normas Generales).
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Borrower and the Bank, each acting through its authorized representative, sign this Contract in two (2) copies of equal content in San José, Costa Rica, on the date indicated above.
REPÚBLICA DE COSTA RICA __________________________ Guillermo Zúñiga Chaves Ministro de Hacienda BANCO INTERAMERICANO DE DESARROLLO _______________________ Fortunato Lari Representante a.i. en Costa Rica LEG/SGO/CID/IDBDOCS#736695 SECOND PART GENERAL CONDITIONS (Normas Generales)
Application of the General Conditions