The Government of Uganda (GoU) is implementing the “Investing in Forests and Protected Areas for Climate-Smart Development (IFPA-CD) Project”. The project is financed by the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank and GoU. The implementation of the project is led by the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE), Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), and the National Forestry Authority (NFA). The development objective of the project is "to improve sustainable management of forests and protected areas and increase benefits to communities from forests in target landscapes". The targeted landscapes of the Albertine rift of which the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP), the Echuya Central Forest Reserve (CFR), the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and the Batwa around Semuliki National Park form a significant part.

During project preparation, the MWE, jointly with UWA and NFA, prepared and disclosed the project specific Vulnerable and Marginalized Groups Framework (VMGF)1 and the Process Framework (PF). The VMGF and PF were prepared to meet the requirements of the World Bank Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) under the Environmental and Social Standard 7 (ESS7) on Indigenous Peoples / SubSaharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities and ESS5 on Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement respectively.