Regional : Strengthening the Institutional Mechanism of the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Program
Project Details
-
Project Officer
Sasradipoera, Kanya S.
South Asia Department
Request for information -
Country/Economy
Regional -
Sector
- Transport
| Project Name | Strengthening the Institutional Mechanism of the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Program | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Number | 54392-001 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Country / Economy | Regional Bangladesh Bhutan India Maldives Myanmar Nepal Sri Lanka |
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| Project Status | Active | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Type / Modality of Assistance | Technical Assistance |
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| Source of Funding / Amount |
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| Operational Priorities | OP2: Accelerating progress in gender equality OP5: Promoting rural development and food security OP6: Strengthening governance and institutional capacity OP7: Fostering regional cooperation and integration |
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| Sector / Subsector |
Energy / Energy sector development and institutional reform Industry and trade / Industry and trade sector development - Trade and services Transport / Multimodal logistics - Road transport (non-urban) - Transport policies and institutional development |
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| Gender | Some gender elements | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Description | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy | For the past 19 years, the SASEC program operated on an institution-light and projects-heavy format. The SASEC program's mechanisms for facilitation, coordination, and monitoring, as well as the platforms for discussions among the member countries, consist of (ii) SASEC Nodal Officials, who meet at least annually to review and provide strategic direction and guidance for cooperation under SASEC; (iii) working groups and subcommittee, which meet at least once a year to review strategic priorities and project-based progress; and (iv) SASEC Secretariat which is based at the ADB headquarters and assisted by regional cooperation specialists and focal points based in the resident missions. The SASEC FMs met once to endorse the SASEC Vision. This served the program well as the countries enjoyed the flexibility to proceed on their own pace. However, with the SASEC program facing more intensified and increasing new demands and the pursuit of the SASEC Vision's goals through the Updated OP and APSI, the strengthening of its institutional mechanisms is necessary. The enhancements in the existing institutional mechanisms and arrangements aim to ensure that the SASEC Vision provides a coherent and strategic direction for the SASEC program, and that the SASEC OP and APSI set the frameworks, guidelines, and priorities for more deliberate planning and accelerated implementation of regional cooperation projects. |
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| Impact | Economic cooperation and integration between SASEC member countries, and between SASEC and its neighboring subregions accelerated |
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| Project Outcome | |
|---|---|
| Description of Outcome | Implementation of SASEC programs, projects, and initiatives accelerated |
| Progress Toward Outcome | A minor change in TA scope and implementation arrangements was approved on 28 May 2021 to support a study on data analytics that would help in assessing SASEC logistics movement. The study is in line with the objectives of the draft Action Plan of SASEC Initiatives (APSI) 2021-2023, and would benefit SASEC's work in the priority SASEC corridors. Using appropriate data analytic tools, the study would aim to systematically capture, analyze and understand the origin, destination, and specific movement patterns of cross-border trade logistics among the region where the priority SASEC Corridors are planned. |
| Implementation Progress | |
| Description of Project Outputs | Regional and national institutional mechanisms enhanced Working groups for program-, project-, and task-related initiatives and issues strengthened. SASEC Secretariat established and operationalized in the subregion Capacity of SASEC member countries to plan, implement, and monitor projects and initiatives strengthened. |
| Status of Implementation Progress (Outputs, Activities, and Issues) | The TA supported the recruitment of web expert, web content manager, web content editor, and GIS expert. The experts will help upgrade and update the SASEC website as a dynamic information portal for projects, activities, and initiatives, leading to enhanced external and internal visibility of the SASEC program. The TA supported the recruitment of a tourism expert who will help to come up with an action plan for the SASEC subregion that will showcase and demonstrate the benefits to be gained by the member countries from such initiative. A firm was recruited to undertake the SASEC Data Analytics Study. The study aims to consolidate a comprehensive data collection and enable an analytical model or methodology that can be used to understand logistics movement across SASEC borders in an objective and quantitative way, based on data analytics.The TA supported the recruitment of resource persons who conducted a dissemination workshop for concerned officials from the Government of Bangladesh on the country and regional study on SPS-TBT. A regional cooperation specialist was hired to serve as a key focal point on regional economic cooperation in India, and will coordinate directly with all government agencies concerned and other stakeholders RCI projects and activities. A regional cooperation expert was engaged to support the preparation of reports, documents and other relevant materials for SASEC meetings (Working Group Meetings, Nodal Officials Meetings, and Finance Ministers Meeting), including the program's activities in transport and trade facilitation, energy and other initiatives (i.e. activities (i.e. highly facilitated trade corridors, India-Bangladesh railway study, food regulators forum, SASEC corridor 7, and BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement), as well as the SASEC Operational Plan. One Health experts on human health and animal health were recruited to support ADB's activities related to One Health in South Asia. This would involve, among others, the conduct of country and development partner consultations, and facilitate knowledge-sharing events on enhancing health security through regional cooperation. Several experts are planned to be recruited for the SASEC Secretariat to support the SASEC Program's initiatives on the following areas: Climate and Disaster Resilience, Maritime, Tourism, Transport and Logistics, Supply Value Chain, Energy, Inland Waterway, SPS-TBT, & Trade Policy and Trade Facilitation. |
| Geographical Location | Bangladesh - Nation-wide; Bhutan - Nation-wide; India - Nation-wide; Maldives - Nation-wide; Myanmar - Nation-wide; Nepal - Nation-wide; Sri Lanka - Nation-wide |
| Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects | |
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| Environmental Aspects | |
| Involuntary Resettlement | |
| Indigenous Peoples | |
| Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation | |
| During Project Design | |
| During Project Implementation | |
| Business Opportunities | |
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| Consulting Services | 18 person months of international consultants and 32 person-months of national consultants |
| Procurement | No procurement to be made |
| Responsible ADB Officer | Sasradipoera, Kanya S. |
| Responsible ADB Department | South Asia Department |
| Responsible ADB Division | Regional Cooperation and Integration Unit, SARD (SARC) |
| Executing Agencies |
Asian Development Bank |
| Timetable | |
|---|---|
| Concept Clearance | 26 Nov 2020 |
| Fact Finding | 04 Sep 2020 to 04 Sep 2020 |
| MRM | - |
| Approval | 11 Dec 2020 |
| Last Review Mission | - |
| Last PDS Update | 09 Dec 2022 |
TA 6674-REG
| Milestones | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approval | Signing Date | Effectivity Date | Closing | ||
| Original | Revised | Actual | |||
| 11 Dec 2020 | - | 11 Dec 2020 | 31 Dec 2023 | 10 Dec 2025 | - |
| Financing Plan/TA Utilization | Cumulative Disbursements | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADB | Cofinancing | Counterpart | Total | Date | Amount | |||
| Gov | Beneficiaries | Project Sponsor | Others | |||||
| 4,200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4,200,000.00 | 22 Dec 2023 | 2,888,121.43 |
Project Data Sheets (PDS) contain summary information on the project or program. Because the PDS is a work in progress, some information may not be included in its initial version but will be added as it becomes available. Information about proposed projects is tentative and indicative.
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| Title | Document Type | Document Date |
|---|---|---|
| Strengthening the Institutional Mechanism of the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Program: Technical Assistance Report | Technical Assistance Reports | Dec 2020 |
Safeguard Documents See also: Safeguards
Safeguard documents provided at the time of project/facility approval may also be found in the list of linked documents provided with the Report and Recommendation of the President.
None currently available.
Evaluation Documents See also: Independent Evaluation
None currently available.
Related Publications
None currently available.
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Tenders
| Tender Title | Type | Status | Posting Date | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional Cooperation and Integration Advisor | Individual - Consulting | Active | ||
| Trade Facilitation Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Trade Facilitation Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Maritime Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| BBIN MVA Transport Consultant | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Regional Cooperation Coordinating Analyst | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| SASEC Transport Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Regional Cooperation Expert (India) | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Regional Cooperation Expert (Bangladesh) | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Regional Cooperation Expert (Nepal) | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Regional Cooperation Expert (Sri Lanka) | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Regional Cooperation Expert (Maldives) | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Regional Cooperation Expert (Bhutan) | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| TA Coordinator (One Health/RCI) | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Trade and Traffic Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Railway Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Railway Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Infrastructure Finance and PPP Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| SPS-TBT Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Trade Policy and Trade Facilitation Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Tourism Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Regional Cooperation Analyst | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Lead Climate and Disaster Resilience Policy Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Climate and Disaster Resilience Policy Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Maritime Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Supply and Value Chain Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Regional Cooperation Initiatives Coordinator | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Tourism Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Trade Policy and Trade Facilitation Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| SPS-TBT Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Inland Waterway Transport Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Energy Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Transport and Logistics Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Regional Cooperation Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Regional Cooperation Specialist (National) | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Maritime Regulations Specialist | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Web Administrator | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Data Analytics for Assessing SASEC Logistics Movement | Firm - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Web Content Editor | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Supply Chain Mapping Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| SASEC Web Administrator and Developer | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| SASEC Web Content Manager | Individual - Consulting | Closed |
Contracts Awarded
Procurement Plan
None currently available.