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Lesson
The requirement for counterpart funding to finance land acquisition and resettlement (LAR) should be clearly communicated to government counterparts during project preparation. Due to delayed and inadequate counterpart funds, particularly to support LAR, works were begun in several subprojects even before compensation payments were completed. This comprised noncompliance to ADB safeguards and caused the suspension of works in pertinent subprojects.

Project Number: 43319-022
Project Name: Greater Mekong Subregion East-West Economic Corridor Towns Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
The risks posed by conditions for loan effectiveness and disbursements should be carefully assessed and considered in the project timeline. Project implementation was delayed by about 18 months as the conditions for loan effectiveness required the passage of appropriation bills in the National Congress and at least three of four state legislatures. Such projects can provide the required pressure for positive legal changes but can lead to startup delays.

Project Number: 35448-013
Project Name: Omnibus Infrastructure Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Projects at completion should ensure that there is clarity of mandates, responsibilities, and performance targets among institutions involved in the operation and maintenance (O&M) of project assets to minimize the risks to the sustainability of project benefits. The project supported the provincial government in clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the different government agencies and the private sector in O&M of the project sub-outputs.

Project Number: 43319-022
Project Name: Greater Mekong Subregion East-West Economic Corridor Towns Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
A narrow sector and geographic focus is more suitable for projects in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). In FSM, multistate and multisector projects bring added complexity and interdependence between institutions that do not otherwise have incentives to support each other. Future projects should consider a narrower focus in terms of sector and geographic scope, allowing for less dispersed efforts on physical and nonphysical project targets. This approach has been adopted for the ongoing Chuuk Water Supply and Sanitation Project.

Project Number: 35448-013
Project Name: Omnibus Infrastructure Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Appropriate contract packaging, stakeholder involvement in project preparation, and reliable cost estimates are of particular importance to successful project implementation. This project encountered several weaknesses in design and preparation that made implementation challenging.

Project Number: 43319-022
Project Name: Greater Mekong Subregion East-West Economic Corridor Towns Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Timelines for policy changes and major reforms should also be realistic, knowing that building understanding and ownership can take time and the passage of legislation can be a lengthy process. Two municipalities declined to participate in the project because of their objection to the transfer of ownership and management of assets to a state government agency.

Project Number: 35448-013
Project Name: Omnibus Infrastructure Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Lack of tariffs and insufficient operation and maintenance (O&M) budgets threaten the sustainability of water supply and sanitation facilities in FSM. The water supply and wastewater components are unlikely to be sustainable because of the unwillingness to charge for services, and the insufficiency of annual O&M budgets.

Project Number: 35448-013
Project Name: Omnibus Infrastructure Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
The political economy of the country as well as of the local areas where projects are to be sited needs to be thoroughly understood and considered in the design of projects. The project assumptions that institutional and financial reforms would be adopted within a reasonable time frame and that demand for the improved water supply services could be established in Kosrae state proved false. Project preparation could have supported a more thorough understanding of the political economy, and the scope based on a stronger rationale and expressed demand.

Project Number: 35448-013
Project Name: Omnibus Infrastructure Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
A well-thought-out project communications plan, backed by local capacity building, is needed for the successful implementation of projects in FSM. Information is often not widely shared in the FSM, and securing support for reforms can be particularly complex in this context. The Chuuk Public Utilities Corporation was able to effectively carry out its communications and outreach activities and secure support for reforms with the help of a well-defined operation, maintenance, and management contract. Project delays affected the momentum of activities in the other three states.

Project Number: 35448-013
Project Name: Omnibus Infrastructure Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
The ability of all participating utilities to successfully adopt and implement organizational changes to meet the project requirements should be assessed, with specialized external support in utility management provided as necessary.

Project Number: 35448-013
Project Name: Omnibus Infrastructure Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Establishing a skilled and effective lake basin authority was a long and arduous process. Converting the Chao Lake Management Authority (CLMA) from a sound concept to a skilled, effective lake basin planning and management organization evolved over time, and actions taken under the project helped the CLMA to establish its authority from scratch.

Project Number: 44036-013
Project Name: Anhui Chao Lake Environmental Rehabilitation Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Closer communication and coordination between ADB and the implementing agencies (IAs) are necessary to ensure timely loan closing. The loan closing took about 21 months. One of the major reasons was that some of the withdrawal application papers submitted by the IAs were incomplete or inconsistent and clarifications or corrections of these took a long time. ADB’s review and clearance on these clarifications was also slow in several cases.

Project Number: 43023-013
Project Name: Guangxi Beibu Gulf Cities Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Scope changes can lead to extended implementation delays, especially when review and due diligence on these changes are not organized properly. The project experienced significant implementation delays due to factors which were unforeseen at approval. These changes resulted in reallocation ofthe loan proceeds. The review process including due diligence for these changes took 1 year on average. In fact, the process could have been shortened had the organization of these changes been orderly.

Project Number: 43023-013
Project Name: Guangxi Beibu Gulf Cities Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
During the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual mission and online meetings were conducted to ensure continued ADB technical support and monitoring of project implementation, which could be widely applied in the future, especially during periods of travel restriction.

Project Number: 44019-013
Project Name: Hubei Huangshi Urban Pollution Control and Environmental Management Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Close monitoring of and prompt responses to policy changes ensure smooth implementation and compliance to covenants. During project implementation, the executing agency took prompt action to change the scope of the project when one of the original subcomponents was not in compliance with the new issued development plan. This enabled the project to avoid compliance issues and be carried out smoothly.

Project Number: 44019-013
Project Name: Hubei Huangshi Urban Pollution Control and Environmental Management Project
Report Date: