Methodologies / approaches

Public financial management reform is complex and requires long-term commitment and flexibility to maximize development impacts while remaining relevant to the changing environment.

Alternatives to grid connection should have been considered to electrify more rural poor communities. Inclusion of alternatives that are beneficial to low-usage rural customers, including solar home systems and mini grids, could have expanded project coverage and enhanced its impact.

Equity issues need to be carefully considered and addressed in beneficiary selection and targeting. The potential for political influence in the selection of communities that would benefit from grid connection was identified as a risk. To mitigate this risk, independent consultants were engaged to develop the beneficiary selection criteria, which would eventually stipulate that (i) customers were to be within 250 meters of the transmission line, (ii) construction of the property had to be sound, and (iii) households must have the financial means to pay for the electricity provided.

Unsynchronized consultant recruitment, procurement of goods, and facility upgrades could create inefficiencies and lead to a wastage of time and resources and delayed delivery of project benefits. While overall the project proceeded smoothly, it encountered some challenges that offer valuable lessons to future projects. First, as the timing of consultant inputs and procurement of laboratory facilities and equipment were not synchronized, i.e., consultants would arrive early while facilities were not yet ready, less-than-efficient inputs were obtained.

An integrated approach to sustainable recovery is necessary to enhance the development impact of the CARES program. While the CPRO’s primary purpose was to deliver emergency assistance to support the government’s pandemic response, it also supported overall measures to keep the government on track in pursuing structural reforms that would enable a sustainable recovery from the pandemic. Such measures cohere around an integrated approach to meet Cambodia’s medium- and long-term recovery needs, including an improved investment environment and sound fiscal governance.

A government-led program with coordinated support from development partners, is effective in enabling a rapid, timely, and highly relevant emergency response to pandemics. ADB’s COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support (CARES) program proved efficacious in channeling support for the Cambodian government to address the adverse social, health, and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

An off-site sanitation system with a broad coverage area is feasible in Indonesia and may be scaled up to support national sanitation targets. The project, under the Yogyakarta subproject, was to able to successfully operate an off-site sanitation system covering all the administrative areas of the city and the districts of Sleman and Bantul. Against the 14,700 targeted additional sewer connections, it completed 17,880 connections or 121.63% of the target.

Close collaboration between key government agencies and the local community enables adequate operation and maintenance (O&M) of project facilities through community-based activities. Sanitasi Berbasis Masyarakat (community-based sanitation), being one of the national programs implemented by the water supply and environmental sanitation working group established by Indonesia’s National Development Planning Agency in 2013, made it easier for the project to mobilize the communities to participate during the design and implementation stages.

A unified bill covering both water supply and sanitation services provides a practical approach to improving the revenue stream for wastewater management. Compared to water supply; it is often harder to collect tariffs for wastewater management services. The local water supply company in Medan; the capital city of the North Sumatra province; has provided a practical solution to this by installing a unified billing system for water supply and wastewater management services.

It is important to digitalize government services in times of crisis. This effort is best pursued through collaboration with the private sector in Indonesia. The collaboration can strengthen the country's defense against future outbreaks and improve the targeting of social assistance. Digitalization including ithe financial sector should remain a focal point of ADB’s policy dialogue with Indonesia.