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Lesson
Ownership of the reform process is critical and, given the experience of this, it will remain so. The reform agenda was fully in line with government and ADB strategies and priorities. This allowed for timely and quick support that resulted in comprehensive products. Detailed discussion on outcome indicators at the design stage is critical to finding the best possible indicators for measuring outcome.

Project Number: 51066-001, 51066-003
Project Name: Finance Sector and Fiscal Management Improvement Program (Subprograms 1 and 2)
Report Date:
Lesson
Gender actions could be strengthened by P3F actions that contribute to future dialogue and maintain the momentum in discussing this sensitive topic.

Project Number: 51066-001, 51066-003
Project Name: Finance Sector and Fiscal Management Improvement Program (Subprograms 1 and 2)
Report Date:
Lesson
Technical assistance (TA) is important to ensure timely identification and support to critical reforms at challenging times. TA support contributed to the program being implemented within the original timeline. Transaction TA allowed for the development of additional activities that formed the post-program partnership framework (P3F). The practice of including P3F actions in the design of the programmatic policy-based lending should be continued, as it shapes up next-level dialogue with the government. It also helps ADB and the government to maintain a longer-term prospective.

Project Number: 51066-001, 51066-003
Project Name: Finance Sector and Fiscal Management Improvement Program (Subprograms 1 and 2)
Report Date:
Lesson
Construction timelines in climate-affected areas need to be reliably assessed to minimize completion delays. The construction timelines for Karamyk BCP, located at altitude of 2,300 meters above sea level, were tight. The contractor faced various issues due to the harsh weather, electricity supply interruptions, and delays with the supply of materials and equipment. Combined with the contractor’s relatively low financial capacity, this resulted in a 4-year construction period versus the originally planned 15-month implementation timeline.

Project Number: 46124-001
Project Name: Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Regional Improvement of Border Services Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Border crossing points (BCPs) will risk becoming stranded assets in the face of border disputes and other related issues. BCPs completed under the project have remained closed for traffic since April 2021 following a border dispute between the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan. By May 2024, around 10% of the border line with total estimated length of 970 kilometers remained to be delimitated. The countries are determined to complete the process and sign a border agreement within 2024. Until the delimitation is completed, the potential traffic volumes across the borders will remain unknown.

Project Number: 46124-001
Project Name: Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Regional Improvement of Border Services Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Trade facilitation reforms and national single window (NSW) development are complex undertakings requiring much time to be completed. This project's timelines were very ambitious with regard to the NSW component given that it required institutional and regulatory reforms; business process reengineering across multiple government agencies; as well as design, development, and integration of the SWIS.

Project Number: 46124-001
Project Name: Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Regional Improvement of Border Services Project
Report Date:
Lesson
ADB has become more proactive in handling crises and providing support to its developing member countries (DMCs) by delivering emergency assistance. The process has been defined further after the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing DMC governments to access and implement emergency programs smoothly and ADB to provide resources more effectively and efficiently.

Project Number: 56147-001
Project Name: Building Resilience with Active Countercyclical Expenditures Program
Report Date:
Lesson
The success of the government anti-crisis plan in terms of maintaining economic growth and protecting vulnerable groups validated the effectiveness of the government’s approach. The reforms it promoted proved successful in achieving the government’s goals of protecting vulnerable citizens, ensuring food security, and maintaining employment levels while promoting gender equality and climate and disaster resilience.

Project Number: 56147-001
Project Name: Building Resilience with Active Countercyclical Expenditures Program
Report Date:
Lesson
ADB's close engagement with governments is beneficial for the design and implementation of countercyclical crisis response programs. ADB’s continuous policy dialogues with the government contributed to the government’s response strategy and development financing plan. The resulting close alignment also promoted ADB’s impactful design and effective implementation of the B=== program.

Project Number: 56147-001
Project Name: Building Resilience with Active Countercyclical Expenditures Program
Report Date:
Lesson
ADB project teams need to have a realistic understanding of how long it takes host governments to secure internal approvals to avoid delays in completion thatcould impact project performance. Loan effectiveness took place about 5 months after loan signing, some 3 months behind schedule, “due to prolonged government approvals and parliamentary ratification procedures.” This put the project behind schedule almost from the beginning. Subsequent review missions “emphasized the need to accelerate implementation of all planned activities.

Project Number: 46535-001
Project Name: Strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training
Report Date:
Lesson
Poor quality of local talent can significantly hinder implementation, causing ADB to intensify implementation support to put projects on track. The executing agency asked the international consulting firm “to change six of the national experts to enhance the quality of expertise.” Delays in retaining architects to monitor construction had a knock-on impact on the procurement of civil works and equipment packages. The objective of setting up the Project Administration Group (PAG), among other implementation units, was to delegate project execution to locals, but this did not work.

Project Number: 46535-001
Project Name: Strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training
Report Date:
Lesson
Inadequate data collection can obstruct the documentation of project impact. The project implementation unit focused exclusively on disbursements to the detriment of other metrics in the design and monitoring framework. Government ministries do not collect data regarding TVET graduates, such as whether they are employed, in what capacity they are employed (i.e., whether they are employed in their field of study or not), and how much is their income. Information on historic and forecast budgets for TVET were not provided, nor were data on tuition collected from fee-paying students.

Project Number: 46535-001
Project Name: Strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training
Report Date:
Lesson
Trainings and in-person support are needed to strengthen financial management performance and full compliance, especially in cases where the government agencies are handling ADB projects for the first-time. As the first ADB project the Secretariat of State for Vocational Training and Employment (SEFOPE) oversaw, more thorough trainings and in-person support could have strengthened financial management performance and full compliance with the grant covenants.

Project Number: 45139-001
Project Name: Mid-Level Skills Training Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Limited baseline data could lead to unrealistic performance Indicators and targets. Because this was ADB’s first TVET grant project in Timor-Leste, which introduced a new area of formalized skills development, baseline data for the targets were limited. This led to some unrealistic performance Indicators and targets. For example, the number of students and trainers to be trained appeared to be modest, whereas the target of 65% of graduates to find employment within 3 months of graduation was overambitious.

Project Number: 45139-001
Project Name: Mid-Level Skills Training Project
Report Date:
Lesson
An innovative campaign may be needed to attract women to nontraditional TVET training programs. The project emphasized providing opportunities for women, especially those from poor families and rural areas, to attend the TVET programs and to help them find employment after graduation. Campaign activities that proved effective included scholarships and a detailed outreach and communications plan targeting both female candidates and employers.

Project Number: 45139-001
Project Name: Mid-Level Skills Training Project
Report Date: