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Lesson
The program has helped strengthen ADB’s role as a trusted partner and created a positive experience for the government to strengthen its relations with development partners. The loan provided international funds that have helped address the government’s objective to reduce borrowing in the domestic market and have helped ensure liquidity in Thailand’s private sector. The program’s accompanying technical assistance provided the government with value-added policy dialogue and technical assistance to help address the government’s knowledge needs as they evolved through the crisis.

Project Number: 54177-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Program
Report Date:
Lesson
The lack of available data across government departments can be challenging especially during times of crisis. The government encountered difficulties in collecting sex-disaggregated data in some instances; making it difficult to understand how women and girls were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Disaggregation by employment and disability status was challenging as well. The sex-segregated data on testing capacity and incentive for health workers included in the completion report were proxies based on total beneficiaries and the male and female ratio among the healthcare work force.

Project Number: 54177-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Program
Report Date:
Lesson
It is important to maintain some degree of flexibility to effectively respond to crisis situations. Perhaps the most important quality of Thailand’s CARES program was its ability to rapidly mobilize demand-driven support in a crisis; highlighting the importance in future crisis responses of maintaining some degree of flexibility in both program design and implementation. ADB was able to process and approve the program within 3 months of the government’s initial request for support. Events in Thailand necessitated loan signing to take place about 4 months after ADB approval.

Project Number: 54177-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Indicators and targets relying on surveys that may not be available at the time of measurement could benefit from the identification of alternative measures during program design. One of the outcome Indicators in the CARES design and monitoring framework is measured by the WHO only every 5 years and information about its most recent assessment is due for release in mid to late 2022; after the end of the CARES program. Uncertainties and disruptions created by emergencies need to be considered when designing Indicators to ensure that targets are achievable and realistic.

Project Number: 54177-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Lessons from impact assessments undertaken by the government need to be explored for possible replication or application in future crisis response operations. In addition to monitoring of program expenditures; the government conducted its own assessment of program results; such as the social impact of cash transfer programs on affected people.

Project Number: 54177-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Program
Report Date:
Lesson
The COVID-19 pandemic experience provided the government an opportunity to develop its approach to monitoring and reporting. During the loan period; ADB supported the executing agency in the quarterly monitoring of expenditures under the government’s emergency loans. This was appreciated by the government and because it provided the only English-language summary of government expenditure under the two emergency decrees, the quarterly monitoring was continued at government’s request even after loan closure.

Project Number: 54177-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Government’s effective and responsive implementation of the program and use of funds highlighted the importance of being able to adjust allocations as demanded by the crisis. The government successfully utilized its ADB countercyclical loan to support its relief and stimulus program under its two pandemic emergency decrees and funds (FY2020 and FY2021). In particular; the Cabinet responded rapidly to the successive waves of COVID-19; allocating and reallocating budgets to work plans and projects where they were most needed at any one time.

Project Number: 54177-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Program
Report Date:
Lesson
The TCR mentioned the usefulness of a flexible approach to drafting consultant’s terms of reference such that they are broad based—this is a generalizable lesson in managing staff and consultant resources, and useful in the context of limited availability of climate finance specialists.

Project Number: 47286-001
Project Name: Enhancing Readiness of ADB Developing Member Countries for Scaled Up Climate Finance
Report Date:
Lesson
The TCR found that close interaction between DMC stakeholders and climate finance providers was essential to create buy-in from all parties. The TCR did not provide evidence or data to support the level of adoption or commitment to TA efforts, or other evidence of continuing action and sustainability after TA completion.

Project Number: 47286-001
Project Name: Enhancing Readiness of ADB Developing Member Countries for Scaled Up Climate Finance
Report Date:
Lesson
The TCR did not mention this dimension explicitly in the document. In-country ownership by government and/or private sector would be required to consolidate gains.

Project Number: 47286-001
Project Name: Enhancing Readiness of ADB Developing Member Countries for Scaled Up Climate Finance
Report Date:
Lesson
Replication: Within ADB, the SDCD cost center has been established to develop GCF project proposals. Scaling up: It would require additional project preparation facilities, trust fund resources, and climate TA projects alongside ADB projects. Skills within SDCD have been developed but continue to rely on TA consultant support for implementation. The TCR, thus, recommended for a way forward.

Project Number: 47286-001
Project Name: Enhancing Readiness of ADB Developing Member Countries for Scaled Up Climate Finance
Report Date:
Lesson
Based on the TCR narrative, the TA prepared some technical documents and accessed new mechanisms for climate finance. The approved GCF proposals were examples. While the TA made some efforts to increase awareness and disseminate knowledge via the in-country consultations, there was no clear evidence or assessment that the target audience was more aware of the technical materials presented, and had adopted the same, thereby, building institutional capacity. Adopting national or sectoral policies or legal standards, or any academic literature was not mentioned in the TCR.

Project Number: 47286-001
Project Name: Enhancing Readiness of ADB Developing Member Countries for Scaled Up Climate Finance
Report Date:
Lesson
This validation adds the need to adopt a more realistic timeline where funding sources are uncertain or unknown.

Project Number: 47286-001
Project Name: Enhancing Readiness of ADB Developing Member Countries for Scaled Up Climate Finance
Report Date:
Lesson
This validation adds that pioneering the GCF proposals with a strong SDCD team, like in Mongolia, will provide a sound template and be an effective way to demonstrate success for the subsequent proposals.

Project Number: 47286-001
Project Name: Enhancing Readiness of ADB Developing Member Countries for Scaled Up Climate Finance
Report Date:
Lesson
This section in the TCR presents several findings including that increased readiness for finance access is different from the actual capacity to access finance and is highly context-specific to the type of project for which finance is required, the sources of finance being tapped, and individual DMC priorities and circumstances—this is a generalizable lesson in planning and relates to having some degree of flexibility to adapt to the evolving context given that this is a new area of work for the ADB as well as the DMCs.

Project Number: 47286-001
Project Name: Enhancing Readiness of ADB Developing Member Countries for Scaled Up Climate Finance
Report Date: