Eighth Quarterly Report: Mekong Partnership for the Environment

The project was awarded to Pact, Inc. in partnership with East West Management Institute (EWMI), Internews, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) / Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA) on October 16, 2013. The project's goal is to increase the capacity of civil society to influence development decisions that have significant anticipated social and environmental impacts. To achieve this goal, the project has three main objectives: 1) to increase the capacity of civil society to influence development decisions, 2) to strengthen regional platforms for multi-stakeholder participation in development decision-making, and 3) to increase public access to quality, timely information on environmental and social costs and benefits of development projects. The project's expected results include the establishment and/or strengthening of a regional network of civil society organizations (CSOs) focused on social and environmental safeguards, the increase of specialized expertise and capacity of at least two CSOs in each of the Lower Mekong countries, and the ability of CSOs to effectively gather, formulate, and communicate local perspectives on regional development projects to policy makers. In Quarter Eight, a number of key activities were implemented, including the First Meeting of the Regional Technical Working Group (RTWG) on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) held on September 28-29, 2015, in Bangkok. The meeting produced three important outputs: a draft Action Plan of the RTWG, a draft terms of reference (TOR) for external advisers to support the RTWG, and decision-making rules and communication platforms of the RTWG. The RTWG members also discussed the second meeting of the Group, which will likely be held on December 16-18, 2015, outside of Hanoi, Vietnam. The project has a geographic coverage of Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and China, and is expected to be completed by October 15, 2017. The project's progress is being monitored and evaluated through a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plan, which is regularly updated and implemented. The project's implementation has faced some challenges, including the need to strengthen regional platforms for multi-stakeholder participation in development decision-making and to increase public access to quality, timely information on environmental and social costs and benefits of development projects. However, the project has made significant progress in establishing a regional network of CSOs focused on social and environmental safeguards and in increasing the capacity of CSOs to influence development decisions. The project's stakeholders include civil society organizations, government agencies, and development partners, who are working together to achieve the project's objectives. The project's management and administration are being handled by Pact, Inc., in partnership with the sub-awardees, East West Management Institute, Internews, Stockholm Environment Institute, and Wildlife Conservation Society.