Fourteenth 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 has an end date of October 15, 2017, and a budget of $13 million. The primary goal of MPE is to increase the capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) to influence development decisions that have significant anticipated social and environmental impacts. To achieve this goal, the project is working towards three main objectives: increasing the capacity of CSOs to engage in regional policy and project-level dialogues, strengthening regional platforms for multi-stakeholder participation in development decision-making, and increasing public access to quality, timely information on environmental and social costs and benefits of development projects. The project has made significant progress in achieving its objectives, particularly in the areas of regional guidelines on public participation in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and national EIA guidelines in Cambodia and Myanmar. The 5th and final meeting of the Regional Technical Working Group (RTWG) on EIA was held, and the regional EIA guidelines were finalized. Additionally, national guidelines in Myanmar were developed, and continued support was provided to the Cambodian Sustainable Finance Initiative. The project has also made progress in strengthening regional platforms for multi-stakeholder participation in development decision-making. The Regional Technical Working Group (RTWG) on EIA has been instrumental in facilitating dialogue among stakeholders, and the project has supported the development of national guidelines in Cambodia and Myanmar. In terms of increasing public access to quality, timely information on environmental and social costs and benefits of development projects, the project has made progress in providing training and capacity-building programs for CSOs and other stakeholders. The project has also supported the development of a regional network of CSOs focused on social and environmental safeguards. The project has also faced challenges, particularly in terms of funding. In November 2016, USAID provided notification that there would be no additional funds obligated to MPE, which led to a shift in resources to three remaining priorities and the initiation of close-out procedures for the project's numerous sub-awards to local partners. Despite these challenges, the project has made significant progress in achieving its objectives and has contributed to the development of regional guidelines on public participation in EIA, national EIA guidelines in Cambodia and Myanmar, and sustainable finance principles under the Cambodian Sustainable Finance Initiative. The project has also strengthened regional platforms for multi-stakeholder participation in development decision-making and increased public access to quality, timely information on environmental and social costs and benefits of development projects. The project's geographic coverage includes the Lower Mekong countries of Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as China. The project's reporting period is from January 1, 2017, to March 31, 2017.