Countries and Regions

	Table of Contents
p. 5 of 7 BACK | NEXT I. Current Development Trends and Issues II. Implementation of the Country Strategy and Program A. Progress in Poverty Reduction B. Progress in the Country Strategy and Program Focus Areas C. Highlights in Coordination of External Funding and Partnership Arrangements III. Portfolio Management Issues IV. Country Performance and Assistance Levels

Country Strategy and Program Update 2006-2008: Lao People's Democratic Republic : II. Implementation of the Country Strategy and Program

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C. Highlights in Coordination of External Funding and Partnership Arrangements

22. ADB has been an active player in development partner coordination in the Lao PDR and participated in mini-roundtable process meetings for NGPES implementation in November 2004 and June 2005, quarterly informal donor meetings, meetings with the United Nations country team, and more recently the partnership principles advanced under the Nam Theun 2 hydroelectric project. ADB chairs the donor working group on infrastructure (transport, energy, urban development, water, and sanitation) with the Government of Japan as the co-chair. ADB co-chairs the donor working group on agriculture, rural development and natural resources management. It is a member of donor working groups on education/gender, health/gender/HIV/AIDS, macroeconomic issues and private sector development, and governance. In February 2005, ADB and the World Bank co-sponsored the Government’s first workshop on harmonization and alignment, which introduced the concept of management for development results (MfDR). A notable highlight of donor coordination was the meeting in June 2005 at which the Government hosted the first ever consultation meetings on the development of the next 5-year SEDP with donors, private sector and other stakeholders.

23. In July–August 2004, ADB participated in the IMF’s Article IV consultation and review of a program under the poverty reduction and growth facility for the Lao PDR, and undertook a joint debt sustainability analysis with the IMF and the World Bank. ADB also participated in a joint public expenditure review with the World Bank and IMF in July 2005, and attended a retreat to prepare the World Bank’s poverty reduction support credit. To facilitate the Lao PDR’s integration into the multilateral trading system, ADB has been actively participating in policy dialogue to design and implement a multidonor integrated framework for trade-related technical assistance, in partnership with the IMF, the International Trade Centre, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, and the WTO. For the first time, ADB has agreed to conduct a joint country portfolio review mission with the World Bank. It will continue to conduct joint review missions with bilateral partners, including Sida and AusAID. In conjunction with its lending program, ADB will continue to actively pursue cofinancing from official and commercial sources, including the use of credit enhancement products, such as political risk guarantees. A development coordination matrix is in Table A1.5.

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