Catalog

Engaging Civil Society
ADB Review [ April-May 2006 ]

A grant helped ADB build deeper trust with civil society, inspiring more meaningful involvement

By Christopher T. Hnanguie, (chnanguie@adb.org)
Programs Economist, Mekong Department

The efforts of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to engage civil society more actively in the Mekong subregion have evolved considerably in recent years. Through deeper and more regular consultation, civil society organizations (CSOs) are now taking part at the early stages of strategy and program formulation, ensuring their grassroots experience is well reflected.

A 3-year technical assistance project, completed in December 2005, has nudged the process forward by using practical trials of early CSO involvement in the formulation of ADB’s recent regional and country strategies and programs in the Mekong subregion.

INVOLVED DIALOGUE Consultations and meetings done under the grant have strengthened the collaboration between ADB, civil society, and governments in the subregion

By boosting trust among governments, CSOs, and ADB, the project has strengthened the foundations for regular future collaboration. “The committed engagement of CSO representatives in developing the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Regional Cooperation Strategy and Program (RCSP) takes ADB’s cooperation with civil society to a higher plane,” said Rajat M. Nag, Director General of ADB’s Mekong Department. Mr. Nag kicked off the consultation process at a 2-day subregional workshop at which government, CSOs, and ADB representatives discussed the draft RCSP.

“The process has gone deeper than earlier consultations with civil society groups, which were often carried out to essentially inform CSOs of work already well under way,” he said.

The technical assistance project, supported with a grant from the Poverty Reduction Fund, financed by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), was launched in 2003 under the title of Promoting NGO Support for Poverty Reduction in the Greater Mekong Subregion. The Mekong Department, in close collaboration with ADB’s NGO and Civil Society Center (NGOC), used the preparation of the new GMS RCSP and its updates to test more extensive involvement of civil society in its formulation.

“Because ADB has only just started to prepare RCSPs, the project’s approach to engage CSOs at the very outset of its preparation was a milestone for ADB,” said Bart Édes, head, NGOC. “This project has helped show everyone the benefits of bringing in the perspectives of CSOs, many of which are working closely with very poor and marginalized communities,” he said.

Nongovernment organization (NGO) representatives also praised the project: “The tripartite discussions between CSOs, representatives of the Mekong countries, and ADB proved to be a very positive experience,” said Deepali Khanna, Country Director of Plan Vietnam, an international NGO working with children to alleviate poverty.

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Getting Started

In January 2004, ADB organized a meeting in Bangkok with CSOs and government representatives together with ADB to deliberate on subregional poverty issues. A 2-day subregional tripartite workshop followed and involved over 30 representatives from both the governments and the CSOs of Cambodia, People’s Republic of China, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

Many commended the process and recommended extending it to individual countries, inspiring the extension of the process to country-level programming.

In March and April 2005, representatives from the GMS governments, international and local CSOs, and ADB gathered again to share information, discuss subregional poverty issues, and the process to prepare new country strategy and programs for Lao PDR and Viet Nam.

An ADB mission was later fielded in October to discuss the results with representatives of government, CSOs, and the ADB missions in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

“The technical assistance project...signaled the start of a deeper involvement by NGOs in ADB operations in the GMS,” said Dennis Ingemann, World Vision Australia’s project coordinator. The process, he said, highlighted the advantages of moving away from ad hoc consultations and toward more formalized consultations with CSOs.

Representatives from CARE, Thailand Environment Institute, World Wide Fund for Nature, Quaker Service Laos, Save the Children, Population and Community Development Association (Thailand), and Rural Development Services Center (Viet Nam) were among the CSOs that contributed to the process.

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Outcomes

While no formal mechanism for cooperation among governments, ADB, and CSOs yet exists, the work under the regional grant served as an important milestone that has inspired greater willingness from all parties to continue the process.

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT Participants’ recommendations encouraged tripartite cooperation in the GMS

“The grant, though small in dollar terms, has made a significant impact, especially in piloting new approaches to further strengthen tripartite cooperation in addressing subregional poverty issues through key ADB operational strategies,” said Sonomi Tanaka, ADB’s Coordinator of the Poverty Reduction Fund.

The positive recommendations received from participants strongly supported strengthening ongoing structures in the GMS that encourage tripartite cooperation. “While the primary focus for this engagement should be on ADB’s RCSP and CSP development and updating, it should (also) be pursued in wider ADB operations,” said Khampho Khaykhamphi-thone, Deputy Director General, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lao PDR.

The consultations under the grant have endorsed the notion of continuing and strengthening collaboration between CSOs, ADB, and GMS governments in the subregion. “Maintaining ongoing dialogue among all parties to share perspectives, identify issues, and promote collaboration is important,” said Dinh Thi Chinh, head of the National Economic Issues division of the Ministry of Planning and Investment of Viet Nam.

Looking forward, “We should encourage CSOs to effectively contribute to ADB operations, including through providing different perspectives, strengthening connections with local communities and disadvantaged groups, and promoting innovation particularly at the level of grassroots development,” said Paul Turner, Director of MKRD’s Operations Coordination and GMS Division.

According to Mr. Turner, the project provided an opportunity for the three parties to broaden understanding of ADB’s RCSP and CSP processes and to learn how to better work together to achieve significant development results.

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