Regional : Support to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Community

Sovereign Project | 50172-002

Project Details

  • Project Officer
    Ainabe, Benita
    Southeast Asia Department
    Request for information
  • Country/Economy
    Regional
  • Modality
  • Sector
    • Industry and trade
Project Name Support to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Community
Project Number 50172-002
Country / Economy Regional
Project Status Active
Project Type / Modality of Assistance Technical Assistance
Source of Funding / Amount
TA 9229-REG: Support to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Community
Technical Assistance Special Fund US$ 2.00 million
TA 9229-REG: Support to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Community (Supplementary)
Technical Assistance Special Fund US$ 3.00 million
TA: Support to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Community
Government of Australia US$ 2.90 million
Strategic Agendas Inclusive economic growth
Regional integration
Drivers of Change Governance and capacity development
Knowledge solutions
Private sector development
Sector / Subsector

Finance / Finance sector development

Industry and trade / Trade and services

Public sector management / Economic affairs management

Gender No gender elements
Description
Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy
Impact

A more dynamic and competitive region with single market and production base achieved

Project Outcome
Description of Outcome

Implementation of the AEC commitments in priority areas improved

Progress Toward Outcome Implementing comprehensive competition policies and regulatory reforms in order to meet AEC targets is a priority. Support is being provided to the newly established Philippines Competition Commission to implement competition policy.Support has been provided to Cambodia to help establish an online registry portal at Cambodia's Ministry of Industry and Handicrafts as part of the ASEAN SME Action Plan.The TA also supported the Regional Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) Conference which was held last 12-13 September 2017, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The conference aimed to bring together leading RIA experts across the region to share lessons learnt and practical insights on the experience of implementing RIA in different countries; build a foundation of strong and sustainable RIA expertise and networks across the region; explore collaborative initiatives; and enhance the RIA national rollout program in Cambodia.
Implementation Progress
Description of Project Outputs

Action plans and/or roadmaps to participate in the AEC prepared

Capacity to implement the AEC Commitments in priority areas developed

Monitoring and Evaluation of AEC implementation at the country level strengthened

Status of Implementation Progress (Outputs, Activities, and Issues) April 2023: Under output 1, through the Knowledge Partnership Agreement with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), reviews of regulatory practices in the Philippines and of local job creation in Indonesia were completed. A second partnership agreement was entered into in 2022 for the review of the merger controls in the Philippines. A high-level launch of this publication is proposed in Q2 2023. In addition, the TA has supported the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) with consultants that have provided expert advice on technical issues, including the review of the Philippine Competition Act. Furthermore, the TA organized a series of knowledge sharing workshops between the Indonesian financial services regulator, Otoritas Jasa Keuangan (OJK) and the newly established Cambodia Non-Bank Financial Services Authority (NBFSA). NBFSA, which was formed following the restructuring of one of the general departments at the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Cambodia, requested ADB's support to help them collaborate with financial services regulators in the region by presenting their regulatory activities and sharing their experiences and challenges. Under the SkillsUpNet (SUN) Philippines Project, formerly the Enterprise Led Learning Network (ELLN) component, the Grant Handbook was finalized and published while the Standard Operating Procedure Handbook is being finalized. Two locations (cities or regions) per sector were identified to participate in the program for each of the four sectors. Benguet and Davao for the agribusiness sector; Manila and Cebu for the construction and IT-animation sectors; Bicol and Ilocos for the tourism sector; and Cagayan de Oro and Davao for the women-led enterprises sector. For each sector, two general orientation workshops were conducted between March and May 2022, followed by technical workshops between May and June 2022 to orient the networks on the grant application process. Invitations were sent to the networks to submit their applications for registration. Of the 20 networks successfully registered, 15 have submitted complete grant applications within the deadline. The grant awarding ceremony was held in February 2023 to the selected 5 networks. Implementation of the network's training program commenced in March 2023 and is expected to be completed by December 2023. The SUN Project is among the reforms under the proposed PHI Post-COVID-19 Business and Employment Recovery Program. The pilot of JobStart Indonesia (JSI) and Indonesia ELLN (ELLN) is ongoing. The Indonesia Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Road Map, which includes the Financing Strategy and Strategy for Accelerating Gender Mainstreaming for SDGs was finalized and launched. The Indonesia SDG Financing Hub Strategy (in English and Bahasa) was also finalized. For the labor market activation, Inno-Change International Consultants, Inc. was engaged through quality and cost-based selection method to support the pilot implementation of JSI at Bandung Barat and Makassar; and the IELLN at Bandung Barat, Makassar and Semarang.Under output 2, the TA supported the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Health Forum and the Renewable Energy and Waste-to-Energy Forum in the Philippines which brought local private and local government unit (LGU) stakeholders together. In addition, the TA supported the implementation of the Philippine PPP Center's LGU Strategy by preparing and structuring local PPP projects in priority sectors, including water and sanitation, solid waste management, and renewable energy. The TA also supported initiatives to develop innovative financing options for infrastructure and increase access to finance, and conducted the following capacity building trainings for the PPP Center, National Economic and Development and DOF: (i) Advanced Financial Modelling course to enable staff to build, modify, adapt and utilize financial models associated with PPP transactions; and (ii) Evidence in Public Policy course to equip staff with critical skills and knowledge to develop policies based on evidence and facts, and to properly evaluate the impact and monitor the implementation of the PPP Center policies. PPP experts have assisted the government on 14 projects (hospital, water supply, sewerage, infrastructure-related). On the innovative financing component, the TA supported the enabling framework for infrastructure project bonds in Viet Nam including preparing the PPP Law, the Financial Management Decree, and a project bond manual. The TA also supported due diligence on developing pilot project bond transactions, and other capacity building activities for the State Bank of Viet Nam. March 2021: The recruitment of the national consulting firm to support implementation of the Philippines' Enterprise-led Learning Network is ongoing. The firm is expected to be mobilized in Q2 2021. In Q4 2020, virtual workshops on Competition Economics for ASEAN Competition Authorities on Mergers and Abuse of Dominance were held in coordination with OECD. A publication produced under the Knowledge Partnership Agreement with OECD on Employment and Skills Strategies in Indonesia, was also published in Q4 2020.=====================Sept 2020: Under output 1, through the Knowledge Partnership Agreement with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, a review of regulatory practices in the Philippines and a review of local job creation in Indonesia were completed. The TA is supporting the design and launch of a new JobStart program and ELLN in Indonesia, building on the successful experience of the Philippines. In Cambodia, the TA has supported the operationalization of an online small and medium-sized enterprise portal under the Ministry of Industry and Handicrafts, to extend targeted business-development support to these firms. The TA has also supported the development of good regulatory practices in Cambodia. In the Philippines, the TA supported strengthening of the Philippine Competition Commission through policy dialogue and advisory services on a range of issues. Two high-level roundtable discussions and forums on competition laws and policies were supported by ADB, and several capacity building activities are lined up. Recruitment of the consulting firm for the implementation of ELLN is ongoing and is at advertisement stage. Finally, at a regional level, the TA has supported an expert meeting on employment and skills strategies in Southeast Asia. Under output 2, which is the public-private partnership (PPP) component, the TA supported the PPP Health Forum and the Renewable Energy and Waste-to-Energy Forum in the Philippines which brought both local stakeholders and local government unit (LGU)s together. In addition, the TA supported the implementation of the Philippines PPP Center's LGU Strategy by helping prepare and structure local PPP projects in priority sectors, including water and sanitation, solid waste management, and renewable energy. Also, the TA has supported initiatives to develop innovative financing options for infrastructure and increasing access to finance. While the emergence of the COVID-19 and the enhanced community quarantine will likely delay some projects and training programs, LGU PPPs represent an added stimulus to support the recovery and so it is important for the PPP Center's work to continue. --------------Competition Policy experts were engaged to assist the Philippine Competition Commission in their review of issues related to the power and energy sectors, mergers and acquisitions, abuse on market dominance, quasi-judicial litigation and market studies.Forums on Fostering Universal Health Care through PPPs and Renewable Energy and Waste-to-Energy in the Philippines were organized last February and August 2019, respectively, to highlight the importance of PPP collaboration in the Health and Energy sectors. Consulting firm for Labor Market Activation pilots (Jobstart Indonesia and Employer-led Learning Network) commenced services in June 2019 and activities are on-going. Likewise, the Roadmap for SDG Indonesia will be launched in early-October 2019.
Geographical Location Regional
Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects
Environmental Aspects
Involuntary Resettlement
Indigenous Peoples
Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation
During Project Design In the participating countries, the ADB missions met a number of ministries, departments and/or agencies with important roles in implementing the AEC, such as finance, commerce, trade, investment, planning, competition and skilled labor.
During Project Implementation January 2020: On 29 January, a Roundtable Discussion with the Justices of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals of the Philippines, was organized by the Asian Development Bank, in cooperation with the University of the Philippines Law Center, Competition Law and Policy Program. This is a key pre-event to the 2020 Manila Forum on Competition in Developing Countries that took place on 30-31 January 2020. ===============The TA amount was increased from $2 million to $5 million, and the scope of the TA has been broadened to also cover the following: Enterprise-Led Learning Network for PHI, Public-Private Partnership for PHI, Achieving Sustainable Development Goals for INO, and regional innovative financing.================The member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are implementing the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint 2025 to improve market integration and competitiveness. The ADB is supporting Cambodia, Lao PDR, the Philippines and Indonesia on this process through a RETA. ADB and the PCC meet regularly to discuss ADB support to implementation of competition policy, as one of the priority areas under the AEC. The RIA conference also help to discuss good regulatory practice with relevant stakeholders.ADB has also entered into a knowledge partnership agreement with OECD to undertake a labor market study in Indonesia to support employment and economic development within the context of the ASEAN Economic Community; and to organize capacity building workshops on economic techniques for staff of the Philippine Competition Commission on mergers, abuse of dominance position and cartel detection.
Business Opportunities
Consulting Services

One consulting firm:

-to provide services on strategy development, impact studies, and monitoring and evaluation.

1. 4 international consultants, 24 person-months;

2. 18 national consultants, 39 person-months

Individual consultants:

-to provide services related to competition policy and RIA

1. 5 international, 28 person-months;

2. 6 national, 40 person-months

Responsible ADB Officer Ainabe, Benita
Responsible ADB Department Southeast Asia Department
Responsible ADB Division Public Management, Financial Sector and Trade Division, SERD
Executing Agencies
Asian Development Bank
Timetable
Concept Clearance 15 Aug 2016
Fact Finding -
MRM -
Approval 10 Nov 2016
Last Review Mission -
Last PDS Update 28 Apr 2023

TA 9229-REG

Milestones
Approval Signing Date Effectivity Date Closing
Original Revised Actual
10 Nov 2016 - 10 Nov 2016 31 Dec 2020 31 Dec 2023 -
Financing Plan/TA Utilization Cumulative Disbursements
ADB Cofinancing Counterpart Total Date Amount
Gov Beneficiaries Project Sponsor Others
5,000,000.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 5,000,000.00 27 Apr 2023 3,720,971.06

Project Data Sheets (PDS) contain summary information on the project or program. Because the PDS is a work in progress, some information may not be included in its initial version but will be added as it becomes available. Information about proposed projects is tentative and indicative.

The Access to Information Policy (AIP) recognizes that transparency and accountability are essential to development effectiveness. It establishes the disclosure requirements for documents and information ADB produces or requires to be produced.

The Accountability Mechanism provides a forum where people adversely affected by ADB-assisted projects can voice and seek solutions to their problems and report alleged noncompliance of ADB's operational policies and procedures.

In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of, or reference to, a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area.

Title Document Type Document Date
Support to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Community: Technical Assistance Report Technical Assistance Reports Nov 2016

Safeguard Documents See also: Safeguards
Safeguard documents provided at the time of project/facility approval may also be found in the list of linked documents provided with the Report and Recommendation of the President.

None currently available.


Evaluation Documents See also: Independent Evaluation

None currently available.


Related Publications

Title Document Type Document Date
A Comprehensive Assessment of Tax Capacity in Southeast Asia Reports Dec 2021

The Access to Information Policy (AIP) establishes the disclosure requirements for documents and information ADB produces or requires to be produced in its operations to facilitate stakeholder participation in ADB's decision-making. For more information, refer to the Safeguard Policy Statement, Operations Manual F1, and Operations Manual L3.

Requests for information may also be directed to the InfoUnit.

Tenders

Tender Title Type Status Posting Date Deadline
Environmental and Social Development Specialist Individual - Consulting Active
Legal Expert for the Review of the Philippine Competition Act Individual - Consulting Closed
Senior Urban Resiliency PPP Business Model Specialist Individual - Consulting Closed
VIE Project Bond Manual - National Project Finance Expert Individual - Consulting Closed
VIE Project Bond Manual - National Legal Expert Individual - Consulting Closed
VIE Project Bond Manual - International Project Finance Specialist Individual - Consulting Closed
Support to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Community (PPP Infrastructure and Transport Engineer) Individual - Consulting Closed
Philippines’ Enterprise-led Learning Network Firm - Consulting Closed
Capital Markets Expert Individual - Consulting Closed
Public Private Partnership Specialist Individual - Consulting Closed
Competition Policy Expert - Shipping Sector Individual - Consulting Closed
Legal Expert Individual - Consulting Closed
Research Assistant (Tax Database) Individual - Consulting Closed
Legal Expert Individual - Consulting Closed
Infrastructure Finance Specialist Individual - Consulting Closed
National Project Coordination Expert Individual - Consulting Closed
National Housing Sector Specialist Individual - Consulting Closed
National Legal Expert Individual - Consulting Closed
International Financial Sector Specialist (Banking) Individual - Consulting Closed
Competition and Power Sector Expert (Mechanical Engineer) Individual - Consulting Closed
Competition Policy - Administrative and Quasi-Judicial Litigation Individual - Consulting Closed
Competition and Power Sector Expert (Statistician) Individual - Consulting Closed
Competition Economics (Energy Sector) Individual - Consulting Closed
Employer-led Learning Network for the Philippines Firm - Consulting Closed
Program Impact Assessment (Panel of Experts) Individual - Consulting Closed
Sector and Product Diagnostics Researcher (Housing Market) Individual - Consulting Closed
Technical Advisor Individual - Consulting Closed
Financial Sector Specialist Individual - Consulting Closed
Competition Policy - Economics (Market Studies) Individual - Consulting Closed
Labor Market Activation Program Firm - Consulting Closed
Competition Law and Policy Editorial Board Advisor Individual - Consulting Closed
Competition Law and Policy (Legal) Individual - Consulting Closed
Sector and Product Diagnostics Expert (Housing Market Specialist) Individual - Consulting Closed
Senior Urban Resiliency Legal and Regulatory Adviser (PHI EPPIP) Individual - Consulting Closed
Senior Urban Resiliency Infrastructure Development Engineer Individual - Consulting Closed
Research Assistant Individual - Consulting Closed
International Partial Credit Guarantee-Credit Enhancement Specialist Individual - Consulting Closed
Web Developer Individual - Consulting Closed
IDC for Competition Policy and Law Experts Individual - Consulting Closed
SME and Private Sector Development Expert Individual - Consulting Closed

Contracts Awarded

Contract Title Approval Number Contract Date Contractor | Address Executing Agency Total Contract Amount (US$) Contract Amount Financed by ADB (US$)
Capacity Development Technical Assistance 9229 24 May 2021 Institute for Integrality, Inc. (PHILIPPINES) | 404-A Wack Wack Twin Towers, Wack Wack R Mandaluyong City, Philippines Asian Development Bank 617,908.00
Capacity Development Technical Assistance 9229 08 May 2019 Inno-Change International Consultants, Inc. (PHILIPPINES) in association with E-GEN CONSULTANTS, LTD. (BANGLADESH) | UG7 Palm Towers, Tower B, 7706 St.Paul R Makati, Metro Manila 1203, Philippines Asian Development Bank 1,050,000.00

Procurement Plan

None currently available.