Support Planning of SDC Mekong Regional Cooperation Programme 2022-2025
Location
Laos / Mekong Region
project period
April – October 2021
client
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC
Swiss Cooperation Office Vientian, Laos
Services provided
Facilitation & Innovative Learning
Partner organisation
Gamper Smith Associates Ltd.
The main objective of this mandate is to provide strategic, methodological and facilitation support during the whole planning process of the future Mekong Regional Cooperation Programme 2022 – 2025 (MRCP 22-25).
The objective of the mandate is to support the planning process for the Mekong Regional Cooperation Programme 2022 – 2025 (MRCP 22 – 25) between April 2021 and October 2021. Similarly to the existing Cooperation Programme, it is aimed to develop a coherent regional cooperation strategy with country-specific projects in Laos and Cambodia and regional programmes which may include other countries in the Mekong region.
The main clients for the mandate are the two SDC offices in Laos and Cambodia, as well as the Asia Division in Berne.
The assignment is divided into three main blocks:
1. Preparation phase: this phase serves to get acquainted with relevant documents, including national policy documents and strategies in both Laos and Cambodia, joint development partner planning frameworks, SDC-specific guidance and policy documents, the evaluation of the current MRCP, as well as regional policy documents and reports referring to the ASEAN perspective. Based on this and consultations with the clients, a methodology for the in-situ workshop will be elaborated, including proposed consultations of key stakeholders. A back up COVID-19 plan will be developed as well to allow for virtual moderation of the planning workshops. As requested in the ToR, the methodology is not to be presented at this stage, but shall form part of the preparation process once the mandate has been awarded.
2. Strategy Workshop: the strategy workshop shall bring together key SDC members from within the region, as well as from head office to discuss core elements of the MRCP 22 – 25 (e.g. development context, relevant Swiss foreign policy, donor landscape, achievements and lessons learned of previous strategy, strategic and thematic orientation of new MRCP, programme management and steering). Inputs from other key stakeholders will be brought into this process mainly through prior consultations. These stakeholders include national public and private sector stakeholders in Laos and Cambodia, other development partners in Laos and Cambodia, as well as key stakeholders operating at CLMV and ASEAN level (e.g. ASEAN secretariat, Mekong institute) and will include context specific aspects (e.g. political economy, COVID-19 impacts), inputs along the proposed thematic spectrum of the MRCP 22 – 25, as well as discussions about cooperation instruments.
3. Strategy Drafting Phase: the final phase involves the drafting of the MRCP 22 – 25 including all Annexes, while integrating feedback from all relevant SDC internal clients and culminates in the finalisation of the MRCP end of October 2021.