ADB Needs to Provide Strategic Support for South Asian Countries to Tackle Complex Challenges at the Regional Level — Independent Evaluation Report

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (27 September 2024) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) needs to provide strategic guidance and more focused assistance to help its developing member countries in South Asia tackle increasingly complex regional challenges, an independent evaluation report issued today said.

The report, which assessed the performance of ADB’s support for the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Program from 2011 to 2023, showed that ADB  has been successful in bringing together member countries to coordinate, synchronize, and finance investments and policy reforms. SASEC had made progress in helping improve transport and energy connectivity in the subregion. However, progress on increasing trade was more limited, and attention to climate change and other regional public goods remained nascent.

“ADB’s support for SASEC’s institutional framework has been well recognized by member countries,” Independent Evaluation Department’s (IED) Director General Emmanuel Jimenez said. “Going forward, ADB needs to focus more on strategic and operational guidance to address the increasingly complex cross-country challenges in the subregion.”

While ADB has supported clean energy in some countries, it needs to pay more attention to transnational public goods like climate change, he added.

The report adds that SASEC will need to evolve to meet the demands of the new development consensus for higher quality interventions, an enhanced role for the private sector, and stronger partnerships among development partners and stakeholders. The report also recommends building platforms for coordination and engagement with other development partners, think tanks, and research institutions.

“ADB should support the SASEC Program in developing an overall long-term strategy to achieve its vision and improve its alignment with ADB’s regional cooperation and integration strategies. It should strengthen its knowledge work, policy advice, and sector diagnostics,” said evaluation team leader Houqi Hong.  

IED has been evaluating ADB’s support for each of its three regional and cooperation integration programs: the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program, the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program, and the SASEC Program. This evaluation is the final one in a series  that aims to identify lessons for the future role of regional cooperation and integration within ADB.

About Independent Evaluation at ADB 

ADB's Independent Evaluation, reporting to the Board of Directors through the Development Effectiveness Committee, contributes to development effectiveness by providing feedback on ADB's policies, strategies, operations, and special concerns in Asia and the Pacific.