Regional: A New Operational Economic Corridor Development Framework for Central and West Asia and Beyond
The TA aims to develop an economic corridor development (ECD) framework and operational guidelines that reflect wider economic benefits and pertinence to the diversity of regions in Asia, particularly the Central and West Asia region, to mainstream ADB's ECD operations. The TA will enhance the existing ECD concept and definition in light of recent and global research advances in areas of regional public goods, cross-border regional development, and spatial approaches to ECD, to further increase the relevance and effectiveness of ECD in ADB developing member countries (DMCs).
Project Details
-
Project Officer
Hu, Xinglan
Central and West Asia Department
Request for information -
Country/Economy
Regional -
Sector
- Industry and trade
| Project Name | A New Operational Economic Corridor Development Framework for Central and West Asia and Beyond | ||||
| Project Number | 54423-001 | ||||
| Country / Economy | Regional Afghanistan Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia Kazakhstan Kyrgyz Republic Pakistan Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan |
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| Project Status | Active | ||||
| Project Type / Modality of Assistance | Technical Assistance |
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| Source of Funding / Amount |
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| Strategic Agendas | Inclusive economic growth Regional integration |
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| Drivers of Change | Gender Equity and Mainstreaming Knowledge solutions Partnerships Private sector development |
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| Sector / Subsector |
Industry and trade / Industry and trade sector development - Trade and services Public sector management / Economic affairs management |
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| Gender Equity and Mainstreaming | Some gender elements | ||||
| Description | The TA aims to develop an economic corridor development (ECD) framework and operational guidelines that reflect wider economic benefits and pertinence to the diversity of regions in Asia, particularly the Central and West Asia region, to mainstream ADB's ECD operations. The TA will enhance the existing ECD concept and definition in light of recent and global research advances in areas of regional public goods, cross-border regional development, and spatial approaches to ECD, to further increase the relevance and effectiveness of ECD in ADB developing member countries (DMCs). | ||||
| Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy | Favorable economic development and regional dynamics exhibited in the Central and West region has provided an improved environment and further momentum for cross-border ECD. The Almaty-Bishkek Economic Corridor has been supporting the development of investment projects and reforms in connectivity, agribusiness, tourism, and health._The Shymkent-Tashkent-Khujand Economic Corridor, connecting Shymkent (in Kazakhstan), Tashkent (in Uzbekistan), and Khujand (in Tajikistan) through surrounding oblasts, is being initiated, with strong governmental support. An ECD in the West Caucasus region involving Armenia and Georgia is also being assessed, while Pakistan is starting ECD to reap expanded regional cooperation and integration (RCI) benefits. A relevant ECD framework needs to consider different environments to make it an effective tool for regional development. The ECD framework should consider regions where economic densities are sparse, distance to major markets is large, and divisive physical and regulatory trade barriers persist, such as the Central and West Asia region. It should also promote gender equality to increase women's participation in ECD activities. Moreover, effective communication among stakeholders involved in the design and implementation of ECDs is needed to increase the relevance of the ECD framework and help avoid blind spots and unrealistic expectations. The corresponding ECD operational guidelines will also be developed to help mainstream ECD in ADB-supported investments and reforms, as well as to help implement a 'One ADB' approach in providing integrated solutions for addressing more complex development challenges, such as cross-border cooperation and multisector collaboration among ADB DMCs. |
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| Impact | Regional cooperation and integration (RCI) in the Central and West Asia region and beyond strengthened |
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| Project Outcome | |
|---|---|
| Description of Outcome | Planning and decision-making process on new ECDs improved |
| Progress Toward Outcome | |
| Implementation Progress | |
| Description of Project Outputs | ECD Framework capturing wider economic benefits and diverse regions developed. ECD operational guidelines facilitating RCI investments formulated and the ECD Framework and operational guidelines effectively communicated. |
| Status of Implementation Progress (Outputs, Activities, and Issues) | An international consultant has been engaged in May 2021, supported by a national (HQ-based) consultant. Activities include brainstorming sessions with internal and external specialists, including on ECD related lessons and experiences from the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC). Draft reports on ECD framework and ECD operational guidelines are under internal review by TASU and team. |
| Geographical Location | Afghanistan - Nation-wide; Armenia - Nation-wide; Azerbaijan - Nation-wide; Georgia - Nation-wide; Kazakhstan - Nation-wide; Kyrgyz Republic - Nation-wide; Pakistan - Nation-wide; Tajikistan - Nation-wide; Turkmenistan - Nation-wide; Uzbekistan - Nation-wide |
| Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects | |
|---|---|
| Environmental Aspects | |
| Involuntary Resettlement | |
| Indigenous Peoples | |
| Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation | |
| During Project Design | |
| During Project Implementation | |
| Responsible ADB Officer | Hu, Xinglan |
| Responsible ADB Department | Central and West Asia Department |
| Responsible ADB Division | Regional Cooperation and Operations Coordination Div, CWRD |
| Executing Agencies |
Asian Development Bank |
| Timetable | |
|---|---|
| Concept Clearance | - |
| Fact Finding | - |
| MRM | - |
| Approval | 16 Dec 2020 |
| Last Review Mission | - |
| Last PDS Update | 14 Dec 2021 |
TA 6685-REG
| Milestones | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approval | Signing Date | Effectivity Date | Closing | ||
| Original | Revised | Actual | |||
| 16 Dec 2020 | - | 16 Dec 2020 | 30 Jun 2022 | 30 Jun 2023 | - |
| Financing Plan/TA Utilization | Cumulative Disbursements | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADB | Cofinancing | Counterpart | Total | Date | Amount | |||
| Gov | Beneficiaries | Project Sponsor | Others | |||||
| 225,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 225,000.00 | 10 Nov 2022 | 107,959.51 |
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