The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved two regional technical assistance (TA) projects involving Azerbaijan, totaling $2 million, Report informs referring to the ADB.
The first regional project, "Together We ACT: Accelerate, Collaborate, and Thrive in Central and West Asia," is valued at $1.5 million and covers Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The second regional project, "Advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - Subproject 4," is valued at $500,000 and covers 13 countries.
Both projects are being financed through the Technical Assistance Special Fund.
The project "Together We ACT: Accelerate, Collaborate, and Thrive in Central and West Asia" aims to enhance procurement, project readiness, and portfolio and project management capacities across developing member countries (DMCs) in Central and West Asia Department (CWRD). The TA prioritizes tailored support to executing and implementing agencies of Asian Development Bank (ADB)-financed projects, particularly those requiring targeted, hands-on assistance during critical phases of project design and implementation.
The TA is expected to improve portfolio quality and mitigate implementation delays by deploying international and national consultants to strengthen procurement, contract, and project management capacities. Analytical studies will also be undertaken and best practices in portfolio management consolidated for replication across DMCs. A key feature of this TA is the institutional strengthening of capacity development resource centers (CDRCs) throughout the region, complemented by ongoing training programs and workshops to deepen understanding and application of ADB's operational procedures, especially those related to project design and implementation.
As for the second project, the bank notes that the Asia and the Pacific region is off-track in achieving every one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has set the region back even further, especially for women, exacerbating vulnerabilities related to socially focused SDGs particularly poverty and inequality, health, education. Progress against environmental SDGs (for example, climate change action, promoting responsible consumption and production, and protecting life on land and below water) has been particularly slow. Fiscal constraints compounded by COVID-19 further impede the ability of developing member countries (DMCs) to address the SDGs in a holistic manner alongside short-term crisis-response measures.
This project aims to develop and implement higher-quality programs and projects that contribute to the achievement of the SDGs in ADB's developing member countries.
The project will strengthen countries' capacity to align programs and financing with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, enhance knowledge of best practices and lessons learned during operations, and strengthen their capacity to design and manage results-oriented projects, reads the statement.
Azerbaijan has been a member of ADB since 1999. During this period, the bank has invested approximately $5.6 billion in the country, including $4.4 billion in the public sector and $1.2 billion in the private sector. The largest financing areas are transport ($1.5 billion) and energy ($1.7 billion).
As part of the new country partnership strategy, ADB is prepared to invest up to $2.5 billion in Azerbaijan.
ADB was established in 1966 and is headquartered in Manila. The bank unites 69 shareholder countries, 50 of which are countries in the Asia-Pacific region.