SAARC Newsletter | SAARC Development Fund Secretariat for regional integration

SAARC Development Fund Newsletter July 2020

SDF Newsletter July 2020

In this issue

Message from CEO Dr Sunil Motiwal
SDF Board approves USD 7.7 million for COVID-19 project in SAARC Member States
SDF Board approves USD 8.58 million to improve nutrition through fortified rice in Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka with the World Food Programme
Achievements –
10 Years of SDF
Third Party
Evaluation of SDF - funded projects
Partnership and events

Message from the CEO

Dr Sunil Motiwal

(Completion of tenure on 11 August 2020)

welcome to the SAARC Development Fund’s
Newsletter July 2020.
2020 is significant for the SAARC
Development Fund as it marks 10 years of its Secretariat’s establishment. SDF was established and inaugurated on 28 April 2010 by the Heads of States/Governments of the eight SAARC Member States during the Sixteenth SAARC Summit held in Thimphu Bhutan.

SDF is mandated to build regional integration and economic cooperation through project funding in all the SAARC Member States – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Secretariat is based in Thimphu Bhutan.

SDF, as an umbrella financial institution for SAARC projects and programs is fully committed to promote “Regional Integration and Economic Cooperation among the SAARC Member States” through project funding and collaboration.”

To realize our mission, we at SAARC Development Fund continue to undertake a number of initiatives for the strategic growth of the SAARC region, such as forging relationships with partners for taking up joint initiatives and co-funding of projects. The last 10 years have offered us new projects, partners and new interventions to enable SDF to become a strong regional financial institution.

We have activated all three funding windows: Economic, Infrastructure and Social Windows. Currently, SDF is implementing about 100 projects in all SAARC Member States under its Social, Economic and Infrastructure funding windows with a total fund commitment/allocation of USD 214 million.

54 projects (in 7 areas) have been successfully completed and 22 have been closed to benefit thousands of people in SAARC Member States.

Since my tenure as CEO, SDF completes on 11 August 2020, I wish to express sincere gratitude to

Their Excellencies the members of the Governing Council, the SDF Board of Directors and other partners in the Member States for their support in charting out an eventful journey for SDF. I am also thankful to my colleagues at the SDF Secretariat for their continued cooperation and support in the discharge of my responsibilities.

This Newsletter also comes at a time when we are witnessing the governments, institutions and people around the world working round the clock to keep our communities safe and healthy against the COVID-19 Pandemic. We are pleased to share that SDF will be funding seven COVID-19 projects in the seven SAARC Member States.

Furthermore, this newsletter highlights SDF’s continued commitment towards promoting the welfare of the people of SAARC Region, improving their quality of life, accelerating economic growth and social progress, and alleviating poverty through financing and implementation of development projects in all the SAARC Member States.

“ Since my tenure as CEO, SDF completes on 11 August 2020, I wish to express sincere gratitude to Their Excellencies the members of the Governing Council, the SDF Board of Directors and other partners in the Member States for their support in charting out an eventful journey for SDF. I am also thankful to my colleagues at the SDF Secretariat for their continued cooperation and support in the discharge of my responsibilities.

SDF Board approves USD 7.7 million for COVID-19 project in the SAARC Member States

T he SAARC Development Fund (SDF) during its 33rd SDF Board Meeting held on 28-29 July 2020 approved USD 7.7 million for COVID-19 projects in the SAARC Member States under its Social Window to support the countries in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The objective of this emergency COVID-19 grant assistance is to provide fund support to the Member States in their efforts against the pandemic and to protect the people of the SAARC Member States during these uncertain times,” said CEO of SDF Dr Sunil Motiwal.

SDF received seven project proposals from seven of the eight Member States – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The project originated from the respective Health Ministries of the Member States.

Afghanistan had requested for USD 1.54 million, and USD 1 million each by Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan. Sri Lanka had requested for USD 1.2 million. Hence, a total of USD 7.7 was approved by the SDF Board during its virtual Board Meeting held on 28 July 2020.

“The COVID-19 project shall be funded by SDF under its Social Window – health thematic area,” said Dr Motiwal.

CEO Dr Motiwal said that the emergency grant will strengthen COVID-19 response in the Member States and benefit COVID-19 suspected cases, confirmed

Through this grant, the respective health ministries are proposing to enhance ICU and isolation facilities in regional health centres, to purchase PPE kits, ventilator machines, testing kits, and strengthen surveillance, promote health awareness and social mobilization especially targeted towards poor and the disadvantaged, and devising prevention and response strategies.

“SDF’s COVID-19 funding will provide Member States with emergency support to enhance the capacity of the frontline workers and health personnel, and help procure important medical goods and supplies,” the CEO said. “We are happy that SDF is able to provide our contribution and support to the member countries during such a difficult period.”

SDF Board approves USD 8.58 million to improve nutrition through fortified rice in Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka with the World Food Programme

T he SAARC Development Fund (SDF) during its 33rd SDF Board Meeting held on 28-29 July 2020 approved USD 8.58 million grant under its Social Window to improve nutrition through fortified rice in Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

The project “Scaling up rice through social safety net programmes in Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka” was submitted by the World Food Programme (WFP) as a regional project for co-financing by SDF under SDF’s Social Window.

The project aims to work with the Governments of Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka to address micronutrient deficiencies among the population, starting with vulnerable groups, by scaling up the distribution of fortified rice through national social safety net programs and school feeding programme. The total budget is USD 25.65 million of which, SDF will provide grant support of USD 8.58 million under its Social Window. Bhutan will receive USD 2.25 million – about Nu 168.5 million, Nepal will receive USD 2.75 million and Sri Lanka, USD 3.58 million respectively.

“We feel that fortifying rice has great potential to help fight hidden hunger – a form of malnutrition - on a large scale and improve the quality of life of the people in these three countries where rice is a staple food.

That is why we have joined forces with the WFP and respective governments to provide our support in this initiative,” said CEO Dr Sunil Motiwal.

The project with a three-year duration will benefit about 800,000 school children in Bhutan and Sri Lanka by introducing fortified rice through school feeding programme. In Nepal, 200,000 people among the vulnerable groups will benefit through the social safety net programme in remote areas.

“The programme also envisions to train 5,000 teachers and school caterers on rice fortification and food safety practices,” said CEO Dr Motiwal. He added that thousands of government officials will receive training on food safety and quality assurance.

According to reports, adding vitamins or minerals to commonly eaten foods, also known as food fortification, has already played a part in reducing micronutrient deficiencies over the past century, with micronutrients such as folate or iodine added to foods like flour and salt. But one staple has been largely neglected in fortification efforts: rice.

“This project is very much in line with our mandate of promoting the welfare of the people of the SAARC region, to improve their quality of life, to accelerate economic growth and social progress, and alleviate poverty,” said Dr Motiwal.

Progress Report: 10 Years of the SAARC Development Fund

Our collective investment in the last ten years is mirrored in the projects being implemented across the eight SAARC Member States under the three SDF funding windows: Economic, Infrastructure and Social Windows. With the recent activation of SDF’s Economic and Infrastructure Windows, SDF aims to foster synergies across the region by funding more projects.

Click here to view the Achievement Report on 10 Years of SAARC Development Fund

Third-party Evaluation of SDF-funded projects in the SAARC Member States

‘Empowering Rural Communities - Reaching the Unreached’ project, also known as CeC project was implemented in four SAARC Member States - Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal. The objective of the project is to facilitate provision of Government to Citizen (G2C), Government to Business (G2B), and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) services to communities in remote areas by making them more accessible to the people.

‘Strengthening Maternal & Child Health’ project, also known as the MCH project was implemented in seven SAARC Member States namely – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The objective of the project is to reduce maternal and neonatal deaths in targeted communities through infrastructure development/ upgradation of maternal and child healthcare facilities, and capacity building of health care service providers.

In order to assess the project’s performance, SDF commissioned a third-party evaluation of the two projects in June 2019 with an overall objective to:

Assess the impact of the project achievements vis-à-vis the project’s overall objectives/intended outcomes;
Assess the project’s performance vis-a-vis the DAC Criteria for Evaluating Development Assistance: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability;
Examine the contribution towards regional integrations and gender equality; and
Review best practices in project implementation, and subsequently generate specific recommendations for each country and across the project to guide future program management and design. The evaluation study included all the countries except Pakistan because the project started late.

Findings and Recommendations

MCH Project

Overall, the MCH project created a positive impact by contributing towards improvement of infrastructure for mother and newborn care services, and capacity building of medical staff responsible for providing MCH services.

Country-specific key achievements

Afghanistan

40 health facilities were upgraded/ constructed under SDF project in 7 districts of the countries.

The MCH project has been a pioneer in the country to uptake neonatal care at the district and provincial health facilities.

Bangladesh

71 health facilities were upgraded/ constructed, and 130 health facilities were provided with equipment and consumables
24 health staff were trained on neonatal and maternal care

Bhutan

65 health facilities were upgraded/ constructed, and 96 health facilities were provided with equipment and consumables across the country
22 health staff were trained on neonatal and maternal care

Maldives

20 health facilities were upgraded/ constructed, and 149 health facilities were provided with equipment and consumables across the country
40 health staff were trained on neonatal and maternal care under the MCH project

Nepal

16 health facilities were upgraded/ constructed, and 162 health facilities were provided with equipment and consumables across the country
61 health staff were trained on neonatal and maternal care under the MCH project
The MCH project has been a pioneer in the country to uptake neonatal care at the district and sub-district level health facilities.

Sri Lanka

39 health facilities were upgraded/ constructed, and 173 health facilities were provided with equipment and consumables across 10 districts in the country
79 health staff were trained on neonatal and maternal care.

CEC Project

Overall, the CeC project created a positive impact by contributing to inclusion of remote communities under Government to Citizen (G2C) and Government to Business (G2B) services, employment generation, and knowledge development. However, the level of success varied from country to country due to difference in implementation model or other factors that were country-specific.

Country-specific key achievements

Bangladesh

200 CeCs were financed under the SDF project spread across 7 divisions and 21 upzilas in Bangladesh.
CECs had resulted in time savings of almost a day and cost savings of USD 4.72 per trip.

400 youth entrepreneurs including 200 males and 200 females were trained for operating CeCs.

Bhutan

60 CeCs were financed under the SDF project across 60 gewogs in Bhutan.
CECs had resulted in time savings of almost a day or two and cost savings of USD 13.6 per trip.

Maldives

50 CeCs were financed under the project in 50 islands spread across 20 Atolls.

Nepal

81 CeCs were financed under the SDF funding spread across 52 districts in Nepal.
CECs had resulted in time savings of almost a day and cost savings of USD 2.64 per trip.

SDF Board of Directors meet virtually for the 33rd SDF Board and other related meetings

28-29 July 2020: The SAARC Development Fund held its 33rd SDF Board Meeting virtually on 28-29 July 2020 taking decisions on important matters for the wellbeing of the people of the SAARC Member States. The Meeting was Chaired by Sri Lanka.

SDF’s governance structure includes its Governing Council comprising of the Finance Ministers of the eight SAARC Member States, and its Board of Directors comprised of representatives from the Ministry of Finance of each Member State.

The 7th Board Project Appraisal Committee Meeting and 12th Finance and Audit Committee Meeting were also held prior to the 33rd Board Meeting.

7^th Board Project Appraisal Committee Meeting held virtually on 14th and 24^th July 2020. Members: Afghanistan, Maldives (Chair) and Pakistan

12^th Board Finance and Audit Committee Meeting held virtually on 27^th July 2020. Members: Afghanistan, India and Nepal (Chair)

Partnership and Events:

CEO, SAARC Development Fund Dr Sunil Motiwal participated in the video conference held on 9 July 2020 between the SAARC Secretariat and SAARC specialized

Agencies and regional centres. CEO provided an update on SDF’s current activities, achievements and future strategic action plan.

His Excellency the Foreign Minister of Bhutan Lyonpo Dr Tandi Dorji visited the SAARC Development Fund secretariat in Thimphu Bhutan. SDF team led by CEO Dr Motiwal discussed SAARC Development Fund’s current status and future strategic action plan, and SDF’s ongoing collaboration and support to the SAARC Member States including Bhutan

Her Excellency the Ambassador of India to Bhutan Ms Ruchira Kamboj visited the SAARC Development Fund (SDF) Secretariat today to discuss SDF’s ongoing activities and future action plan.

SDF officials led by the Chief Executive Officer Dr Sunil Motiwal briefed the Ambassador on the current activities, achievements and future action plans of SDF. She was presented on the ongoing projects of SDF in the SAARC Member States under its Social, Economic and Infrastructure Windows.

CEO, SDF Dr Sunil Motiwal highlighted India’s role for the strategic growth of the region. They also discussed the COVID-19 emergency funding of SDF in the SAARC Member States and proposals being considered for the funding. CEO informed that SDF has received 12 proposals so far.

SAARC Development Fund also welcomed H.E Mr AKM Shahidul Karim, Ambassador of Bangladesh in Bhutan, to the SDF secretariat. CEO, SDF Dr Sunil Motiwal and Ambassador Karim discussed SDF’s ongoing projects in the SAARC Member States including SDF-funded projects in Bangladesh.

An overview of the upcoming pipelines projects was also presented to the two Ambassadors along with projects for SDF’s COVID-19 emergency funding to support the Member States in responding to the novel coronavirus/ COVID-19 pandemic.

Who

we are?

SAARC Development Fund was established in April 2010 by the heads of the eight member countries of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Our mandate is to promote the welfare of the people of SAARC region, to improve their quality of life, to accelerate economic growth, social progress and poverty alleviation in the region and to contribute to “Regional Cooperation and Integration through Project Collaboration”.

SDF manages projects in all the SAARC Member States under its three investment Windows: Social, Economic and Infrastructure Windows. ©SAARC Development Fund, July 2020

Our mailing address is:

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		975-02-321152 ph/ +975 17140975 975-02-321203 fax
		ceo@sdfsec.org/ info@sdfsec.org
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