ME&A Evaluates Success of USAID and Australia Mekong Safeguards Program
The USAID and Australia Mekong Safeguards Program, a collaborative initiative to enhance environmental and social governance (ESG) safeguards for infrastructure development in Asia’s Mekong subregion, has achieved greater programming opportunities and flexibility through its co-funding arrangement. This was a key finding of an evaluation ME&A recently conducted covering the program’s implementation from late 2020 through early 2024.
The evaluation was conducted under the USAID Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA) Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning for Program Cycle Management Support (MEL4PCM) Activity, enhancing the monitoring, evaluation, and learning; collaborating, learning, and adapting; and knowledge management capacity of USAID/RDMA staff, implementing partners, and stakeholders.
Initially launched in August 2018 as the USAID Mekong Safeguards Activity, the $4.36 million project aimed to influence ESG practices in energy and transportation projects, particularly focusing on Chinese overseas investment in the Mekong River Basin countries. These countries are Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), Thailand, and Vietnam. By 2021, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) began contributing funding, transforming the activity into a collaborative USAID and Australia-backed initiative with $11.04 million in combined funding.
The ME&A-led evaluation reviewed the activity’s results and assessed its progress toward achieving its goals, including promoting gender equality and social inclusion. Covering the period from late 2020 to early 2024, the evaluation also identified lessons learned for future programming. The review focused on key initiatives such as energy planning with Thailand’s Ministry of Energy, improving environmental assessments in Cambodia and Lao PDR, and empowering Northern Thailand communities to advocate for better environmental management. It also examined the activity’s efforts to enhance ESG reporting for companies like B.Grimm Power and Saigon Asset Management and to support The Blue Circle in strengthening gender and social inclusion policies.
ME&A’s evaluation team used a mixed-methods approach, conducting 21 interviews with 42 stakeholders across Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Thailand. Participants included government representatives, civil society organizations, private sector actors, and development partners. The team also reviewed program documents, including work plans and reports, to answer three key questions:
- Has Mekong Safeguards influenced stakeholders to adopt more sustainable environmental and social policies in infrastructure projects?
- What is the added value of its partnerships with supported stakeholders?
- How has the co-funding arrangement between USAID and the Australian government impacted the program’s implementation?
USAID/RDMA awarded ME&A the MEL4PCM under the five-year Program Cycle Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (PCMEL) Support Activity Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) supporting it and its implementing partners and stakeholders in becoming more efficient, effective, and transparent in achieving and reporting results. Other evaluations ME&A conducted or concluded in 2024 under the PCMEL activity include USAID’s Lukautim Graun Program, the USAID/Cambodia Integrated Early Childhood Development Activity, and two other programs in Cambodia:
- The final performance evaluation of the USAID/Cambodia Women Entrepreneurs Activity (WE Act) reviewed the program’s theory of change and its effectiveness during its five-year implementation (2018–2023). The evaluation focused on the program’s impact in promoting socioeconomic rights and empowering young women entrepreneurs and youth in Cambodia.
- The midterm performance evaluation of the USAID/Cambodia Digital Workforce Development Activity assessed the effectiveness of efforts to enhance higher education, develop curricula, and provide digital workforce training programs in Cambodia between 2021 and 2023.
Photo courtesy of Nancy Rothgerber, USAID/RDMA