|
Loan Name
|
Economic Recovery Support Program - Subprogram 1 |
| Country |
Cook Islands |
|
Loan Number
|
2565 |
| Project Number |
42503- 01 |
| Fund Source/Amount[Approved] |
| Ordinary Capital Resources |
US$10.00
million
|
|
| Thematic Classification |
Governance
|
| Project Rationale |
Infrastructure management in the Cook Islands suffers from institutional capacity constraints that impact on infrastructure operations, cost recovery, and consequently on infrastructure service delivery. The institutional arrangements are fragmented and overlapping, and there is lack of coordination, resulting in ineffective management regimes and no clear ownership of policies, planning or regulation. The lack of investment in infrastructure maintenance, rehabilitation and upgrading has resulted in aging sysytems that do not provide an appropriate level of service to meet current demand or support future private-sector led growth. The current global economic and financial crisis is worsening this situation by tightening the Government's fiscal position and creating an expectation of reduced government ability to source financing for Infrastructure Master Plan Priorities. |
| Impact |
The expected impact is to support the environmentally sustainable economic development of the Cook Islands. This is supportive of the Cook Islands' NSDP.
|
| Geographical Location |
Rarotonga, Cook Islands |
Safeguard Categories
|
| Environment |
C |
| Resettlement |
C |
| Indigenous People |
C |
| Summary of Environmental and Social Issues |
| Social Aspects |
Social benefits will be accrued in the medium to long-term by the implementation of the IGF which will allow for improved infrastructure services (water, sanitation, transport, roads and power). This will be of benefit to both the private sector and also to households. There is potential for the expansion of the private provision of infrastructure services. The program will not have involuntary resettlement impacts and/or impacts on indigenous peoples
|
| Stakeholder Participation and Consultation |
| During Project Design |
The program loan will be based on implementation of identified elements of Infrastructure Governance Framework (IGF) developed under TA 7022-COO Preparing the Infrastructure Development Project. During the development of the IGF there was extensive consultation with the Cook Islands agencies involved in the management and development of public infrastructure, namely the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Transport, the Office of the Minister for Island Administration, and the Cook Islands Investment Corporation. Additionally, discussions were held with the other main donor agencies active in the area - New Zealand's International Aid and Development Agency and the European Union. New Zealand in particular has found the work done by ADB to be particularly useful in contributing to programming its own assistance.
Meetings regarding a program loan in support of implementation of key elements of the IGF have been held with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, the Financial Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management, the Leader of the Opposition and his team, the Public Service Commissioner, heads of the Cook Islands Airport Authority and Cook Islands Port Authority, and NZAID. During the processing of the program loan further discussions will be held with stakeholders in the infrastructure sector with the objective of developing broad based support for implementation of the identified tranche conditions drawn from the IGF.
|
| During Project Implementation |
The public sector, the private sector and civil society were consulted during the development of the IGF which will guide the Program. Stakeholders have indicated support for the broad policy changes included in the IGF, a subset of which will be initiated through the proposed assistance package.
|
| Procurement |
| Consulting Services |
The program loan will not finance consulting services. The existing TA 7022-COO has provided initial support to program implementation through development of the IGF, including a detailed, scheduled and fully-costed, action plan for its implementation. This will facilitate timely attainment of the tranche conditions
|
| Civil Works/Goods |
The policy-based program loan contains no procurement. A negative list will be constructed.
|
| Responsible ADB Officer |
Emma M. Ferguson
|
| Responsible ADB Department |
Pacific Department
|
| Responsible ADB Division |
Pacific Subregional Office
|
| Executing Agencies |
Ministry of Finance & Economic Management
|
| Concept Clearance |
20 Feb 2009 |
| Fact-finding |
17 Apr 2009 to
27 Apr 2009 |
| Appraisal |
10 Aug 2009 to 14 Aug 2009 |
| Board Approval |
13 Oct 2009 |
| Last Review Mission |
20 Apr 2009 |
|
CLOSING |
| Loan No. |
Approval |
Signing |
Effectivity |
Original |
Revised |
Actual |
| 2565-COO |
13 Oct 09 |
- |
- |
31 Mar 10 |
- |
- |
| |
TOTAL (
Amount in US$ million) |
|
| Date |
ADB |
OTHERS |
Net Percentage |
| Cumulative Contract
Awards |
| 31 Oct 09 |
0.000
|
|
0%
|
| Cumulative
Disbursements |
|
31 Oct 09 |
0.000
|
|
0%
|
|
| Category |
Sector |
Environmental |
Social |
Financial |
Economic |
Others |
Overall |
| Rating |
-
|
|
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
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