Monitoring of the Improved Natural resources Development Project (INRDP) – Forest

From 2011 Sida has supported the Improved Natural resources Development Project (INRDP) with the aim to develop a project tentatively called the Environmental Services Project (ESP) which will build on the INRDP. The tentative total amount of project funding foreseen at this stage is IBRD loan US$ 10.0 million, GEF grant about US$ 3.1 million and Sida will be requested to fund a contribution in the same order of magnitude as the IBRD loan. However, Sida could not make any firm commitments before the Swedish Government had decided on the new regional strategy 2014-2021 and the allocation of funds for different sectors.

Therefore a World Bank mission was planned for supervision of the INRDP which also constitutes a review of the ESP formulation. Sida participated during the full length of the mission by assigning ORGUT as their representative, as well as being represented by the Swedish Embassy in Tirana. ORGUT participated in the supervision mission under the overall guidance of the Team Leader from the World Bank supervision mission. The supervision especially considered the progress of project implementation in terms of capacity building of forest and pasture users’ associations, communication and awareness rising on project activities and institutional development of the extension services.