Thirty (30) participants from various government Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs), and international organizations across the five Mekong countries (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) participated in the five-day training program.

The overall objectives of the Training Workshop are aimed at enhancing the technical skills of partner government officials, in this case, the Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) in conducting project monitoring and evaluation, linking their projects to a higher / regional level, and presenting lesson learned, impacts, success stories, strategies to sustain their respective projects and recommendations to relevant key stakeholders. Also, one key objective is to provide the participants with hands-on experience in utilizing the MKCF web-cloud-based Monitoring and Evaluation System.

“This Training Workshop on Regional Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) is a recurring activity, with the first training held in 2023 and subsequently in 2024. The previous focus was on equipping the participants with general knowledge of Monitoring and Evaluation in line with MKCF requirements, but the latter focuses on regional aspects, especially on projects that have transnational or sub-regional/transboundary implications that will align with the Mekong-Korea Cooperation Plan of Action,” said Mr.Madhurjya Kumar Dutta, MI’s Trade Investment Facilitation and MKCF Director, in the opening ceremony.

This Training Workshop on Regional Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) is an integral part of the “Capacity Building on Regional Project Design, Implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation of Mekong-Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund (PRIME)”. Launched in 2023 and supported by the MKCF, this initiative provides support for enhancing the capacities of the MKCF projects’ prospective proponents in the five Mekong countries and The Republic of Korea (RoK).

The Republic of Korea established the MKCF in 2013 following the Han River Declaration in 2011. The Republic of Korea (RoK) has committed US$ 24 million as of 2024, to bolster regional support and cooperation among the five Mekong member countries. The Mekong Korea Cooperation Fund (MKCF) for development has supported 48 projects, extending technical, financial, and administrative assistance to Project Implementation Agencies (PIAs) in the Mekong partners’ countries as well as The Republic of Korea (RoK).