The Korea Institute for Development Strategy (hereafter referred to as KDS) has conducted domestic and local kick-off mission in April 2024 as the initial task of ‘Formulation of mid to long-term projects based on the KOICA’s Climate Action Program for Sri Lanka’. The local kick-off mission team(Project Manager(Hong-min, Jeon), Field Manager, Qualitative research expert, M&E expert, and Project Action Officer). Over the course of ten days, the team visited Sri Lanka to understand the national status and climate action by sector, relevant regulations and national policies, and the vision of the KOICA Sri Lanka Office in climate action field.
‘Formulation of mid to long-term projects based on KOICA’s Climate Action Program for Sri Lanka’ is an attempt of KOICA to transit from the conventional project-by-project identification approach to program-based projects planning approach. The specific areas of the program include renewable energy, sustainable transportation, and electronic waste management. The significance of this service lies in deriving climate action programs in Sri Lanka, which is vulnerable to climate change yet proactive in climate action initiatives, and planning projects based on these programs.
For the kick-off mission, KDS conducted several meetings with climate action-related institutions and field experts in Korea, including KOICA. In Sri Lanka, a variety of meetings were also held with relevant ministries (Climate Change Office under the President’s Office, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Transport and Highways, Ministry of Power and Energy), and other donor agencies and international organizations (USAID, JICA, GGGI, UNDP, ADB, Development Partners Secretariat), to assess the local context and demands. Furthermore, the study was conducted into the plans, objectives, current status, and limitations of each department's domain of responsibility, understanding the strengths of other donor agencies, and exploring possibilities for collaboration with KOICA. Additionally, KOICA-KDS and the relevant Sri Lankan departments agreed to participate in forming a Program Management Steering Committee (PMSC) for program management and critical decision-making, as well as a Project Development Committee (PDC) for the formation of projects in specific areas.
Based on the results of the kick-off mission, KDS plans to hold a kick-off briefing session with stakeholders including KOICA. In the first half of 2024, a second field trip will be conducted for baseline surveys and the development of the preliminary program proposal.
