Regional integration analysis to promote trade among the Member States of the Bay of Bengal Initiatives for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

The present CAPE study follows the standard evaluation framework used by the ADB’s Operations Evaluation Department (OED) to assess the performance of country assistance programs, as well as individual projects and technical assistance (TAs) after completion. It uses six well-know evaluation criteria. The first three are used to assess project outcomes in the CAPs and refer to (i) relevance, (ii) efficacy, and (iii) efficiency. The other three assess project impact in terms of (i) socio-economic impact, (ii) institutional development impact, and (iii) sustainability. The performance of the COS can only be assessed in terms of the relevance. From these results, the study derives the key strengths and opportunities, as well as lessons learned from the ADB’s operations in the last 20 years, with a view to drawing implications for the future strategy and programs, including the CSP scheduled for 2005.