The purpose of the Project Manual (the Manual) is to provide guidelines for all stakeholders for projects under the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO), primarily the National Focal Point (NFP), the Secretariat, project implementers, including the implementing agency (IA), the donor(s), consultants, suppliers of goods and services, monitoring team, and evaluation team, among others.
The manual exemplifies procedures and methodologies to be applied in the project management from the stage of concept note development up to final or end-of-project evaluation. As deemed necessary, projects which are partially and/or fully supported by external funds will follow the principles and requirements of the respective donor(s). In the event where there are no specific principles or requirements provided by the donor(s), the project should generally follow the basic principles of this manual.
This purpose of the Guidelines for Project Monitoring and Evaluation (the Guidelines) is to provide necessary directions for users, including 1) project monitoring and evaluation teams to develop the most appropriate and effective tools to conduct the mission and 2) project steering committee (PSC), implementing agency (IA), the Secretariat including prospective external evaluators to facilitate monitoring and evaluation activities. Yet, users of the Guidelines should be informed that each project can vary according to the local context and need.
This Guideline provides specific information for all stakeholders for effective project M&E under the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO) subjected to Article 11 of the AFoCO Project Manual, ‘Project Monitoring and Evaluation’. The M&E activities are also guided by the Policies on Environmental and Social Safeguards1 and Gender2 and the related guidelines. If deemed necessary, the Secretariat can make separate M&E guidelines for specific projects. The Secretariat may undertake M&E of project based on the requirements of the project’s donor(s).
The purpose of the Guidelines on Procurement and Property Management for Projects (the Guidelines) is to ensure that the funds of the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO) for projects are used in the most efficient, economic and effective way, to meet the purposes for which they are designed and implemented to maximize outputs and greater outcomes from project activities financed by AFoCO, in order to obtain higher value for money. The Guidelines also provides for the minimum requirements that the IA should undertake within the bounds of relevant policies of the implementing country the procurement of goods and services and management thereof.
The Guidelines will govern the procurement and payment of goods and services, and their sustainable management derived therefrom as functional and usable during and after the project implementation by Implementing Agencies (IAs) and AFoCO. This is in accordance with Article 10.6 ‘Procurement and Property Management of Goods and Services’ of the Project Manual for AFoCO, for any Project or other activity which is directly funded, in whole or in part, by AFoCO. Any other arrangements and requirements in any specific individual case should be subjected to the decision of the Secretariat under the guidance of project donors and/or IAs. This Guidelines also considers specific Policies of AFoCO.
VIEW PROCUREMENT GUIDELINESDuring the AFoCO Training on GIS-based Project Management held on July 2022, participating Project Managers of on-going AFoCO projects arrived at a consensus that the current effects of COVID-19 are manageable for resumption of face to face meetings. Likewise, contemporary and abrupt trans in foreign currency exchange rate is affecting the overall financial position of AFoCO projects. As such, it was agreed that a new guideline for the determination and use of project savings and carry-over budget under the post COVID-19 scenario was necessary. This new guideline provides the definition of project savings and carry-over budget, with details on its determination and utilization in the pos-COVID-19 era.
