Remote supervision mission of CARLEP started on 29^th May 2020.

Due to the travel restrictions imposed by the Royal Government of Bhutan on foreigners in the light of COVID-19 Pandemic, IFAD has undertaken remotely the annual supervision mission jointly with the start-up of the additional financing for the CARLEP.

The team composition for the remote mission include Louise McDonald, Country Director, and Mission Leader Michael Hamp, Inclusive Rural Finance Specialist Eric Patrick, Climate Change Adaption Specialist, Jens Evald Kristensen, Agriculture Specialist, Agribusiness and value chain approaches, Harold Liversage, Land Tenure Specialist, Mani Ram Moktan, Environmental Specialist, Udyog Subedi, Market and Value Chain Specialist Le Chi Dung, Financial Management Specialist, Vedamurthy Angadi, Procurement Specialist, Mehry Ismaili, M&E and KM, Esha Singh, Country Technical Analyst, Sashwati Mishra, Gender and Social Inclusion Analyst, Elizabeth Ssendiwala, Senior Regional Technical Specialist, Institutions 

During this remote supervision mission, expertise from the IFAD division and local consultants is in constant contact with OPM staff via video conferences, emails, and phone conversations assessing and reviewing the documentation.  

Mr. Mani Ram Moktan and Mr. Udyog Subedi from the local consultant is closely working with OPM, initiating a various meeting with the project beneficiaries through video calls and telephone conversation to better understand the situations in the different project implementation areas, and to meet the requirements of supervision.

Through virtual meeting, IFAD team is also working closely with different implementing agencies such as ARDC Wengkhar, RLDC Kanglung, RAMCO Mongar, KIL and Dzongkhag and Livestock Sector of six eastern Dzongkhag to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on implementing the activities and find potential measures that can be mitigated in the project area.

The supervision mission will come to an end by 30^th June 2020.

It is expected that the remote supervision will be followed by the validation mission in September 2020 if the travel restriction is lifted.

Reported by Chhimi Lhamo, GKMO