Background
The Project Steering Committee (PSC) provides strategic oversight for the Cross-Border Livestock Health and Value Chains Improvement Project and brings together officials from relevant ministries, development partners, and provincial authorities to coordinate implementation. On 22 September 2026 in Phnom Penh, delegates from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Asian Development Bank and other partners met to review technical and financial progress and the status of provincial subprojects related to livestock health and value chains.
Participants at the meeting identified operational constraints, discussed practical solutions, and emphasised measures to strengthen stakeholder participation and commitment for implementing cross-border animal health and value chain activities. The PSC meeting was chaired by Mrs. Hao Malin, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and included attendance by Under-Secretary of State Dr. Mao Tan Eng from the Ministry of Health and representatives of the ADB and provincial project teams.
Institutional Role
The PSC functions as the project’s principal coordination mechanism, aligning ministerial inputs with donor requirements and provincial implementation. Attendance by senior officials from both the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries indicates inter-ministerial collaboration on animal health safeguards and value-chain improvements facilitated through the PSC forum.
Key Developments
The meeting focused on reviewing the project’s technical and financial workstreams, assessing progress across subprojects implemented in several provinces, and setting priorities to address identified bottlenecks. Representatives from ADB and other partners participated in progress reviews and engaged in discussions on next steps for project implementation.
Operational Implications
For provincial implementing units and sector partners, the PSC’s reviews signal continued emphasis on coordinated monitoring of expenditures and technical outputs at the subproject level. Strengthened stakeholder engagement and follow-up from the PSC are likely to shape the project’s operational timetables and the allocation of support services during subsequent implementation phases.
