We helped governments design and carry out a regional plan to promote the “Buddhist Circuit” as a tourist attraction. The World Bank started this idea in 2016 in India, where Buddha’s life events first happened. We shared our insights from this project with other South Asian countries that have Buddhist sites, such as Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and more. Our work focused on making the Buddhist Circuit more enjoyable and beneficial for visitors and locals: common brand image, public investments for all, private investment opportunities, economic growth and jobs for poor women, and better regional transport and travel services.
We collaborated with the Government to create and run a Capacity Building Program: Training and Support under the Framework for Improving Governance in the Management of Private Participation in Infrastructure in Cambodia. This program enhanced the skills and abilities of central and local authorities to manage, deliver, and implement PPI transactions in a fair, transparent, and competitive way. We also prepared draft PPP contract models that covered all the issues and risks that the Government and the private sector had to agree on and address in any PPP process. The models came with detailed PPP Contract guidance notes to help the local and central government bodies to participate and manage effectively.
The project harnessed the region's Buddhist heritage for inclusive development, by applying a regional-level development approach to coordinate Buddhist assets across borders and address common challenges and opportunities, and providing basic infrastructure and services in areas often neglected by traditional development schemes.