Focus Fields

Asia Pacific Access (APA) is committed to furthering the paradigm shift from Women in Development to Gender and Development (GAD). Over the years we have built our gender mainstreaming expertise on practical first-hand initiatives. Implementation of the GAD approach improves sustainability and overall effectiveness of development projects.

APA Senior Consultants have designed, sheparded and implemented gender mainstreaming in several large donor-financed projects.

Resettlement is a harsh reality in many parts of China and often an unavoidable part of comprehensive development which requires acquisition of farm or residential land for industrial or infrastructure purposes.

APA has worked on sensitive resettlement issues in many provinces in China, ensuring that communities resettled to make way for donor-financed expressway projects are supported during the entire process and, furthermore, are empowered to participate in the planning of their future.

Improved governance involves improvements in processes and cooperation of Governmental agencies to ensure transparency, accountability, reliability, evidence-based policy analysis, equality of outcome, and effectiveness of policies and processes. Good governance allows for faster rates of poverty reduction, more equitable income distribution, and better delivery of government services. It also minimizes the opportunities for corruption.

APA has worked for better governance in both China and Mongolia through their five years of management inputs to the China-Australia Capacity Building Program and the Mongolia-Australia Capacity Building Program, both funded by the Australian Government Donor Agency, AusAID.

Evaluations and reviews of donor-financed projects have repeatedly indicated that institutional factors, which are often country specific, are key to the success of development projects.

APA institutional analysts have contributed to several project designs by conducting both structural and operational analysis. Through long-term observation of and developmental involvement in China¡¯s institutional and market reforms, APA¡¯s institutional analysts have developed a strong capacity to analyse the structures and processes of government and institutions and to recommend more efficient and effective approaches.

For any development initiative it is important to assess how planned interventions will impact the local communities, particularly the poor and vulnerable groups. Social impact assessments enable project design to be modified to avoid outcomes that may cause harm or imbalance for social relations in local communities.

APA has conducted social impact assessments within the context of large donor-financed infrastructure projects in China to ensure maximum poverty reduction and minimum social disruption.