The Resilient Urban Centres and Surrounds (RUCaS) program is a regional initiative under the Mekong-Australia Partnership (MAP), implemented by Monash University’s Water Sensitive Cities Australia in partnership with the International Centre for Environmental Management. It aims to strengthen technical capacity, local demonstrations of concept, and enhanced institutional buy-in of Mekong country partners to support scaling Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for more climate resilient development of urban areas and their surrounds. The program has been delivered across Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam from 2022 to 2026.
The End-of-Program Evaluation of the RUCaS program was conducted by FH Designs in November 2025 and submitted to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT) in April 2026. This included assessment of the program’s relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) and sustainability. Overall, the program achieved tangible results. It was highly relevant to addressing regional climate resilience priorities and was widely regarded as technically credible and responsive to an identified knowledge gap. The report also highlighted useful findings and practical recommendations to inform similar initiatives.
The Management Response summarises the evaluation’s key recommendations and outlines DFAT and Monash University’s responses and proposed actions. During the preparation of this management response, DFAT and Monash University entered into an agreement for Phase Two of the program (RUCAS2). RUCAS2 is a co-funded investment under the Mekong-Australia Partnership (MAP) and the Climate Resilient Communities (CRC) and is designed over three years (2026–2029). Accordingly, the management responses have been aligned with the design and implementation of RUCAS2 to ensure that the evaluation’s recommendations are effectively incorporated and contribute to improved outcomes in Phase Two.
DFAT and Monash University accepts the evaluation findings and agrees with the majority of the recommendations. Where recommendations are partially agreed, clarifications are provided along with proposed actions to address them.
Evaluation Report
- Resilient Urban Centres and Surrounds (RUCaS) Independent End of Program Evaluation [DOCX 2.5 MB]
- Resilient Urban Centres and Surrounds (RUCaS) Independent End of Program Evaluation [PDF 940 KB]