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Message from the Country Director

Paul J. Heytens
Country Director, Bangladesh Resident Mission
Asian Development Bank

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

I became the Country Director, Asian Development Bank, Bangladesh Resident Mission in Dhaka on 31 August 2008. Since then, I have had many opportunities to meet and interact with our stakeholders, including Government personnel, development partners, civil society members, private sector leaders, NGO workers, journalists and other stakeholders.

Through these interactions, I have learned a lot about the country -its people, growth dynamism, development programs, and ADB's own operations. I have also gained useful insights from stakeholders and have received valuable suggestions on how to make ADB's operations more effective.

It has been satisfying to learn that most stakeholders see ADB as a dependable development partner, providing Bangladesh with valuable policy advice and financial and technical assistance in line with the country's development needs and best interests.

Since becoming a member of ADB in 1973, Bangladesh received over $9.13 billion in loans, with $178.8 million for technical assistance (TA) grants, through December 2007. As of October 2008, Bangladesh has a portfolio of 49 loans with a net loan amount of $3.21 billion. In the 2008–2010 assistance pipelines, ADB’s public sector lending program comprises 20 firm projects totaling about $2.5 billion. The technical assistance (TA) program for 2008–2010 consists of 24 projects with an annual allocation of about $5 million in grant funding.

ADB is playing a major role in the energy, transport, education, and integrated urban development sectors, including urban transport, urban health and urban water supply and sanitation. In other areas such as agriculture, water resources management, and the financial sector, ADB is playing a mere supportive but still vital role. Regional cooperation, disaster mitigation, gender and environment continue to be addressed as key crosscutting issues.

Since its establishment in 1982, the ADB’s Bangladesh Resident Mission, with Headquarters support, has worked hard to make ADB a reliable partner readily available for constructive policy advices, and timely analysis of critical issues. We will continue our efforts to improve the socio-economic condition of the people of Bangladesh to realize ADB’s vision of an Asia-Pacific region free of poverty.