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ADB Tsunami Meeting to Fill Aid Gaps, Sustain Momentum for Rebuilding

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (9 March 2005) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is hosting a Ministerial-level conference on 18 March to sustain the momentum in the rebuilding of tsunami-affected countries of Asia.

The Coordination Meeting on Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Assistance to Tsunami-Affected Countries in Manila will bring together ministers and senior government officials from the five most affected countries - India, Indonesia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Thailand - as well as representatives from countries that contribute to ADB's concessional Asian Development Fund.

Also invited are representatives of international agencies, donor countries, the private sector, and civil society.

The meeting aims to establish the progress made to date and share information to avoid wasteful duplication and overlap.

Participants will identify gaps in the recovery effort, explore areas for greater coordination and harmonization, and discuss ways to ensure the highest standards of governance in the countries' handling of reconstruction assistance.

"As the development community's response to the tsunami disaster is shifting from the relief phase to the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase, the international community needs to carry the momentum into a longer-term program," says ADB Vice-President Geert van der Linden. "We need to restore livelihoods, rehabilitate communities, re-establish social services, and rebuild infrastructure."

One important aim of the meeting is to see how the private sector and nongovernment organizations can be brought into the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase.

"The meeting will establish a tracking matrix for all the rehabilitation and reconstruction work that is being done or planned and could be used as a platform for exploring areas of greater coordination," says Robert Dobias, an ADB Director who is coordinating the meeting.

Another priority of the meeting is to help ensure high standards of financial governance in the handling of aid funds.

ADB, with Transparency International and the Government of Indonesia, also plans a workshop in April on good governance practices in recovery work following disasters.

Participants will also benefit from lessons learned from earlier rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts. Speakers from Gujarat and Kobe will describe the challenges of managing recovery efforts after major earthquakes.

The Asian Development Bank is dedicated to reducing poverty in the Asia and Pacific region through pro-poor sustainable economic growth, social development, and good governance. Established in 1966, it is owned by 63 members, with 45 from the region.

More at adb.org/media

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