Catalog

Policy Review Commences

The public is invited to help shape a better policy

By Bart Édes (bedes@adb.org)
External Relations Specialist

Background

INFORMATION FOR ALL ADB makes hundreds of documents available each year on its web site and in hard copy upon request, as well as through its Public Information Center

The Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s Policy on Confidentiality and Disclosure of Information (Disclosure Policy) governs the release of ADB information and documents. Approved in September 1994, the Disclosure Policy took effect on 1 January 1995. It seeks to balance the many positive contributions that an open and transparent policy can make to ADB’s work with legal and practical constraints that in some cases limit disclosure.

ADB makes hundreds of operationsrelated documents available each year on its web site and in hard copy upon request. The Disclosure Policy recognizes that openness helps ensure the effectiveness of ADB operations and sustain the support of shareholding governments. It also promotes effective local participation in decision making and improved project implementation and sustainability.

In May 2003, ADB established a seniorlevel Steering Committee, chaired by the Principal Director, Office of External Relations, to oversee a comprehensive review of the Disclosure Policy. It is expected that a revised and updated policy will be submitted to the Board of Directors for its consideration during the first half of 2004. The new policy will be developed in a participatory process, with input sought from various interested parties in ADB member countries.

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The Right Time for a Review

Internal reviews of the Disclosure Policy have found that, in general, it has been implemented effectively, and that requests for documents have usually been met promptly. Since adoption of the Policy, ADB has made substantially more information about its operations available to external audiences, and, in the process, has helped raise public awareness of ADB’s role, objec-tives, projects, and programs.

Nevertheless, the past few years have witnessed increased calls for greater accountability and transparency in public institutions. Advances in information and communication technology, such as the Internet, have made it easier for individuals to quickly access information of all kinds. This increased access to information has been accompanied by raised expectations on the amount, type, and timeliness of information released by agencies like ADB.

Indeed, the climate in which ADB works has changed considerably over the past decade, and a policy drafted to the standards of the mid-1990s may now be regarded by some as inadequate. These factors, combined with major internal developments, such as the adoption of the Poverty Reduction Strategy (1999) and ADB’s reorganization (2002), make a review of the Disclosure Policy a timely exercise.

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Public Invited to Comment

ADB is now soliciting views of interested stakeholders on the current Disclosure Policy, and on the appropriate format and content of the new policy. Comments are also being invited on the Information Policy and Strategy of ADB, which complements and reinforces the Disclosure Policy. A special page has been developed on ADB’s web site to provide updates on the policy review process (http://www.adb.org/disclosure). The 3-month public comment period will end on 14 November 2003, when the input from within and outside ADB will be considered in preparing an initial working draft of the new policy.

During January and February 2004, face-to-face consultations on the working draft will be held in at least 10 countries. The views of government officials, businesspeople, researchers, past requesters of information from ADB, and nongovernment organization representatives will be actively sought during these 2 months. Feedback collected during this consultation phase will be weighed in preparing the new policy for submission to ADB’s Board of Directors.

ADB expects this policy review process to lead to a modern Disclosure Policy that reinforces ADB’s goal of reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific.

Send your comments on ADB’s Disclosure Policy, and Information Policy and Strategy to disclosure@adb.org.

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