ADB Review - August 2009

NEWS FROM THE ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK August 2009

ADB Review provides an electronic digest of activities of the Asian Development Bank.

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In this issue, read about how East Asian economies are coping with the global economic crisis, ADB's new Safeguard Policy Statement, and the role of pension funds in the long-term economic growth of Asia. Also, find out the latest on ADB events, publications, opportunities, and operations.

Emerging East Asia Enters Transition from Recession to Recovery
Although economic growth is continuing to slow this year, emerging East Asia has already entered the transition from recession to recovery, said the July issue of the Asia Economic Monitor (AEM). Jong-Wha Lee, ADB chief economist and head of the Office of Regional Economic Integration, sees a V-shaped recovery for the region with "growth dipping sharply in 2009 before regaining last year's pace in 2010."

ADB Board Approves New Policy to Strengthen Safeguard Protections
ADB's Board of Directors approved on 20 July a Safeguard Policy Statement that will strengthen protections already in place to avoid or minimize the adverse impacts of ADB-supported projects on the environment and affected people.

Asia's Growing Pension Funds Can Lead the Way on Responsible Investing, Study Finds
Asia's pension funds are set to expand rapidly and can become global leaders in the use of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) guidelines, said a new study commissioned by ADB.

ADB President Urges More Aid for Trade, Cautions against Protectionism
Increased assistance for trade-led development is vital for Asia and the world to recover from the latest economic crisis and ensure long-term growth, ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda said at the Second Global Review of Aid for Trade in Geneva, Switzerland in July.

PRC's Xinjiang Region Gets $100 Million ADB Loan to Improve Roads, Environment
Xinjiang, a poor region in northwest People's Republic of China (PRC), will receive a $100 million loan for urban living improvements designed to spur sustainable growth and improve the environment.
ADB, UK Provide Additional $45 Million to Boost Social Services in Pakistan
Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province, has received fresh funds of $45 million equivalent for a program that is helping support improvements in the delivery of health, education, water, and sanitation services in the region.
Tajikistan Gets Additional $20 Million ADB Grant to Improve Key Highway
Tajikistan is obtaining an additional $20 million grant from ADB to improve sections of a major road that links its capital Dushanbe to neighbor Kyrgyz Republic.
Better Health Care Access for Mongolia's Poor Affected by Global Financial Crisis
ADB and the Government of Japan are financing a health and nutrition program in Mongolia to improve health care access by poor households affected by the global financial crisis. The Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction is providing a $3 million grant, to be coursed through ADB, for the design and implementation of a medicard program that will enable the poor to avail of free health services.
ADB Helps Poor Households in Cambodia's Resource-Rich Tonle Sap Basin
ADB is providing a $3.45 million technical assistance grant to Cambodia to help diversify and boost the incomes of thousands of marginal farmers, small land holders, and poor householders living in and around the resource-rich Tonle Sap Basin.
ADB Funds Technology Development to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions in PRC
ADB will provide $1.25 million in technical assistance to help develop a new technology that will substantially reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the People's Republic of China (PRC).

Thailand Resident Mission: Presentation on investment environment in Thailand
Country Director Jean-Pierre Verbiest presented a view on Thailand's investment environment to businessmen, government officials, and the media at a conference on 23 July at the UN Regional Office in Bangkok. Organized by the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry, and Banking, the event explored future directions, strategies, and actions to increase investments in the country.

At a 16 July conference in Chiang Rai Province, Mr. Verbiest also presented on ADB's support on the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) economic developments. The conference aimed to promote trade and investment in BIMSTEC and GMS, and identify strategies for cooperation.

Lao PDR Resident Mission: Stakeholders meet on climate change impact, adaptation strategies for rural infrastructure sector
Stefan Ekelund, officer-in-charge and senior portfolio management specialist of the Lao PDR Resident Mission, gave the welcome remarks at the 21 July multistakeholder consultation meeting supported by ADB in collaboration with Risk Management Solution India. Over 35 participants from government agencies, international organizations, and NGOs attended.

India Resident Mission: OAGI conducts integrity workshop
Patrice Sam, integrity specialist of ADB's Office of the Auditor General's Integrity Division (OAGI), on 21 July conducted a workshop to raise awareness of ADB's anti-corruption policy and procedures. Highlighted were the role of staff in implementing the policy, efforts to harmonize with other multilateral development banks, a proposal for better protection of whistle blowers, and recommendations to prevent fraud and corruption.

Special Office in Timor-Leste: Ministry of Infrastructure, CARE International, and ADB hold joint workshop in Dili
Participants at the workshop discussed the outcomes and lessons learned from ADB's road sector improvement project that piloted a road maintenance component and employed 44 people, mostly women, to do basic road repairs. The Ministry of Infrastructure, ADB, and NGO CARE International partnered in this initiative.

Tajikistan Resident Mission: Automated information system for customs to be developed
The Customs Services of the Republic of Tajikistan and RISK Company, Azerbaijan, signed a $6.16 million contract for the development of a Unified Automated Information System in Tajikistan under the ongoing CAREC Regional Customs Modernization and Infrastructure Development Project. This is the largest contract signed by Customs Services. Makoto Ojiro, country director of the Tajikistan Resident Mission, witnessed the signing.

Bangladesh Resident Mission: SARD DG discusses regional cooperation with senior officials
Director General Kunio Senga of ADB's South Asia Department on 7 July discussed Bangladesh's priorities and operational framework for developing and implementing regional projects with Finance Minister AMA Muhith.

Sri Lanka Resident Mission: PSOD introduces trade finance program to banking sector
ADB's Private Sector Operations Department (PSOD) conducted a Trade Finance and Facilitation Seminar on 3 July in Colombo, Sri Lanka, that introduced the Trade Finance Facilitation Program, and ADB's plans to expand it, including due diligence and the annual review process. Representatives of the banking sector in the country participated in the program led by PSOD Investment Specialist Steven Beck.

PRC Resident Mission: Press visits ADB-funded projects in Shanxi province
The PRC Resident Mission invited journalists to visit the Efficient Utilization of Agriculture Wastes Project (components in Shanxi), and the Coal Mine Methane Development Project in Shanxi province. The press tour gave the media a first-hand look at ADB-funded projects and an opportunity to better appreciate the joint initiatives of the government of the People's Republic of China and ADB, and the positive impact of cooperation in energy efficiency and clean energy development, related to climate change in the PRC, especially in the central and west regions. Journalists from China Daily, China Radio International, and the World Environment magazine were given the chance to speak with beneficiaries and executive agencies.

Speech
Regional Forum on Social Assistance and Conditional Cash Transfer Opening Remarks by Ursula Schaefer-Preuss, vice-president for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development 23 July, Manila, Philippines

Features
Papua New Guinea Freedom at the Frontier By Ian Gill Improved feeder roads in the highlands of Papua New Guinea are reducing the isolation of tribal communities in a valley that was hidden from the world until a few decades ago. Better access to markets, schools, and hospitals are giving subsistence farmers greater freedom of choice.

Publications and Reports
National Strategies for Regional Integration: South and East Asian Case Studies ADB Economics Working Paper Series: Ageing Asia's Looming Pension Crisis [ PDF ] Aid for Trade in Asia and the Pacific: An Update [ PDF ] East Asia Department Knowledge Management Initiatives in 2008 Natural Catastrophe Risk Insurance Mechanisms for Asia and the Pacific: Main Report

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