Feature
ADB Pledges Up to $1.3 Billion for Afghanistan
ADB pledged up to $1.3 billion in new assistance for Afghanistan at the June 2008 donor conference held in Paris. Speaking in Paris, ADB Vice President Liqun Jin said Afghanistan has made progress over the past seven years, but that progress toward several aspects of the Government’s reform agenda “are still pending.” He called for “more resolve to firmly address widespread and institutionalized corruption.”
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Press Release
ADF X Replenishment: Over $11 billion to Help Asia's Poorest
For the next four-years, ADB’s concessional window - the Asian Development Fund (ADF) - will provide $11.3 billion to fight poverty in Asia-Pacific countries, a 60% increase from the previous period. "The generous contribution of donor nations will help developing Asia-Pacific countries meet the Millennium Development Goals targets, and bring better opportunities and a brighter future to people living in the region's poorest nations," said ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda at ADB Annual Meeting in Madrid.
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Press Release
ADF
ADB Financial Support for Asian Food Crisis
President Kuroda announced $500 million in immediate support to mitigate the impact of raising food prices on the poor in Asia-Pacific countries. He also pledged to double ADB lending for agriculture to $2 billion in 2009. Read the ADB paper "Soaring Food Prices: Response to the Crisis."
ADB Safeguards Consultations in North America
Twelve rounds of consultations on the update were held across Asia and the Pacific region, Europe, Canada, and the United States with representatives from government, civil society, private sector, academic institutions, and international development agencies. Following this series of consultations, and in order for the new safeguard policy to be responsive to a wide range of views, ADB Management has decided to introduce an additional step and will prepare a second draft of the safeguard policy statement based on the feedback and advice received through these consultations. In addition, ADB will hold another consultation workshop at its headquarters in Manila and will also post the draft on ADB’s web site for comments. Read more about ADB’s safeguards policy update.
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Inside ADB
ADB Launches New Long-Term Strategy
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched Strategy 2020, a new long-term strategy which will refocus ADB operations with three development agendas—inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Strategy 2020 identifies drivers of change that will be stressed in ADB operations—developing the private sector, encouraging good governance, supporting gender equity, and helping developing countries gain knowledge.
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Press Release
ADB Backs Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)
ADB has endorsed the EITI, which encourages governments to disclose their revenues, as well as companies to publicize their payments from oil, gas, and mining in order to promote transparency and fight corruption. By endorsing EITI, ADB will encourage its developing member countries to adopt the principles of the initiative. These include the recognition that natural resource wealth should be translated into equitable economic growth, and that the process of creating the necessary transparency and accountability frameworks to facilitate this must respect the sovereignty of countries and existing contracts and laws. Read the full press release and learn more about ADB’s governance work.
ADB Study on Education
“Education and Skills: Strategies for Accelerated Development in Asia and the Pacific.” ADB has provided some $7 billion in loans for education since 1970.
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ADB Projects in Profile
ADB to Promote Clean Energy through Private Equity Funds
Using up to $100 million in seed capital, ADB is helping establish five private sector funds with a total target investment of up to $1.2 billion in clean energy projects in Asia. The funds will each receive up to $20 million in capital from ADB. The five funds were selected from 19 fund managers responding to ADB’s call for proposals issued in July 2007.
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Press Release
New Highways Revitalize Ancient Tea Horse Roads
More than 1,200 years ago, during the Tang Dynasty, merchants in Pu’er (Yunnan) began forging trade routes to carry the region’s unique, aromatic tea to the far corners of Asia. Several major "Tea Horse Roads", named for the horses used to carry the tea, spanned out from Pu’er. Today these ancient trade routes are being revitalized, and bringing to communities that dot the landscape along their paths better access to schools, health centers, commodities, and markets.
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Press Release
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ADB Feature Publications
 ADB Releases its 2007 Integrity Division Report to the President
This report presents the accomplishments of the Integrity Division, Office of the Auditor General (OAGI) in 2007. The Integrity Division is ADB's independent investigative unit. In 2007, OAGI received 211 complaints, a ten-fold increase since 1998, the year in which ADB’s anti-corruption policy was approved. Ninety-five investigations were opened during the year and by end-2007 66 investigations were ongoing. Also in 2007, ADB sanctioned a total of 61 firms and 48 individuals, and reprimanded one firm and seven individuals.
 ADB Annual Report: Operations Expand to Record $11.1 billion in 2007:
ADB approved $10.1 billion in loans in 2007. This is a 37% increase over the previous year in response to increased demands for development assistance, according to ADB's 2007 Annual Report. Pakistan, India, China and Vietnam were the largest borrowers. With grants, equity and technical assistance, ADB operations reached a record $11.1 billion in 2007.
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Press Release
 Afghanistan Pilot Participatory Pilot Assessment (APPPA)
The ADB-financed APPPA was designed to permit the views of the "poor" in the formulation and implementation of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy. The APPPA directly canvassed the voices of the poor in Afghanistan, including those of women and girls. Participants placed access to, and quality of, education and health right at the top. This was followed by water, and thirdly, employment. This pilot assessment was conducted in four provinces (Uruzgan, Nangarhar, Badakhshan, and Herat) and was implemented by the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief (http://www.acbar.org*).
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Recent ADB Events in North America
June, 2008
ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda addressed international economic leaders at the International Economic Forum of the Americas (Conference de Montreal) in Montreal. ADB Executive Director for Canada Howard Brown, ADB North American Deputy Resident Director Robert Schoellhammer, and ADB North American External Relations Officer Katherine Ferrey spoke to Conference participants on business opportunities for Canadians with ADB.
ADB Vice-President Liqun Jin spoke at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s Asia's Economic and Financial Outlook Conference.
May, 2008
ADB Managing Director General Rajat M. Nag delivered the luncheon keynote address at the 2008 International Development Days, held in Vancouver.
ADB Managing Director General Rajat M. Nag delivered the luncheon keynote address at the 2008 International Development Days, held in Vancouver.
April, 2008
ADB Chief Economist Ifzal Ali launched the 2008 Asian Development Outlook in Washington DC, New York City, Toronto and Vancouver.
ADB Chief Economist Ifzal Ali launched the 2008 Asian Development Outlook in Washington DC, New York City, Toronto and Vancouver.
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Upcoming ADB Events in North America
July 2008
ADB will participate in the 2008 National Conference of State Legislatures in New Orleans, Louisiana.
September, 2008
ADB will participate in IFI Bootcamp in Winnipeg, Canada. To register, please visit website*.
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Recent ADB Management Speeches
President Haruhiko Kuroda
Vice-President C. Lawrence Greenwood
Vice-President Liqun Jin
Vice-President Ursula Schäfer-Preuss
For other recent speeches, please visit the Speeches page on ADB's website.
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ADB Opportunities
ADB offers many opportunities for contractors, consultants, investors, and job applicants. Learn about these opportunities at http://www.adb.org/Opportunities.
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