Nongovernment Organizations and Civil Society

News from ADB for Nongovernment Organizations
 July 2002, Volume 2, Issue 4

In this Issue

1. Public Views Sought on new Framework for ADB-NGO-Government Cooperation
2. President Chino and Board of Governors Promote Role of Civil Society
3. Consultations Launched on Review of Inspection Function
4. Afghanistan to Receive $15 Million in Technical Assistance
5. Forum Supports ADB on Gender and Development Issues
6. ADB Promotes Partnerships to Combat Human Trafficking
7. Community Input Strengthens Anti-poverty Focus of Karnataka Project
8. Participatory Development Requires Learning and Perseverance
9. Publication Helps NGOs Move Toward Financial Sustainability
10. NGO Visitor: WaterAid
11. Upcoming Events
12. Latest Documents Available from ADB
13. Give us your comments

1. Public Views Sought on new Framework for ADB-NGO-Government Cooperation

On 8 May 2002, ADB launched a series of consultations with stakeholders on creation of a new framework for cooperation with NGOs. This meeting was held in Shanghai during the NGO Open Forum at the 35th Annual Meeting. Representatives of about 40 NGOs active in Asia and the Pacific proposed changes in consultation practices, information delivery, financial support for NGOs, and operational mechanisms for cooperating with civil society. In addition to the Annual Meeting discussions, ADB is organizing 11 country and three subregional workshops with representatives of civil society and government in its developing member countries. Workshops will also be held in Germany and Australia, and a final regional workshop will take place at ADB headquarters in Manila. The first country consultation was held in the Philippines on 28 June 2002. Interested individuals unable to participate in any of the consultations are invited to provide comments on the issues paper posted on ADB's web site. For more information, contact Cindy Malvicini at ngocoordinator@adb.org.

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In a meeting with NGO representatives in Shanghai on 9 May 2002, ADB President Tadao Chino reaffirmed that "nongovernment organizations are significant players in the development process." He also stated that by working with NGOs, "ADB can improve the impact, sustainability, and quality of the services it provides to its developing member countries." Participants in the meeting included staff of social welfare and development agencies, environmental groups, foundations, NGO associations, trade union alliances, and other nonprofit organizations. Separately, several members of ADB's Board of Governors cited the role of civil society in development during their prepared remarks to fellow governors. In particular, they commended ADB for its recent moves to strengthen ties with NGOs, recognized the important role of civil society in development, and encouraged ADB to continue working closely with NGOs in its fight against poverty.

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ADB President Tadao Chino welcomed the participation of stakeholders at the opening of a regional consultation workshop to review its Inspection Function, held 20-21 June at ADB's Manila headquarters. In his opening remarks before participants from over 30 countries, Mr. Chino said, "Widespread consultation with our stakeholders is of paramount importance for a full review of our inspection mechanism and the development of a new and better mechanism." The regional consultation meeting was one in a series of consultations being held with NGO representatives, residents of project-affected communities, business persons, government officials and other concerned persons on how to improve ADB's Inspection Function. Stakeholder views are being considered in formulating a working paper that will be submitted to the Board of Directors later this year. In June, ADB also organized consultation meetings in Frankfurt, Ottawa, Tokyo, and Washington DC. Additional meetings with stakeholders are scheduled for Phnom Penh (13 August), Kathmandu (16 August), Beijing (23 August), and Sydney (26 August). For further information, contact Suresh Nanwani at snanwani@adb.org.

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ADB has approved a $15 million package of technical assistance grants for wide-ranging capacity building in Afghanistan, marking the first step toward resuming full ADB operations in the country. One cluster of grants is dedicated to building capacity in several sectors - agriculture and natural resources, education and health, road transport,energy, and finance. A separate grant was approved to help Afghanistan better manage natural disasters, including drought and earthquakes. The bulk of the assistance will go toward strengthening the ability of various government ministries and departments in formulating policies and plans and implementing projects. For example, grants will help to rebuild schools, and restore essential health services to support effective health care delivery. Funding will also be provided to the Ministry of Women's Affairs in improving the welfare and status of Afghan women and, in particular, in supporting the Ministry's relationship with NGOs. For further information, contact Craig Steffensen at csteffensen@adb.org.

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ADB's External Forum on Gender (EFG) met with several senior Bank officials, including President Tadao Chino, 5-7 June 2002 in Manila. Envisioned under ADB's 1998 Policy on Gender and Development, the EFG facilitates dialogue between ADB and external groups on gender issues, and comprises gender and development experts from governments, NGOs, academia, and civil society. The EFG enables ADB to tap into current thinking on regional gender issues, maintain an on-going dialogue with experts, consult a broader group of stakeholders on implementation of its Policy on Gender and Development, and develop strategies for improving the status of women in the Asia-Pacific region. The EFG met for the first time in November 2001. Biographies of the EFG's 13 members are available on ADB's gender web site, which will soon display the results of the June meeting. For further information, contact Shireen Lateef at slateef@adb.org.

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6. ADB Promotes Partnerships to Combat Human Trafficking

One to two million people are estimated to be trafficked each year worldwide. Women and children are particularly at risk. Yet due to the complex and clandestine nature of trafficking, efforts to combat the phenomenon face many difficulties. ADB recognizes that, in partnerships with key players in the government, NGOs and the private sector, it can significantly contribute to preventing and reducing vulnerability to trafficking through its poverty reduction activities in various sectors. A regional technical assistance project in South Asia has been underway since July 2001 and has developed specific project design features and partnership models to "mainstream" anti-trafficking concerns into ADB's country and regional operations. For more information, contact Sonomi Tanaka at stanaka@adb.org.

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7. Community Input Strengthens Anti-poverty Focus of Karnataka Project

Community leaders and NGO representatives in Karnataka, India recognized the need to get beneficiaries involved at all stages of project planning of the ADB-supported Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development Project. The Project, approved by ADB in late 1995, was originally intended to improve the basic urban services in four towns in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. Achieving poverty reduction by improving the slums was one of the Project's minor components. Yet with the adoption of its Poverty Reduction Strategy in 1999, ADB felt that the Project's impact could be improved through a stronger, more focused attack on poverty in the towns. To make this change, ADB modified the project design, allocated funds for new direct poverty reduction activities, held participatory workshops, engaged local NGOs, and recruited community development experts to facilitate consultations among the Project's various stakeholders.

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While there is a global consensus that expanding participation makes good business sense in development, there is a certain amount of wishful thinking associated with putting this perspective into practice, says Rajesh Tandon, President of the Indian NGO, Participatory Research in Asia. Small-scale, local development projects supported by NGOs can demonstrate good principles and methods for promoting meaningful participatory development, but it becomes increasingly difficult to translate these principles and methods into large-scale, national development programs. This is where international development agencies, in particular development banks like ADB, face an enormous challenge. Read more on this subject in ADB Review.

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The Asia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium has published Investing in Ourselves: Giving and Fund Raising in Asia, a compendium of over 100 replicable, country-specific cases on local resource mobilization, surveys on the magnitude and nature of individual giving in several countries, and modules on fund-raising training and financial management. Investing in Ourselves aims to support Asian NGOs in diversifying their funding sources. Material for the publication was researched and written by country teams in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, and Thailand. ADB, the Asia Foundation, the Nippon Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development provided financial support to the project, which represents a unique collaboration among nonprofit, government and multilateral funders. Further information about the publication is available from Niña Terol at Venture Fund Raising in Manila, tel: (632) 634.8889; email: info@venture-asia.org.

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WaterAid is the United Kingdom's only major charity dedicated exclusively to provision of safe domestic water, sanitation, and hygiene promotion to the world's poorest people. Established in 1981, WaterAid has helped over 6.5 million people in Africa and in Asia, where the charity collaborates with partner organizations and governments in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.

WaterAid works through local organizations, including local governments, small-scale private sector, and civil society organizations with individuals and families in their communities, to enable them to take ownership of projects and to maintain a lasting supply of safe water. Special attention is given to the role of women. WaterAid advocates making access to water and sanitation the cornerstone of any poverty reduction strategy.

Working through local partners, the charity identifies potential projects and ensures that they are assessed by one of its country representatives or other competent staff. The aim is to ensure that all projects integrate water supply, sanitation, and hygiene promotion. An assessment is made of both the technical viability and the commitment of the benefiting community. WaterAid also supports local partners in doing more work than WaterAid itself can fund. A recent example of this is expanding work undertaken by Nepal Water for Health (NEWAH) with funding from the UK Department for International Development.

Since its direct work and indirect work through capacity building of local partners will only provide water and sanitation services for a small percentage of those without access, WaterAid seeks to influence national governments, donors, international institutions in implementing better water and sanitation projects.

The charity designs its projects in a way that limits the risk that they will fall into disuse. The involvement of communities in all stages of the project - from planning and construction through to maintenance - encourages a sense of community ownership and responsibility. The technology used is relatively simple, thereby minimizing any dependence on complicated machinery or scarce fuel. All projects have an associated training program running parallel with the construction work, including training in equipment maintenance.

WaterAid facilitated NGO participation in the Multi-Stakeholders Dialogue on Water Services for the Poor, hosted by ADB in Manila, 29-31 May 2002. The meeting was one of the events leading up to the 3rd World Water Forum, which will be held in Japan, 16-23 March, 2003. WaterAid, ADB and other private, public and inter-governmental partners are supporting the Forum's Water and Poverty Initiative. The Initiative aims to raise public awareness of poverty and its linkages to the management of water resources, the delivery of water services, and the overall water security of poor people. It also seeks to promote the exchange experience about project approaches designed to meet diverse needs for water security of the poor, and catalyze pro-poor financing and action at the policy and project levels.

For more information, contact Water Aid, Prince Consort House, 27-29 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7UB, UK; tel: (44.207) 793.4500; fax: (44.207) 793.4545; email: information@wateraid.org.uk; http://www.wateraid.org.uk.

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• Country consultation on framework for ADB-NGO-Government cooperation, 30 July, Bangkok, Thailand. Contact: Robert Dobias, tel: (63.2) 632.5337; email: rdobias@adb.org.



• Country consultation on framework for ADB-NGO-Government cooperation, 1 August (tentative), Vientiane, Lao PDR. Contact: Robert Dobias, tel: (63.2) 632.5337; email: rdobias@adb.org.



• Subregional consultation workshop on review of ADB's Inspection Function, 13 August, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Contact: Suresh Nanwani, tel: (63.2) 632.4952; email: snanwani@adb.org.



• Subregional consultation workshop on review of ADB's Inspection Function, 16 August, Kathmandu, Nepal. Contact: Suresh Nanwani, tel: (63.2) 632.4952; email: snanwani@adb.org.



• Country consultation on framework for ADB-NGO-Government cooperation, 19 August, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Contact: Grant Curtis, tel: (63.2) 632.5412; email: gcurtis@adb.org.



• Subregional consultation on framework for ADB-NGO-Government cooperation, 22-23 August, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Contact: Robert Dobias, tel: (63.2) 632.5337; email: rdobias@adb.org.



• Subregional consultation workshop on review of ADB's Inspection Function, 23 August, Beijing, People's Republic of China. Contact: Suresh Nanwani, tel: (632) 632.4952; email: snanwani@adb.org.



• Consultation workshop on review of ADB's Inspection Function, 26 August, Sydney, Australia. Contact: Suresh Nanwani, tel: (63.2) 632.4952; email: snanwani@adb.org.



• Country consultation on framework for ADB-NGO-Government cooperation, 27 August, Sydney, Australia. Contact: Robert Dobias, tel: (63.2) 632.5337; email: rdobias@adb.org.



• Eighth Conference on Researching the Voluntary Sector, 3-4 September 2002, Nottingham, England, UK. Contact: Jayne Blackborow, National Council for Voluntary Organisations, tel: (44.207) 520.2484; fax: (44.207) 278.3972; email: jayne.blackborow@ncvo-vol.org.uk.

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ADB documents that have been approved for public release, and sent to ADB Depository Libraries around the world, have been added to the Bank's web site. These documents include Country Economic Reviews, Country Economic Updates, Environmental Impact Assessments, Reports and Recommendations of the President, Summary Initial Environmental Examinations, and Technical Assistance Reports.

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Questions about the contents of Partnership Newsletter or about ADB relations with NGOs, may be directed to Bart W. Édes at ngocoordinator@adb.org. Learn more about ADB cooperation with NGOs.

© Copyright 2002. Partnership Newsletter is published six times a year by ADB's Office of External Relations in conjunction with the ADB NGO Center. Previous issues are available here. Hypertext links provided in Partnership Newsletter do not imply ADB endorsement of the views expressed on non-ADB web sites. Such links are provided solely as an information service. Published contributions do not necessarily represent the view of ADB Management, staff, or members. ADB reserves the right to edit submissions. Partnership Newsletter may be redistributed with credit given to Asian Development Bank.

NGO Center
Asian Development Bank
P.O. Box 789, Manila 0980, Philippines
Tel: (632) 632-4147; (632) 636-2648

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