Nongovernment Organizations and Civil Society

News from ADB for Nongovernment Organizations
 May-June 2003, Volume 3, Issue 3

In this Issue

1. Board Approves Scaled Down Annual Meeting
2. Implementation of Tripartite Framework Begins
3. Independent Panel Will Review Chashma Project
4. ADB Supports Members in Tackling SARS
5. Operations Manual Guides Staff on Information Disclosure
6. Partnership Produces Jobs in Papua New Guinea
7. Women-led NGOs Improve Service Delivery to Poor People
8. Project Boosts Employment of Disabled in Mongolia
9. Thai NGO Leader Advocates the "Privatization of Poverty"
10. Study Assesses Transformation of NGO Microfinance Providers
11. Publication Examines Future of Civil Society in Central Asia
12. NGO Visitor: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
13. Upcoming Events
14. Latest Documents Available from ADB
15. Give us your Comments

Due to global and regional uncertainties, ADB's Board of Directors has determined that the 36th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors will be a reduced-scale event held in Manila on 30 June 2003. The proceedings will be compressed into a brief meeting of government representatives only. Governors are expected to designate a Temporary Alternate Governor, such as a Philippines-based ambassador, to represent the ADB Member. For more information, contact Suzanne Nazal at ngocoordinator@adb.org.

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On 6 May 2003, ADB approved a new strategy and action plan for strengthened cooperation among ADB, governments, and NGOs over the medium-term. Cofinanced by the governments of Australia and the United Kingdom, ADB-Government-NGO Cooperation: A Framework for Action, 2003-2005 represents a road map for trilateral collaboration in the fight against poverty in Asia and the Pacific. Between May 2002 and March 2003, more than 500 representatives of NGOs, governments, the private sector, and ADB attended consultation workshops, collaborated in writing the Framework's first draft, or submitted recommendations and comments on the document, which recommends action in five key areas. Implementation of the Framework has now begun. For more information, contact: Robert Dobias at ngocoordinator@adb.org.

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ADB's Board of Directors has authorized an inspection of the ADB-assisted Chashma Right Bank Irrigation Project (Stage III) in Pakistan. The inspection will be conducted by an independent panel of experts, who will determine whether ADB complied with its operational policies and procedures in designing and implementing the project. The inspection follows a written request filed on 19 November 2002 by representatives of six NGOs who are representing residents in the project area. For more information, contact Bart Édes at bedes@adb.org.

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ADB will work in partnership with the World Health Organization and others to assist its developing member countries in curbing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Under a newly adopted action plan, ADB will provide grants and concessional loans. International and national NGOs will be engaged to help ADB, WHO, and other partners implement activities such as public education campaigns, training, preventive health work, and socioeconomic impacts and assessments. The action plan proposes that government-NGO committees help define needs for ADB assistance, and participate fully in ensuring that ADB funds target effectively. For more information, contact Clay Wescott at cwescott@adb.org.

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ADB has added a new section to its Operations Manual to guide staff on disclosing documents to the public. Section 52 states, in part, that "staff must act on the basis of a presumption in favor of disclosure, which means that documents must be made available on request unless there are legal, practical, or other constraints. Such presumption is for total disclosure in respect of unclassified and declassified documents. It is also applicable in respect of the declassification and release of documents." For more information, contact Gred Droesse at gdroesse@adb.org.

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The Government of Papua New Guinea has formed a partnership with businesses and NGOs to provide skills training to promote employment opportunities. One initiative created jobs for 31 women in orchid gardening and the marketing of cut flowers. Another trained urban youth how to grow and sell vegetables, and connected them with buyers, such as supermarkets and restaurants. ADB is supporting the partnership through the Employment-Oriented Skills Development Project. For more information, contact Andrea Iffland at aiffland@adb.org.

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With support from an ADB regional technical assistance grant, Credit and Development Forum (CDF) has helped strengthen the institutional capacity of female-headed microfinance organizations in Bangladesh. In particular, CDF has helped them to expand their outreach, track performance, maintain accounts, tap resources, and improve leadership skills. For more information, contact Shireen Lateef at slateef@adb.org.

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An ADB-supported project is helping people with disabilities in five Mongolian provinces and the capital Ulaanbaatar to better compete in the job market and to run their own small enterprises. It is also raising public awareness of the role that people with disabilities can play in economic development. NGOs are contributing to project implementation. A one-day job fair recently led to full-time employment for 105 individuals with disabilities. ADB support is being provided through a $1 million grant from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, financed by the Government of Japan. For more information, contact Robert Schoellhammer at rschoellhammer@adb.org.

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Mechai Viravaidya, Chair, Population and Community Development Association, is well known for his efforts to improve the well-being of Thailand's poor. In an interview with ADB Review, he shares his thoughts on how to help the economically disadvantaged improve their situation, the potential for future collaboration between civil society and the private sector, and the role of governments and ADB in supporting the poverty reduction efforts of NGOs. Mr. Mechai says that NGOs and private enterprises should cooperate in developing business skills of poor people, with governments and international agencies facilitating such cooperation.

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Between 1992 and March 2003, at least 39 NGOs transformed into regulated financial institutions in 15 countries. In a presentation at ADB headquarters, Nimal A. Fernando, Lead Rural Finance Specialist, examined why NGOs transform themselves into regulated financial institutions, what such transformation has achieved, and how these institutions have been able to accelerate their growth and expand different dimensions of the outreach, profitably. He concluded that although transformed institutions have a difficult task of operating on a commercial basis within the constraints of their original social mission, most of them have either achieved impressive results in terms of outreach and profitability while others are on track. For more information, contact Mr. Fernando at nfernando@adb.org.

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The Center for Civil Society International and the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute have co-published Civil Society in Central Asia, a collection of essays by scholars and activists examining social and institutional developments that are shaping Central Asia's future. Topics addressed include the legal framework for independent associational activity, grassroots movements for environmental protection, the resurgence of Islam, and the viability of Soviet era collective farms. A 75-page appendix provides a guide to projects being carried out by local and international NGOs in the region. To order, contact the CSI at orders@civilsoc.org.

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This regular feature spotlights an NGO visiting the Asian Development Bank.

WWF is a global conservation organization based in Switzerland. It presently focuses its efforts on six major issues: climate change, forests for life, living waters, endangered seas, species, and toxics. WWF country offices carry out local conservation work, such as practical field projects, scientific research, advising governments and intergovernmental organizations on sustainable development policy, promoting environmental education, and raising awareness of environmental issues.

In September 2001, WWF entered into a memorandum of understanding with ADB to formalize a partnership aimed at supporting the sustainable development of natural resources. The partnership is intended to build on the synergies of each organization's strengths and their shared vision of poverty reduction and environmentally sustainable development.

WWF and ADB are undertaking several cooperative activities in 2003 in the Greater Mekong Subregion. For example, they will identify priority areas for possible support of the Global Environment Facility. They also are coordinating activities and sharing knowledge on forest certification in Lao People's Democratic Republic and Viet Nam, and aim to develop standards for road design in flood plains to reduce repair costs and minimize environmental impacts. In addition, WWF and ADB will collaborate in energy sector activities in the Mekong River Basin.

The two organizations are also working together on the formulation of the Pacific Regional Environmental Strategy. As part of this effort, a strategic environmental assessment of Fiji's Tourism Development Plan was undertaken.

Maria Baylon, Freshwater Policy Officer, and Jose E. Padilla, Senior Policy Officer, work for the WWF's Southeast Asia Policy Programme, hosted by WWF-Philippines. They visited ADB's NGO Center on 29 April 2003. For more information about WWF, contact jpadilla@wwf.org.ph, or visit the web site at: http://www.panda.org.

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A listing in this section does not imply that funding is available to NGO participants.

• National Workshop on Biodiversity and Poverty Alleviation and Hunger Reduction in Mountainous Areas of Viet Nam, 26-29 May 2003, Sapa, Viet Nam. Contact: Le Trong Cuc, Upland Working Group, Center for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies; tel: (84.4) 633.4266; e-mail: cuc@uplands.ac.vn.
• International Conference on Empowerment of Women Through Information and Knowledge: From Oral Tradition to I.C.T, 30 May- 2 June 2003, Pune, India. Contact: Centre for Women's Development Studies: tel: (91.11) 334.5530; fax: (91.11) 334.6044; e-mail: cwdslib@alpha.nic.in or harsha_parekh@vsnl.com ; web site: http://www.gendwaar.gen.in.
• International Civil Society Forum of the Conference on New and Restored Democracies, 14-15 June, 2003, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Contact: Zanaa Jurmed, Director, CEDAW Watch Network Center; tel: (976.1) 328.798; e-mail: mmsa@magicnet.mn.
• International Legislative Drafting Institute training, 16-27 June 2003, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Contact: The Public Law Center, Tulane University; tel: (1.504) 862.8850; e-mail: tplc@law.tulane.edu; web site: www.law.tulane.edu/cdo/inst/ildi/ildihead.htm.

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ADB makes publicly available hundreds of documents each year through its Internet site and a growing network of 165 depository libraries around the world. The extensive web-based Publications Catalog has been revamped to make it easier for users to browse through over 4,000 titles. These include Country Economic Reviews, Environmental Impact Assessments, Project Completion Reports (PCRs), Reports and Recommendations of the President (RRPs), Summary Initial Environmental Examinations, and Technical Assistance Reports (TARs).

Recent releases include: Mongolia: Economic Update; Government and Nongovernment Provision of Primary Education in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Nepal Evaluation Report; Participatory Forestry Project Performance Audit Report (Sri Lanka); Rawalpindi Environmental Improvement Project TAR (Pakistan); Financial Sector Study in Selected Pacific Developing Member Countries Technical Assistance Completion Report; Special Evaluation Study of Asian Development Fund VI-VIII Operations; Sixth Road Improvement Project PCR (Lao PDR); and Integrating Environmental Considerations into Development Policies, Plans, and Programs TAR (Regional).

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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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