Public Invited to Comment on Disclosure and Information Policies
Please provide your comments on ADB's Policy on Confidentiality and Disclosure of Information, and on the Information Policy and Strategy of ADB. Complete the questionnaire and send it to disclosure@adb.org. Comments received through 14 November 2003 will be taken into consideration in drafting a combined disclosure and information policy. Under the two existing policies, ADB proactively disseminates hundreds of different documents each year though its depository libraries, web site, and directly to requesters. Read additional information on Disclosure.
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Input Sought on the Pacific Region Environmental Strategy
ADB is formulating a Pacific Region Environmental Strategy to serve as an operational framework for environment-related assistance to the region, and to mainstream environmental considerations into all aspects of ADB's operations in the Pacific. The strategy is being developed in a consultative manner and will cover 2005-2009. View the draft strategy on line and send your comments to pres@adb.org.
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Development Partners to Meet Quarterly in Nepal
ADB's Nepal Resident Mission (NRM) is moving to strengthen communications among ADB, NGOs, and the Government of Nepal by organizing quarterly meetings among the three parties. The objective of the meetings is to provide a forum for sharing views and experience on development issues and impacts relevant to ADB's operations in Nepal. The first meeting, held on 11 September 2003, addressed subsidies to farmers for shallow tube wells. For more information, contact Kavita Sherchan at ksherchan@adb.org.
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Sundarbans Project Put on Hold
ADB has suspended its loan and two-associated technical assistance (TA) grants for a conservation project in Bangladesh's Sundarbans Reserve Forest, citing difficulties with the design and implementation, including lack of adequate financial management. The Sundarbans Biodiversity Conservation Project has been aimed at developing a sustainable management and biodiversity conservation system for the forest, part of the world's largest remaining contiguous mangrove area, and reduce poverty of 3.5 million people living around the Sundarbans. The loan became effective in August 1999 and the original closing date is 31 December 2006. For more information, contact Frederick Roche at froche@adb.org.
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Women Entrepreneurs in Samoa Gain Access to Financing
The innovative Small Business Development Project, supported by a US$3.5 million ADB loan, is enabling Samoan women to play an important economic role in their society and improve the lives of their families. The project includes a pilot component to provide loans of up to 5,000 Samoan tala (US$1,600) for microenterprises, and a guarantee scheme for small business loans of up to 20,000 tala. NGOs are implementing both programs, which are assisting women on the largely rural island of Savai'i. For more information, contact Anaseini Vatucawaqa, ADB Senior Project Implementation Officer, at avatucawaqa@adb.org.
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Educational Opportunities Grow for Girls in Northwest Pakistan
It was just 10 years ago that a school for girls opened in the northwest Pakistan village of Qadirabad - in a room in someone's house. With ADB assistance, it has now moved to a four-classroom building with 213 students, from nursery level to grade 5. The school is part of an ADB-assisted 5-year project to help the Pakistan Government in its long-term goal of building community model schools in each of the country's 4,000 rural villages. The project has made concrete progress: each year 7,500 girls have entered grade 1 or 2 who would previously never have had the opportunity, and an estimated 120,000 girls who would have been forced to drop out have stayed the course. For more information, contact William Loxley at lloxley@adb.org.
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NGOs Will Improve Access to Financial Services by Tajik Poor
ADB is assisting the Indian state government of Karnataka to help thousands of women in slum areas establish self-help groups as an avenue to discuss and solve mutual problems and issues, provide access to credit facilities, and learn new skills. Under a component of the Karnataka Urban Development Project, the efforts have substantially improved the health and living conditions of more than 30,000 slum residents, 65% of whom are women and children. For more information, contact Alex Jorgensen at ajorgensen@adb.org.
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Bank Staff Strengthen Skills to Work with NGOs
In August, more than 30 ADB personnel attended two training courses on working with NGOs. One course was organized for personnel at Manila headquarters, 5-7 August, while the other was held in Tashkent for staff of resident missions in ADB's East and Central Asia Regional Department, 11-14 August. The training improved staff skills in interacting with NGOs, raised awareness of - and sensitivity to - ADB-NGO issues, and covered relationship assessment, negotiation, and consensus building. The two courses were the latest in a series of NGO-related training initiated by ADB's NGO Center since its creation in 2001. For more information, contact Bobby Olarte at bolarte@adb.org.
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ADB Aims to Achieve Environmental Certification
ADB is making steady progress toward becoming the first multilateral development bank to obtain certification in two international standards on environmental and occupational health and safety management systems, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001. ISO 14001 certification signifies a commitment to prevent, control, and manage the impact of an organization's activities, products, and services on the environment in areas it can control. OHSAS 18001 is a tool to manage the conditions and factors that affect the well-being of personnel in the workplace. For more information, contact Julito Baldisimo at jbaldisimo@adb.org.
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Public Services Upgraded in Timor-Leste
Under the ADB-managed Emergency Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project in Timor-Leste, 16 rural power stations will be reinstated by the end of 2003, bringing power to thousands of households and commercial consumers. Community-based management structures are successfully managing electricity provision in local areas. Under another ADB-funded project, 245,000 persons will soon enjoy improved water supply and sanitation systems. The model adopted for the development of rural water supply was based on partnerships between communities and NGOs to develop, operate, and maintain facilities. For more information, contact Meeja Hamm at mhamm@adb.org.
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Book Presents Microfinance Lessons from Peru
Mibanco, Peru: Profitable Microfinance Outreach, with Lessons for Asia presents the case of Mibanco, a leading microfinance commercial bank in Peru that grew out of an NGO. The institution initially went through a difficult period due to macroeconomic instability in the country, but since it transformed into a commercial bank in May 1998, Mibanco has increased outreach and expanded its scope of services. It has also remained loyal to its original mission of serving low-income households and their microenterprises. The bank's story provides useful lessons for policymakers, practitioners, funding agencies, and Asian microfinance institutions, including NGOs, involved in microfinance. The case study was authored by ADB Lead Rural Finance Specialist, Nimal Fernando, with assistance from Patricia Calcetas. For more information, contact Nimal Fernando at nfernando@adb.org.
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Asian Development Outlook Analyses Regional Economic Prospects
The 15th edition of the Asian Development Outlook provides a comprehensive analysis of 41 economies in Asia and the Pacific, based on ADB's in-depth knowledge of the region. It also includes a broad diagnosis of macroeconomic conditions and growth prospects for the region in 2003-2004. This edition of the Outlook features a theme chapter on competitiveness. NGO staff can request a complimentary hard copy of the Outlook at adbpub@adb.org.
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NGO Visitors: International Foundation for Election Systems
This regular feature spotlights an NGO visiting ADB.
The International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) works to encourage national and international democracy by providing expert technical assistance on administering and managing elections, strengthening the rule of law, and promoting an active and informed civil society. Founded in 1987 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, IFES has grown from a two-person, two-room office in Washington, D.C., to a leading international center for elections and democracy promotion, with some 20 field offices around the world.
IFES has authored standard-setting guidelines for judicial independence that are used widely by governments and development organizations. Cutting-edge research continues on the enforcement of court judgments and protection of property rights as the foundations for sound economic development. IFES supports the development of civil society by combining advocacy training, public information, and civic education. Civil society programs have helped citizens and civil society organizations around the world to articulate and advocate for reforms, promote citizen participation and good governance, communicate more effectively with national and local governments, and contribute to the sustainability of democratic institutions and practices.
Over the last decade, IFES has conducted pre-election and election technical assessments, sociological surveys, civic and voter education initiatives, civic education projects, governance strengthening, and technology/equipment procurement projects in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Nepal, Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and East Timor. IFES maintains an office in Indonesia to support media strengthening, civic and voter education, elections assistance, legislative reform, and administrative capacity building projects. IFES also has an office in Afghanistan to support voter and civic education, develop electoral law, and assist with elections. An IFES legal advisor in Timor-Leste advises the Public Defenders Office in that country.
Ambassador Leon Weil, Paul DeGregorio, Robert Hsu and Marsh Thompson of IFES shared their experience on governance and judicial reform with ADB senior staff in Manila on 25 July 2003. ADB participants included Bindu Lohani, The Secretary, and Jan P.M. van Heeswijk, Director General, Regional and Sustainable Development Department. The meeting resulted in an agreement to explore opportunities for cooperation between ADB and IFES. To learn more about IFES, visit its web site: http://www.ifes.org.
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Upcoming Events
A listing in this section does not imply that funding is available to NGO participants.
- Certification and World Forestry Conference, 25 September 2003, Québec City, Québec, Canada. Contact Conference Coordinator, Certification Watch Conference, tel: (1.514) 273.5777; fax: (1.514) 277.4448; web site: http://www.certificationwatchconference.org/qc-chair-message.htm.
- Increasing Accountability Through Stakeholder Engagement (workshop), 23-24 October 2003, London, England, UK. Contact: Monica Blagescu, One World Trust, e-mail: blagescum@parliament.uk; web site: http://www.oneworldtrust.org/.
- Third ISTR Asia and Pacific Regional Conference, 24-26 October 2003, Beijing, PRC. Contact: International Society for Third Sector Research, tel: (1.410) 516.4678; fax: (1.410) 516.4670; e-mail: istr@jhu.edu; web site: http://www.istr.org.
- Development Policy, Planning and Management (training), 27 September - 13 December 2003, Birmingham, England, UK. Contact: Wendy Banner, University of Birmingham; tel: (44.121) 415.2295; fax: (44.121) 415.2296; e-mail: w.banner@bham.ac.uk; web site: http://www.bham.ac.uk/cds.
- Course on "Community-Based Integrated Watershed Management," 10-28 November 2003, Silang, Cavite, Philippines. Contact: IIRR, tel: (63.46) 414.2417; fax: (63.46) 414.2420
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Latest Documents Available from ADB
ADB makes available to the public hundreds of documents each year on its web site and through a global network of 165 depository libraries. The extensive on-line Publications Catalog allows users to browse through a list of over 4,000 titles. These include Country Economic Reviews (CERs), Environmental Impact Assessments, Project Completion Reports (PCRs), Reports and Recommendations of the President (RRPs), Summary Initial Environmental Examinations, and Technical Assistance Completion Reports (TACRs).
New releases include: Strengthening Microfinance Institutions for Urban and Environmental Infrastructure Finance - India (TACR); CER -Philippines; Optimizing Productivity of Poor Water User Associations - Nepal (Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction); Participatory Poverty Reduction Planning for Small Minorities - PRC (Technical Assistance Report); Poverty Reduction and Environmental Management in Remote GMS Watersheds - Regional (TACR); Pacific Regional Cooperation Strategy and Program 2004-2006; Development of the Capital Market - Uzbekistan (Technical Assistance Report); and Carbon Sequestration Through the Clean Development Mechanism (Canadian Cooperation Fund for Climate Change).
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Give us your Comments
Partnership Newsletter welcomes feedback from readers, and may publish letters received.
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Questions about the contents of Partnership Newsletter, or about ADB cooperation with NGOs, may be directed to Mr. Bart Édes at ngocoordinator@adb.org.
© Copyright 2003. 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 online. 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.
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