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1. Record Civil Society Attendance Expected at ADB’s 42nd Annual Meeting
More than 230 representatives of accredited civil society organizations (CSOs) are registered to attend the 42nd Annual Meeting its Board of Governors in Bali, Indonesia, 2 to 5 May. A series of discussion panels, dialogues, and briefings have been scheduled for civil society participants. Discussion panels will address ADB-WWF cooperation in support of sustainable development in the Asian and Pacific region, implementation of ADB’s Public Communications Policy, and ADB assistance in the Energy sector. The full schedule of activities under the Civil Society Program can be found online. For more information, contact Suzanne Nazal, Civil Society Cooperation Officer, NGO and Civil Society Center (NGOC), at ngocoordinator@adb.org.
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2. Economic and Financial Crisis Drives more Asians below the Poverty Line
A recent ADB study estimates indicate that a reduction in growth of gross domestic product per capita of 3 percentage points over growth registered in 2007—a year of high growth for many Asian developing countries—would result in almost 61 million additional $1.25/day poor in 2009, and 98 million additional poor in 2010, as compared to a baseline scenario of no economic slowdown.
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3. Loan Improves Quality of Rural Infrastructure in Indonesia
A $50 million ADB loan to the Government of Indonesia has contributed to the rehabilitation and improvement of about 1,800 poor and isolated villages in East Java, Nusa Tenggara East, South East Sulawesi, and South Sulawesi provinces. The project gave the beneficiary communities some freedom to decide what to do with the money, allowing them to propose the subprojects they needed most. All of the subprojects, therefore, were selected, designed, and constructed by communities with technical support from village facilitators.
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4. NGOs Contribute to Reef Restoration in Papua New Guinea
NGOs under a pilot ADB project have mobilized some two dozen shoreline villages to take charge of protecting their marine resources. By trading short-term pain for long-term gain, these villages are beginning to reverse the tide of overexploitation. The project, relying on a community-based management approach to conserving marine resources, has been pioneered as part of the Coastal Fisheries Management and Development Project.
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5. Countries Join Together to Protect Coral Triangle
The draft Regional Action Plan for the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) on coral reefs, fisheries and food security provides a framework for Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste to ensure the sustainable management of an area often referred to as "the Amazon of the Seas." Working with the Global Environment Facility, the ADB has served as lead partner for mobilizing financial resources for the program. The other founding partners are the governments of Australia and the United States, as well as Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, and the World Wide Fund for Nature.
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6. Foundation Pursues New Green Revolution for Poor People in Rural India
India’s National Agro Foundation is putting in place agricultural technologies and livelihood and training programs that have the potential to benefit millions of small farmers in India, says Foundation Managing Trustee S. S. Rajsekar. Mr. Rajsekar, who is the son of Shri C.S. Subramaniam, the architect of India’s "Green Revolution" in the 1960s, gave a presentation on the Foundation's work at ADB on 20 March. The Foundation is a charitable trust dedicated to improving the lives of rural families. It operates in the state of Tamil Nadu, where it has a research and development center, including state-of-the art laboratories for soil and food testing, and another facility dedicated to training.
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7. ADB Appoints New Chair to Compliance Review Panel
ADB has appointed a new Chair, Rusdian Lubis, to the Compliance Review Panel, a body that helps address the concerns of people affected by ADB-assisted projects. Mr. Lubis replaces Mr. Augustinus Rumansara. The Panel is part of ADB’s Accountability Mechanism, which allows people who believe they have been adversely affected by ADB-assisted projects, to express their concerns and seek solutions. They can also report alleged noncompliance with ADB's operational policies and procedures.
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8. Entries Sought for World Habitat Awards 2009 Competition
The Building and Social Housing Foundation is seeks entries for the World Habitat Awards 2009 Competition. The Competition is open to all individuals and organizations, including central and local governments, NGOs, community-based groups, research organizations and the private sector. Each year a panel of international judges assesses the projects entered for the competition and selects two winners. An award of £10,000 is presented to the winners at the annual United Nations global celebration of World Habitat Day. Deadline is 1 June.
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9. Civil Society Observers Sought for Meetings on Climate Change Investment Funds
CSO representatives interested in serving as temporary observers to the Climate Investment Fund, 11-15 May, committees are invited to express their interest. Interested organizations should provide a description of their organization, position, motivation, and the committee or sub-committee for which they like to observe. For more information, contact Dana Goodson, dgoodson@resolv.org.
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10. Grant Competition Invites Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation
The 2009 Development Marketplace (DM) grant competition is seeking innovative solutions to addressing Climate Adaptation in three sub-themes. The call for proposals is open through 18 May. Winning projects will receive a grant for up to $200,000 for implementation over two years.
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11. Study Looks at Resource Optimization in the PRC’s Road Sector
An ADB study examines how the development of the road system in the People’s Republic of China affects the use of land, the use of energy, and the quality of the environment, and whether more efficient management of the transportation system could limit or reduce those impacts. The outcome of the study is a series of recommended policies and guidelines and a handbook to help better balance the needs of economic growth with the valid concerns about the use of energy and scarce resources and the environmental impacts.
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12. Training Courses, Conferences, and Workshops
A listing in this section does not imply ADB endorsement or availability of financing for participants. All events take place in 2009.
- Stakeholder Participation in Planning, Needs Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation using PRA/PLA Tools, 13-18 July, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Contact: Mosaic; e-mail: wkshop05@mosaic-net-intl.ca; tel: +1 613 728 1439; website: www.mosaic-net-intl.ca.
- Making Governance Gender Responsive, 23-30 July, Manila, Philippines. Contact: Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics; e-mail: capwip@capwip.org; tel: +63 2 851 4954; website: www.capwip.org/training/mggr.htm.
- International Course on Monitoring and Evaluation, 14 September-3 October, Cavite, Philippines. Contact: IIRR; e-mail: Education.Training@iirr.org; tel: +63 46 414 24176, local 402; website: www.iirr.org.
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