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| Features |
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Yi Xiao Jian Da (From Small, Look Big)
 With 17 TA projects totaling $9.2 million, the PRF portfolio in the People's Republic of China was described at a recent review meeting as one of the showcases of innovations and contributions to poverty reduction work among ADB operations. Read how this small fund is making a huge impact in poverty reduction work in the world's most populous nation.
Bridging the Digital Divide to Fight Rural Poverty
Access to information plays a crucial role in improving the living conditions of the poor, and information and communications technology can provide an efficient manner of improving access to information, as shown by the experiences of a pilot project in Sri Lanka.
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| Case Studies |
ON INFLUENCING POLICY & PROGRAMS
 Challenges to Reducing Poverty in the People's Republic of China
Despite the phenomenal economic growth experienced by the PRC over the last two decades, the country still faces serious poverty problems. A small TA project produced large impacts by providing an analysis of the constraints facing PRC's anti-poverty measures, which the PRC Government used to help formulate its country report.
 Ensuring Development Interventions at Mekong Border Areas Benefit the Poor
A regional TA grant funded by the NPRS researched how cross-border infrastructure and communications development have impacted the economic and social status of the poor in border areas, and recommended ways to ensure that the poor are not left behind.
 Monitoring Poverty in Bangladesh
For the Government's poverty reduction strategy to be implemented effectively, progress must be monitored and systems must be developed to capture lessons learned during policy and planning processes. A TA grant laid down a solid framework for monitoring and evaluating progress in poverty reduction, and helped establish a much needed consensus among key players involved.
Reforming the Standardization Framework of the Lao PDR
Realizing that international standards of quality have to be met and followed if the low- income and small-scale producers are to engage in a more competitive economy and participate in regional trade, a TA project helped the country take the first step to aligning the Lao PDR's administration of product standards to international practices. Focusing initially on the silk sector, the TA's results paved the way for reforming the standards of Lao PDR's other sectors.
ON TARGETED AND INCLUSIVE POVERTY REDUCTION EFFORTS
 Harnessing Mekong's Forests to Reduce Poverty
Relentless deforestation and degradation in the Mekong region affects over 1 million hectares annually, and threatens the livelihoods of more than 80 million poor people. A regional TA project conducted extensive research on the poverty impact of forestry policies and practices in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Viet Nam, thus providing significant insights that would help make natural resource management in the Mekong more economically sustainable and relevant to poverty reduction.
 Capacity Building for the Tonle Sap Poverty Reduction Initiative
To support the Tonle Sap Initiative, the central focus of ADB's assistance to Cambodia, a TA grant from the PRF boosted the capacity of institutions directly involved with sustainable development initiatives of the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. It also highlighted the need for further capacity building among the communities around Tonle Sap and the institutions that support them for better natural resource management on and around the lake.
 Promoting Early Childhood Development in Viet Nam
Early childhood development (ECD) can equip Vietnamese children with the skills needed to ensure a better future for them and, consequently, for their country. A TA grant funded by the PRF studied the health, nutrition, childcare, and education needs of Vietnamese children from poor and vulnerable households, leading to the preparation of the Government's first long-term strategy for ECD.
 Reducing the Physical Isolation of Viet Nam's Rural Poor
Physical isolation, along with insufficient and inefficient access to social services and markets, is one of the most central causes of poverty in Viet Nam. A TA grant from the PRF examined ways to improve mobility for the rural poor in Viet Nam, and developed a transparent, flexible, and easy to use methodology provincial authorities can use to prioritize projects in the transport sector and for road investments.
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| News and Events |
Recent Events
NPRS and PRF Donor Representatives Visit ADB for 8th Strategy Meeting
Representatives from the Government of the Netherlands and DFID, UK, met with ADB from 5-6 February to review the progress of the implementation of NPRS and PRF, assess preliminary outcomes and impacts of fund-supported activities on ADB operations, and discuss steps for closure. Read the Summary Notes here.
Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) Workshops Held
Under RETA 6088: Strengthening and Collection of Purchasing Power Parity Data in ADB DMCs, ERDI organized two consecutive meetings with the Core Group of Construction and Equipment experts from 12-15 March in Manila, Philippines, as an input to two regional workshops in Kathmandu, Nepal, held at the end of March. The two workshops, attended by representatives from the participating DMCs, were on International Comparison Program (ICP) Poverty Data Review (26-28 March) and on Preliminary PPP Results Review (29-31 March). For more information, visit the ICP website.
International Consultant Visits TA Projects in PRC
An international consultant visited the PRC from 19-30 March and teamed up with a national expert to gather data on five TA projects being carried out under the PRF-PRC portfolio, for the purpose of developing case studies. These case studies will highlight good practices and lessons learned from these projects as part of RETA 6270: Facilitating Knowledge Management for Pro-Poor Policies and Projects. A field visit to one of the project areas (TA 4580) was conducted, and a series of individual and group meetings with key stakeholders of the Government and of the five TAs were held.
International Workshop on Improvement of Rural Financial Market and Development of MFIs Held
A workshop under a PRF-PRC TA , cosponsored by ADB and the People's Bank of China (PBC), was held from 19-20 April at the Beijing Friendship Hotel with over 160 local and international participants. PBC Assistant Governor Dr. Yi Gang delivered the keynote speech, and Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus delivered a brief speech during the workshop.
Inauguration of secondary school girls' dormitory and learning center in Siem Reap
On 30 March 2007, an inauguration ceremony was held for a residential facility and learning center for secondary school girls in Angkor High School, Siem Reap, Cambodia and was attended by Secretary of State, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, and Governor of Siem Reap, as well as representatives from ADB. This is one of the three dormitories financed on a pilot basis by a PRF TA. See photos of inauguration.
Upcoming Events
RETA 6176: Building Capacity for Participatory Approaches to Poverty Reduction in ADB Operations, is supporting the consultation process for the Pakistan Country Partnership Strategy (March-June 2007) and the India Country Partnership Strategy (April-May 2007).
RETA 6190: Preventing the Trafficking of Women and Children and Promoting Safe Migration in the Greater Mekong Subregion, Final Regional Workshop, 25-27 July 2007 (re-scheduled), ADB Headquarters
RETA 6316: Asian Development Community Broadcasting Initiative, National Workshop, 21 May 2007, Vientiane, Lao PDR
RETA 6188: Establishing Legal Identity for Social Inclusion: Its relevance in ADB Operations - Seminar on Birth Registration, 8 June 2007, ADB Headquarters.
What is the link between getting registered at birth, having access to education, and ADB-funded education projects? This and other similar questions were researched as part of a PRF-funded TA grant, the results of which will be discussed at a seminar on 8 June.
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| Resources |
NPRS and PRF Annual Reports
The 2006 annual reports and the July-December 2006 semi-annual progress reports of both NPRS and PRF are available online.
Radio programs on HIV/AIDS
A short radio program on Radio Australia features the radio dramas produced under a regional technical assistance on HIV/AIDS Vulnerability and Risk Reduction Among Ethnic Minorities. Listen to it here.
TA 4319: Determinants and Drivers of Poverty Reduction and ADB's Contribution in Rural Pakistan: (i) Governance Impediments to Pro-Poor Change in Pakistan by Ali Cheema; (ii) Rural Economy and Livelihoods in Pakistan by Haris Gazdar; and (iii) Social Structures in Rural Pakistan by Shandana Khan Mohmand and Haris Gazdar.
The TA, approved in March 2004, supported a detailed study of both chronic and transitory rural poverty, and sought to identify appropriate policy and implementation measures to promote sustained poverty reduction. The above thematic papers are interim outputs of this project based primarily on fieldwork carried out in diverse regions of rural Pakistan.
TA Final Report
RETA 6224: Pilot Testing Participatory Assessment Methodologies for Equitable and Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Systems
The RETA, approved in 2004 and completed in February 2007, piloted a participatory assessment methodology on two ADB-supported rural water supply and sanitation projects in Sri Lanka and Viet Nam. The overall goal of the assessment was to draw out lessons on the potential for greater impact and sustainability of services that follow gender-sensitive, pro-poor, and demand responsive programming in the water, sanitation and hygiene sectors.
GMS Core Environment Program EOC website
The Environment Operations Center (EOC), established in early 2006, is responsible for facilitating the implementation of the GMS Core Environment Program. The PRF provides technical assistance support (RETA 6289) to the Core Environment Program. For more information on the activities of the EOC, visit their website*.
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The Asian Development Bank provides the information contained in this newsletter and links to its web site solely as a resource. While ADB tries to provide high-quality content on its web site, it does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of this information; and therefore, will not be liable in any capacity for damages or losses to the user that may result from the use of this information. ADB and its affiliate offices, likewise, will not be responsible for any errors, omissions, or inadvertent alterations that may occur in the disclosure of content in this newsletter or on its web site.
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