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Information Policy and Strategy

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Information strategy

The information strategy of the Bank will be governed by the policy described in the previous section. The strategy will be based on the messages the Bank intends to convey, the target audiences, and the modes of delivery it deems relevant to use. The choice of messages, target audiences, and modes of delivery will depend on the Bank’s needs at any given time. As such, the strategy will be sufficiently flexible and will be reviewed and amended as necessary to accommodate broader Bank priorities that may change from time to time.

In the medium term, the major objective of the information strategy is to determine how best to support the Bank’s strategic and operational agenda. The strategic agenda of promoting development, mobilizing resources, and encouraging regional cooperation have important implications for the Bank’s activities. In addition, the key messages of the operational agenda for the 1990s—a sharper country focus, emphasis on crosscutting issues, and increased concern for project quality—need to be conveyed properly and explained to appropriate audiences to generate and maintain support for the Bank’s initiatives.

In furthering its information strategy, the Bank will follow a policy of transparency in disclosure of information, as detailed in its Confidentiality and Disclosure of Information policy paper. Efforts will be made to increase disclosure of information, while taking into account countervailing constraints that may arise in carrying out the Bank’s operations. There will be a presumption in favor of disclosure, although information received from DMCs on a confidential basis will not be released without express and prior approval of the DMCs concerned.

Messages

The Bank has many messages to convey. These will be developed and delivered proactively in addition to such routine information as reports on Bank policies, initiatives, projects, operational approvals, and targets; Board and Management decisions; results of research and studies; proceedings of seminars, conferences, workshops, etc.

For the foreseeable future, in support of the Bank’s strategic agenda, the priority messages will include the following.

1. Fostering economic growth on a sustainable basis in the Asian and Pacific region through the Bank is in the interest of all member countries. Everybody benefits from development, and it is in the self-interest of all member countries to support an institution dedicated to sustainable and mutually beneficial economic development. Growth and economic liberalization create markets and open up opportunities for business, trade, and investment for all. Specifically, Bank lending and technical assistance generate opportunities among all member countries for the procurement of goods and services.

2. The Bank fulfills an essential developmental role. Sustainable economic development is a fundamental need for the Asian and Pacific region because, despite its past strong economic performance, Asia still has three quarters of the world’s poor. The Bank, with its clearly defined strategic objectives, helps meet this need. It therefore relies on the full support of its shareholders.

3. The Bank is a catalyst for economic and social change. The Bank, with its considerable experience and intellectual resources, can help develop policies, promote economic reforms, educate, and foster economic and social change. It can also support and complement the efforts of bilateral donors in policy development and aid management.

4. The Bank fosters regional and subregional cooperation. This stimulates sustainable economic growth and creates opportunities for increased trade, investment, and business. It also enhances mutual understanding and improves regional security, thereby promoting international peace and stability.

Although there are many other messages that could be communicated, the principal messages described in the previous paragraph are tailored to the prevailing priorities of the Bank and the resources available.

The Bank will take maximum advantage of a number of existing publicity opportunities to convey its messages. The most important publicity event each year is the Annual Meeting, which brings together government officials, bankers, business people, observers from multilateral institutions, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), and media persons. This offers a unique and cost-effective opportunity for the Bank to generate publicity.

Other opportunities arise at the time of the launching of the Annual Report and the Asian Development Outlook, major loan signings, press conferences on important developments, annual press tours of Bank projects, and speeches by Management and senior Bank officials at important meetings and seminars. These occasions will be fully exploited to deliver the Bank’s messages.

In addition to these, the Bank will strive to find or create other opportunities to explain, convey, and publicize its mission and its strategic and operational agenda.

Target audiences

The Bank recognizes that support from its constituencies is critical to its ability to continue to function as an effective development finance institution. Constituency-building is an essential element of the Bank’s information activity. The Bank’s member countries (both donors and DMCs) will be the primary target of this activity.

The Bank’s messages will be directed at the following target audiences:

1. media: print and electronic;⁴

2. governments: key decision makers in member governments, and government agencies and organizations directly involved with development issues;

3. special interest groups: NGOs, both national and international; regional and international trade and economic fora, like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and APEC; national and international organizations and bilateral and multilateral aid groups and agencies; and public and community fora;⁵

4. politicians: parliamentarians, members of congress, and legislative aides;

5. business, banking, and financial communities, including professional associations, chambers of commerce, and investor groups; and

6. academe: libraries; research institutions; think tanks; academic societies; and schools, colleges, and universities.

Modes of delivery

To deliver its messages effectively, the Bank will use the most convenient, effective, and cost-efficient channels of communication. The choice will depend on the audience to be reached and the level of exposure required.

In general, materials for the print media, such as news releases, articles, feature stories, photographic releases, and institutional advertisements, as well as printed matters, such as annual reports, periodicals, newsletters, background papers, information brochures, books, monographs, studies, and target-oriented publications,⁶ will continue to be the primary outlet for information. This is because the print media have a more lasting impact and are more convenient for access. However, in the medium term and in response to the increasingly wide use of new technology, the Bank will gradually increase its emphasis on the electronic media because of their greater global coverage, immediacy of appeal and round-the-clock operation. These will include:

1. video: video news releases, film clips, features and documentaries on the Bank, its activities and the broad range of issues in the Asian and Pacific region, aimed particularly at network television, seminars and conferences, and classrooms;

2. TV press conferences and one-on-one interviews; cultivation of electronic media contacts and teleconferences; and

3. electronic systems: computer diskettes, CD-ROM, electronic mailbox, computer networks, interactive databases, bulletin boards on computer networks, and multimedia systems.

Since personal delivery, though limited in scope, is often more effective in the impact it creates, the Bank will also increasingly utilize the following to further its objectives:

1. briefings: tours of Bank projects organized for the media, NGOs, government officials, and other special interest groups; and briefing sessions on Bank activities for specific groups, such as parliamentarians and congressional committees, business people, investors, financial analysts, and other interested groups;

2. conferences, seminars, and workshops on Bank activities, operational strategies, and developmental issues; to increase awareness about the Bank in donor countries, the Bank, wherever possible, will invite leaders in donor countries to speak at its conferences; and

3. speakers’ bureaus: speeches by Management and senior staff before selected audiences and at important conferences and seminars in member countries and major capital markets.

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