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The Public Communications Policy of the Asian Development Bank: Disclosure and Exchange of Information

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III. ADB's Experience in Public Communications

A. Implementation of the Information Policy

1. Key Features of the Information Policy

15. The Information Policy supports ADB's strategic agenda and objectives. It identifies messages to convey, target audiences to be reached, and modes of delivery to be employed. It has four main messages:

1. ADB fosters sustainable economic growth in the Asia and Pacific region, which is in the interest of all member countries;
2. ADB fulfills an essential development role;
3. ADB is a catalyst for economic and social change; and
4. ADB fosters regional and subregional cooperation. It identifies the target audiences for these messages, and specifies various ways of disseminating the messages to them.

2. Assessment of Implementation

16. In the decade since the Information Policy was adopted, ADB has expanded and strengthened its relationships with a large number of target audiences, including civil society groups, development organizations, and international and local media. It has delivered news and views to a wider audience. It has begun the shift from reactive dissemination of information to proactive engagement with target audiences.

17. Given the lack of clear benchmarks or a monitoring framework, it is difficult to assess whether the progress to date is sufficient to achieve the objective of the Information Policy. However, in the decade since the policy was adopted, ADB has conducted a number of reviews of various aspects of its operations and these have commented on ADB's external relations. The Long-Term Strategic Framework (2001-2015), the Review of Progress in Implementation of the Resident Mission Policy (2000), and the Reorganization of the Asian Development Bank (2001) all highlighted the need for stronger external relations. External reviews of ADB's external relations-both at headquarters and field level-reached the same conclusion and recommended actions to strengthen external relations (see Box 2 for the key lessons). Only a few of these recommendations were implemented.

18. The conclusion to be drawn is that, despite some progress in improving awareness of ADB among external audiences, ADB has still not achieved a public profile commensurate with its role in the development of the Asia and Pacific region. The Information Policy was written at a time when ADB considered that its contribution to development would speak for itself, and that explaining and promoting that contribution was unnecessary. ADB therefore committed few resources and assigned low priority to external relations. In short, the Information Policy was a product of the time in which it was formulated. Times have changed. The policy is no longer sufficient to achieve the corporate aspiration expressed in the Long-Term Strategic Framework (2001-2015) to "raise and strengthen its external profile" or its commitment to ADB becoming a learning institution and source of development knowledge in Asia and the Pacific.

B. Implementation of the Disclosure Policy

1. Key Features of the Disclosure Policy

19. The Disclosure Policy commits ADB to "a presumption in favor of disclosure of information". The presumption applies in the absence of certain legal and practical constraints. The Disclosure Policy aims to provide the greatest possible degree of transparency and disclosure in all areas of ADB operations to ensure the success of its mission, sustain public support for the institution, and enable it to serve as a model for those it seeks to assist. The Disclosure Policy lays out three classification categories: "confidential," "for official use only", and "unclassified."

20. The Disclosure Policy requires that project or program profiles be prepared for all projects and programs when they are first listed in ADB Business Opportunities. It requires public sector project or program profiles to be updated regularly after Board approval of the project or program, but remains silent in this regard on private sector project profiles. The conditions under which disclosure may take place are explained for certain documents, including reports and recommendations of the President (RRPs), technical assistance reports, sector papers, feasibility studies, and environmental documents. Requests for technical information about projects or documents not cited in the Disclosure Policy must be approved by the concerned department or office, as well as by the relevant government. Finally, the Disclosure Policy specifies that requesters of information should receive a response from ADB within 22 working days.

2. Assessment of Implementation

21. Since the adoption of the Disclosure Policy, ADB has made more information available to external audiences, and, in the process, has contributed to an increase in public awareness of ADB's role, objectives, and operations. Although the many benefits of transparency have been recognized, the absence of an implementation strategy has prevented them from being fully realized.

22. Many external stakeholders have stated that disclosure is not always presumed, and that clear criteria for confidentiality are needed. In practice, whether information is "confidential" is subject to the discretion of ADB and member governments. ADB is said to often accept a borrower's designation of information as secret, thereby calling into question the presumption in favor of disclosure. External respondents claim that disclosure often occurs only after deliberations have concluded and decisions have been made regarding a specific strategy, policy, or project.

23. There are other areas where improvements to the current Disclosure Policy are required. The Disclosure Policy is unclear and confusing in some areas, and many current documents are not cited in the text. Many staff have expressed concern about the amount of time they spend responding to requests and seeking approvals from ADB and member country governments to disclose certain documents of interest to persons residing in project areas, and to organizations raising issues on their behalf. Some staff have expressed uncertainty about what information can be released, which offices are responsible for disclosure requests, and how those requests should be coordinated. They need clarity and training. Furthermore, staff say that the obligatory updating of project profiles is hindered by ADB's administrative systems, and is given low priority.

24. Experience has demonstrated that greater openness and information sharing have improved the quality of operations.⁹ Experience has also shown that projects generate complaints from local constituencies when insufficient information is made available during project design and implementation and when information is not made available early enough.¹⁰ Many staff feel there is a need for a revised policy that offers more support for meaningful consultation and participatory development.

25. At the same time, staff recognize that transparency must be balanced with the need to protect the internal deliberative process, maintain the trust of member country governments, and maintain a strong client orientation. Confidentiality is generally considered most relevant at the early stages of deliberation, when candid advice is often provided to governments in sensitive areas. Citing very heavy workloads, operational staff also warn against imposing new disclosure requirements that would add an unreasonable burden.

C. Conclusion

26. The 1994 Information Policy and Disclosure Policy need to be updated. To deliver on its commitment to greater transparency and to gain respect and trust from its stakeholders, ADB must develop a more robust and focused approach to external relations, supported by strong leadership, adequate resources, and a shift in thinking about the role of external relations within the institution. Such an approach must be grounded in a corporate culture favoring timely and adequate disclosure of information to enhance meaningful stakeholder participation in ADB's work.

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