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Annual Report 2004
2004 in Review: Board of Director's ReportAs the development community works to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, it focuses on performance, development effectiveness, and the need for management strategies to improve products, services, results, and impact—that is, managing for development results (MfDR). This is crucial in Asia and the Pacific where more than half the world's poor reside and where the effects of the devastating tsunami in December are only beginning to be felt and addressed. In 2004, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) therefore dedicated itself to improving the management of its resources and the impact of its operations. In November of 1999, ADB adopted a poverty reduction strategy (PRS) that comprised three pillars—pro-poor, sustainable economic growth; inclusive social development; and good governance. A review of the PRS that began at the end of 2003 concluded that the pillars are still relevant but recommended that country support be more closely aligned with national poverty reduction strategies, that monitoring poverty should be more comprehensive, and that monitoring performance should shift to MfDR in developing member countries (DMCs) and should be closely linked to the MDGs. As a result, all new country strategies and programs (CSPs) will have a results framework that includes monitoring and that links the constraints to poverty reduction identified in country poverty assessments with the proposed program, desired outcomes, and expected outputs with indicators for each relevant pillar, sector, and thematic priority. To complement the results framework, links between project outputs and sector outcomes will be emphasized in sector road maps. The CSP for Nepal prepared in 2004 was the first to follow the new format. Recommended management reforms include (i) establishing an MfDR unit; (ii) developing strategic and operational processes/ procedures for MfDR; (iii) mainstreaming MfDR throughout ADB; (iv) improving human resource management systems and processes and implementing the new human resource (HR) strategy; (v) aligning operational policies, strategies, and approaches with the PRS review and the Long-Term StrategicFramework 2001–2015 (LTSF); and (vi) making capacity development a thematic priority. In line with the overall MfDR framework, a comprehensive, results-oriented monitoring and evaluation system will be established at the project, sector and thematic, country, and institutional levels. To support adding capacity development as a thematic priority, the knowledge management framework adopted in June aims to put ADB's considerable knowledge into a readily usable form that is easily accessible to anyone who can log onto its website. An extensive capital investment in information systems and technology (information systems and technology strategy for 2004–2009) will facilitate implementation. To remain relevant in a region that is rapidly changing and to achieve greater development impact, ADB adopted a reform agenda on 14 June 2004 guided by the LTSF and the PRS review. In fact, the internal changes and realignment outlined in the review are the core of the agenda. It is subtitled, "Development Effectiveness: Achieving Results Together." The agenda specifies 19 interrelated initiatives that will enhance ADB's capability to manage its resources and activities to ensure its products and services contribute to desired development outcomes. Progress in 2004 was encouraging. Three initiatives were completed: strengthening performance-based allocations, establishing a results management unit, and conducting the independent assessment of the 2002 reorganization of ADB. Twelve of the remaining 16 will be completed in 2005, and the rest will be implemented over the next 3 years pending the allocation of appropriate financial resources and staff. In addition, the new HR strategy was approved; its implementation is crucial to the success of the reform agenda.
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