Catalog

	Table of Contents
p. 38 of 95 BACK | NEXT Message from the Chairman of the Board of Directors Members, Capital Stock and Voting Power The Record Abbreviations 2004 in Review: Board of Directors' Report Special Theme: The Changing Face of the Microfinance Industry: Building Financial Systems for the Poor Part 1: Institutional Effectiveness Part 2: Poverty Reduction Strategic Priorities Pro-Poor, Sustainable Economic Growth Inclusive Social Development Governance for Effective Policies and Institutions Thematic Priorities Regional Perspectives East and Central Asia Mekong The Pacific South Asia Southeast Asia Part 3: Financial Statements: Management's Discussion and Analysis

Annual Report 2004 : Part 2: Poverty Reduction : Strategic Priorities

---

Inclusive Social Development

While economic growth is essential in reducing poverty, it must be accompanied by effective social development programs to enable disadvantaged groups to benefit from the expanding opportunities that growth offers. In 2004, ADB continued to support efforts of DMCs in planning for their human capital development and in developing the policies, institutions, and infrastructure necessary to effectively deliver basic social services to the poor. Loans in the education sector in 2004 included support for the rehabilitation of schools in conflict areas, for basic education, for sector development programs, and for developing the skills of postsecondary school beneficiaries. Health sector support was provided through projects addressing improvements in the health of the poor and the disadvantaged as well as financing of reforms for better delivery of health care services. ADB also assisted urban water supply and sanitation projects. Specific attention was paid to gender and development, social protection, indigenous people, involuntary resettlement, and participatory development.

ADB support for inclusive social development contributes to the attainment of the nonincome MDGs. UNESCAP's report, Promoting the Millennium Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific: Meeting the Challenges of Poverty Reduction, notes that given current trends, the region is unlikely to meet some nonincome MDGs such as in achieving universal primary education, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, and ensuring environmental sustainability. ADB's support in these areas is critical.

Gender and Development

Women comprise two thirds of the poor in the region; improving their status is central to any strategy for poverty reduction. ADB mainstreams gender and development in its economic and sector work and in its operational activities. As part of the analytical and background studies for its CSPs, in 2004 ADB prepared and published country gender assessments for Bangladesh, Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), and Philippines.

ADB's 2004 loan portfolio included several loans directed to improve women's livelihoods and to provide them with better access to basic and essential services such as health care, education, safe water, and income-earning opportunities. Sectors covered include health, nutrition, and social protection; education; water supply, sanitation, and waste management; agriculture and natural resources; and law, economic management, and public policy. ADB also approved several technical assistance projects directed at (i) securing essential workers' rights for women, (ii) building capacity for inclusive citizenship and participatory governance, (iii) improving women's reproductive health, (iv) increasing literacy, (v) developing skills as entrepreneurs, and (vi) institutional reforms to improve women's status in the public sector. ( For more details refer to Gender and Development section)

Social Protection

In its 2001 strategy on social protection, ADB defines social protection as a set of policies and programs designed to reduce poverty and vulnerability by promoting efficient labor markets, diminishing people's exposure to risks, and enhancing their capacity to protect themselves against hazards and interruption/loss of income. In 2004 social protection activities focused on gaining a deeper understanding of country activities and on creating new knowledge. Social protection studies were started in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Nepal, and Pakistan. In addition, two regional studies focused on Central Asia and selected Pacific DMCs. Concerning knowledge creation, ADB provided technical assistance to develop social protection indexes in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, and Viet Nam.

The components of social protection are complex and broad. To gain a better understanding of the benefits and challenges of integrated social protection policies and programs, ADB works in close cooperation with other development partners and agencies. The areas of special concern include social protection in the informal sector, social insurance, labor issues in enterprise restructuring, and migration as a safe employment creation activity (see www.adb.org/socialprotection).

Indigenous Peoples

ADB continued to strengthen the implementation of its 1998 policy on indigenous peoples (see www.adb.org/Documents/Policies/Indigenous_Peoples/). ADB reviewed 73 projects and equity investments approved in 2004 for compliance with the policy. Twenty (27%) of the projects and equity investments actively applied the policy; eight (11%) projects were found to have significant impact (category A) and required the preparation of a development plan/framework for indigenous peoples. Five of those were infrastructure projects in the PRC and India, two were health sector projects in the Philippines and Viet Nam, and one was a community-managed irrigation project in the Lao PDR.

Twelve (16%) out of the 73 projects were found to have limited impact (category B) requiring specific actions to mitigate negative impacts or to ensure that benefits will accrue to indigenous peoples. Six of the category B projects were related to education in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, and Viet Nam. Three projects involved infrastructure in PRC, Lao PDR, and Nepal. The three remaining were an agriculture sector project in Afghanistan, an environmental improvement project in the PRC, and a women’s empowerment project in Nepal.

To strengthen the implementation of the policy and to reflect its new business processes, ADB approved a new section on indigenous peoples in its operations manual and continued to provide regular in-house orientation workshops for ADB staff and for DMC officials on the policy's implementation. ADB also began drafting a handbook on indigenous peoples to guide the implementation of the policy at ADB and to harmonize its approach with that of the World Bank.

To commemorate the end of the International Decade for Indigenous Peoples (1994–2004), ADB conducted the regional workshop Indigenous Peoples and Communal Land Management in Asia in December. The workshop discussed issues such as the challenge of defining the term “indigenous peoples" in the context of Asia, the development interventions that displace indigenous peoples, recognition of their rights by the state, and inclusive development.

ADB continued to actively participate in global discussions on safeguarding the interests of indigenous peoples. Together with the Alaska Federation of Natives, the World Bank, the Inter- American Development Bank, and several other development agencies, ADB cosponsored the Leadership Forum for Building Knowledge-Based Economies in Alaska in June.

Involuntary Resettlement

In 2004, ADB reviewed 73 projects and equity investments for compliance with its policy on involuntary resettlement (see www.adb.org/Documents/Policies/Involuntary_Resettlement). The review supported early screening of projects to assess and manage risks and to set standards for resettlement planning and implementation. Twenty-six (36%) of the projects had involuntary resettlement impacts and required resettlement plans/frameworks. Of those 26 projects, 16 had significant resettlement impacts. In the 10 remaining the impact was not significant. Resettlement frameworks, assurances, or other safeguards were incorporated in a further 9 projects to address potential resettlement impacts during project implementation. The remaining 38 (52%) projects were not expected to have any resettlement impacts. ADB held nine orientation sessions on involuntary resettlement to familiarize staff with safeguards.

ADB assisted DMCs to develop and implement national resettlement policies and helped strengthen the capacity of executing agencies to implement them. Six workshops and orientation sessions helped build the capacity of ADB resident mission, executing agency, and project management staff in Lao PDR, Sri Lanka, and Viet Nam. A regional technical assistance project on capacity building for resettlement risk management in Cambodia, PRC, and India was implemented. In addition, ADB approved three new technical assistance grants to enhance legal frameworks, to develop national policies, and to build institutional capacity in Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Nepal. ADB continued to enhance national resettlement policy standards in Sri Lanka and Viet Nam through technical assistance and through a program loan in the Lao PDR (see www.adb.org/resettlement/activities.asp). Support for developing and implementing national policies complements ADB's efforts to implement the involuntary resettlement policy. ADB provides updated information on resettlement on its website (see www.adb.org/resettlement).

Participatory Development

A series of workshops held in Dhaka, Bangladesh; Chengdu, Sichuan, PRC; Jakarta, Indonesia; and at ADB headquarters attended by a wide range of stakeholders from central, intermediate, and local government and civil society focused on two projects in each country illustrating the range of participation and how it might be optimized in projects sponsored by ADB and other organizations. In-depth discussions provided an opportunity for learning among groups that rarely communicate and generated recommendations for ADB to promote participatory development in its operations.

Modes of Participation, a collection of short ADB case studies that illustrate the distinctions among information sharing, consultation, collaboration or shared decision making, and empowerment or shared control were translated, printed, and disseminated in Chinese, Indonesian, Khmer, Lao, and Russian. The participation network continued to share reference materials and training announcements with staff members in resident missions and at ADB headquarters, and held a small number of lunchtime presentations. ADB approved a regional technical assistance project to support training for groups of stakeholders on specific ADB projects throughout Asia and the Pacific and to support trials of participation in strategy formulation and implementation. Work continued on developing training and reference materials.

Back Pro-Poor, Sustainable Economic Growth	Next Governance for Effective Policies and Institutions