Regional Workshop on National Resettlement Policy Enhancement and Capacity Building
Welcome remarks by
President Tadao Chino
Asian Development Bank
18 February 2002
ADBHQ, Manila
Distinguished Participants:
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the Asian Development Bank in Manila for this important occasion. Some of you represent the country teams that have made a significant contribution to this Regional Technical Assistance on National Resettlement Policy Enhancement and Capacity Building. Today, we also have a number of government representatives from other countries in the region where involuntary resettlement is a significant issue. Some of you represent civil society groups, and some of you represent other development agencies. We welcome all of you to ADB headquarters for this workshop.
I would like to highlight the reasons why we think this topic is so critical, and also explain why we place such importance on regional initiatives to address issues of common concern, such as resettlement.
In early 1999, I announced that poverty reduction in Asia and the Pacific would be ADB's overarching goal. Since then, ADB has put in place several significant initiatives, and in particular the Poverty Reduction Strategy, and the Long-Term Strategic Framework for 2001-2015. Unlocking the potential of the poor lies at the very heart of ADB's Long-Term Strategic Framework. ADB also adopted a new organizational structure early this year which will enhance our capacity to carry out this agenda more effectively and efficiently. An integral part of this agenda is the enforcement of social safeguards. We are strengthening our capacity to enforce our safeguard requirements to help achieve the highest standards of development assistance - and to mitigate the impacts for those who might be displaced in the interest of improving the lives of many people.
Infrastructure projects are essential for development, for growth and for poverty reduction. Yet these projects often involve land acquisition and right-of-ways that can result in the displacement of people from their homes, from their income sources, and from social support networks. Displacement disproportionately affects the poor - and also brings risks of impoverishment for the near poor. We know that the poor find it hardest to restore what they have lost - they have fewer options upon which to fall back, and their resources are limited.
ADB's recent Involuntary Resettlement Policy Review has confirmed the importance of mitigating the effects of displacement. The Review has highlighted the need to take concrete steps to ensure that no one is unduly disadvantaged by developments that benefit many others.
We know now that we can do a lot to reduce the risks for those affected by putting in place effective safeguards at the project level. The ADB Policy on Involuntary Resettlement is designed to reduce such risks. Yet we know that, while it is important to work at the project level, complementary and supportive policy and legal frameworks are perhaps even more important in achieving good resettlement practice. A good resettlement policy framework, together with the regulatory and institutional arrangements to back it up, sets a firm basis for preparing future projects, enhances investor confidence, and engenders community support. Such a policy framework also represents a tangible commitment to poverty reduction by minimizing the poverty risks of development-induced displacement.
I would now like to explain why we consider this endeavor to be a regional activity. Since its founding in 1966, ADB has played a leading role in promoting regional cooperation. ADB has a unique advantage in combining global and regional knowledge and resources for sound regional development. I have been particularly interested in this theme ever since I helped draft ADB's charter. It is well known that Asia and the Pacific is home to two-thirds of the world's poor. ADB's Poverty Reduction Strategy clearly links the fight against poverty with regional cooperation, which is vital for creating new opportunities for economic and social development.
In this endeavor, ADB is happy to work with a broad range of stakeholders. I have spoken before about the importance of consultation, participation and collaboration with civil society groups at all levels in our work. Our partner development agencies, several of which are represented here at this workshop, are also important stakeholders in this regional consultation process. In this study, we have fostered opportunities to involve representatives of civil society. Indeed, in many cases, the representatives of people affected by development projects have shared their views in the consultation process. We are pleased that some representatives of civil society groups have agreed to join us for this workshop here today.
As a regional development institution, ADB provides significant regional technical assistance in the form of grants, such as this regional study. Promoting regional dialogue and partnerships, providing opportunities for working together toward poverty reduction, and developing sound governance, are all important for the future prosperity of the region. This highlights the importance of the theme of this workshop - the enhancement of fair, equitable and transparent national standards for involuntary resettlement.
Each of ADB's developing member countries has a unique tradition, and their own arrangements and capacities for addressing poverty reduction and enhancing social safeguards. Yet there are significant opportunities to work together to achieve shared objectives, and to learn from each other's strengths and experiences. This regional technical assistance presents an opportunity to focus on the big picture, to share experiences, and to formulate ideas about long-term strategies. I am sure that you will take advantage of this unique opportunity that today's Workshop affords.
This is ADB's second Regional Technical Assistance, or RETA, in Involuntary Resettlement Policy Enhancement; the first RETA started in 1998. Through these two RETAs, we have been able to cover a total of eight regional countries, and through country-specific technical assistance and loan programming, we have been able to cover several more countries. We have now reached a critical point. In each country, there has been a process of reflecting upon past experiences at the project level, and reviewing the policy, legal and regulatory frameworks, and the supportive institutional structures. There has, in each country, been a process of consultation and formulation of recommendations through the National Resettlement Action Plans.
We now need to look forward to the next steps for putting in place essential safeguards. We need to reflect on how we can best assist ADB's developing member countries to achieve this objective. We would like to engage in further dialogue with DMCs to bring their national resettlement standards forward. I am sure that each of the country teams will provide valuable inputs for us to identify measures to support concrete commitments to move ahead with this important agenda.
Distinguished participants, I wish you success in your consultations, and I look forward to learning of your recommendations.
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