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Consultations on the Review of the Asian Development Bank's Long-Term Strategic Framework

Opening Remarks by
Rajat Nag
Managing Director General
Asian Development Bank

30 August 2007, Tokyo Japan
5 September 2007, Frankfurt, Germany

Ladies and Gentlemen, Good morning.

Let me begin by expressing on behalf of the Asian Development Bank, our sincere thanks and appreciation to all of you for accepting our invitation to these important consultations on the future long-term strategy of ADB.

At Kyoto, Governors and ADB Management agreed that consultations with ADB's stakeholders should be a central part of the review of our long-term strategic framework. It is in that spirit that we are here today, to hear your views on how to change and strengthen ADB's long-term strategy? to make it more responsive to the evolving context and needs of developing countries across Asia and the Pacific, and to make ADB a more effective development partner.

Our current long-term strategy was adopted in 2001 to provide operational guidance out to 2015. Its goal is to achieve an "Asia and Pacific region free of poverty" by promoting sustainable economic growth, inclusive social development, and governance for effective policies and institutions.

That strategy was formulated at time when the international development goals-later to be enlarged to the Millennium Development Goals-were being established, and the region was still focused on its emergence from the financial crisis of the late 1990s. This strategy has served the bank well, by promoting broad developmental directions with the ultimate purpose of reducing poverty.

But there are good reasons for reviewing the strategy. There have been, and continue to be, far-reaching changes taking place in the Asia and Pacific region. The Eminent Persons Group, which was convened last year to advise the president on trends and future challenges and ADB's role in that context, envisions a dramatically transformed Asia by 2020 where many countries in the region would have conquered extreme poverty. However, even then the region will not be without development challenges, including eliminating extreme poverty, and inequalities, in many countries. The report identifies critical issues, both risks and challenges, which ADB must be prepared to help tackle, plus institutional changes that ADB must undergo to become more flexible and responsive to the needs of developing Asia, and to become an even more effective development partner in the regional and global community.

I believe all of us have seen first hand the dynamic changes taking place in Asia and the Pacific, and are in general agreement that ADB must evolve alongside the region in order to serve it well. But to do so, we need a sound basis for our planning and a consensus on the way forward. The EPG report has been a valuable starting point, but it is ADB's stakeholders--members, civil society, private sector and ADB's own staff--who can provide the widest yet most incisive knowledge and perspectives for formulating and agreeing on ADB's future strategy.

ADB is building upon and extending the work of the EPG, with examination of issues such as inclusive growth, inequality, technology and innovation, knowledge management, and relevant documentation on these topics have been placed on ADB's websites for stakeholder consideration. Similar examination of some other issues is also underway. And, for the purpose of these consultations we have provided you with a Background Note, which among other things, sets out a list of key questions on which we seek stakeholder views to guide our further work on the strategy. That set of questions is not exclusive or meant to be restrictive, but simply to focus and facilitate these deliberations.

Ladies and gentlemen, with your permission, I would like to request my colleague, Ms. Shigeko Hattori to make a brief presentation on the main elements of the ongoing review and the key issues on which we seek your views and guidance, after which we will open these consultations for your active participation, which I certainly look forward to.

Thank you very much.