ADF X Donors' Meeting
Closing Remarks by
Haruhiko Kuroda
President
Asian Development Bank
14 September 2007
Sydney, Australia
Mr. Chair,
Distinguished Delegates,
Members of the Board of Directors,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank each one of you for frankly sharing your views on ADB's efforts in the use of ADF resource and the development impact on the region we serve. I greatly appreciate your constructive suggestions and comments.
We have listened carefully to your thoughts on how ADB can be more effective and efficient, both in its operations and in its internal processes. We all agree that institutional effectiveness is crucial if we are to ensure that benefits of our operations reach more of the region's poor. I am pleased that you have acknowledged our progress in various areas, as guided by the commitments of ADF IX. I give you my commitment that we will carefully consider all of your concerns and suggestions that you have raised over the past two days.
We recognize how important development effectiveness is for all of us. For the DMCs, it is results on the ground that really matter for them. For you, the donors, that's what you need to see to continue and hopefully enhance your contribution to ADF. And for us at ADB, to assure ourselves that we are spending ADF funds well and wisely.
Continuing implementation of the Bank's human resource strategy is a high priority for us. We take full note of the various issues that you have raised in this context.
Many of you have mentioned about the staff engagement survey. I strongly support it. As we mentioned in Frankfurt, I wish to undertake this after 3 years of our new and revised performance evaluation system has been in place. This is appropriate since a meaningful assessment of the new system needs a reasonable lead time. Given this, we will undertake the staff engagement survey in early 2008, immediately after the completion of the staff performance assessment process for 2007.
I also note that numerous comments have been made about the need to ensure that there is consistency between the LTSF process and the ADF negotiations. I agree. As we said yesterday, the two processes are of necessity and logic intertwined.
Let me explain to you the timeline we have in mind. We currently plan an informal Board seminar on the LTSF review at the end of this month, followed by a Board and Management retreat at the end of October. A first draft of the LTSF will be discussed by the Board in January 2008, followed by a final draft by March. Simultaneously, on ADF X, we plan a second meeting in Vientiane at the end of November followed by a third meeting in Manila in March, and the fourth meeting prior to the annual meeting in Madrid. These parallel processes of LTSF review and ADF X negotiations will enable us to ensure consistency between the two.
We agree that we must look at how we will deliver the LTSF, including institutional and human resource aspects. That will be part of the process of defining and subsequently implementing the LTSF. We will discuss this with shareholders in the context of the LTSF review.
Based on the useful discussions over the last two days, we feel that we are in a better position to start developing a clear ADF program. Building on this, we propose to come to you in Vientiane with proposals for ADF X program.
As I said in my opening statement, this is a time for redoubling our efforts to fight poverty. With your support and commitment, I have every confidence that ADB will continue to make valuable contributions to reducing poverty in the ADF countries - contributions that will also help ensure the region's ongoing stability.
I recognize that the decision each of you has to make regarding your contribution to ADF X is an important and serious one, with competing demands from many other areas. We have described to you the important development outcomes that ADF has helped achieve, and our efforts to further improve the effectiveness of our assistance. I ask only that you weigh carefully these returns from your investments in Asia and the Pacific to date, where development dollars have substantially improved the standard of living for hundreds of millions of poor people. And I ask for your ongoing assistance so that we can put an end to poverty in the region for the next generation.
Thank you, and have a safe and pleasant journey home.
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