ADB Launches Consultations on Energy Policy
MANILA, PHILIPPINES - ADB today launched a series of consultations that will take place across the region to assess the relevance and future direction of its policy on energy. The launch took place on the second day of ADB's Clean Energy Week, where major players in the Asian energy agenda - including representatives of developing countries, donor governments, nongovernment organizations, and the private sector - are discussing, debating and exchanging experiences on energy issues and climate change at ADB's Manila Headquarters. During today's sessions, stakeholders were invited to discuss what they are looking for from ADB and what the challenges are in formulating a new energy strategy. ADB's last energy policy was released in 1995 to recognize the environmental impact of energy production and use, and the changing needs of the sector, including financially robust and highly efficient sector operation. It was last reviewed in 2000. Since then, the pace of economic growth in Asia has been rapid, putting pressure on Asian countries to secure their energy supply in order to maintain high growth. This and other developments, such as the rocketing price of oil, has elevated the need for energy conservation, energy efficiency, and the use of renewable energy as key priorities for developing countries in the region. Meanwhile, climate change has emerged as an important issue requiring immediate action to mitigate and adapt to. Stakeholders urged ADB to ensure that its policy put more emphasis and focus on the energy-poverty alleviation-environmental nexus. Among the external speakers in today's session were Greenpeace Executive Director Gerd Liepold; Gordon Couch, Senior Consultant at International Energy Agency; Cindy Lowry, Senior Energy Advisor at USAID; and Smita Nakhooda, an Associate at the World Resources Institute. About ADB | 
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