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MANILA, PHILIPPINES – ADB today announced the names on a panel of eminent persons who will advise ADB on key trends and development challenges ahead in the Asia and Pacific region and the institution's long-term direction in the context of a rapidly changing Asia and Pacific region.

The panel’s deliberations will constitute an initial phase of a comprehensive, consultative mid-term review of ADB’s Long Term Strategic Framework (LTSF) for 2001–2015.

The six-person group will be chaired by Mr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary General, UNCTAD, and also comprises Ms. Isher Ahluwalia, Chairperson, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations; Mr. Nobuyuki Idei, Chief Corporate Advisor, Sony Corporation; Mr. Caio Koch-Weser, Vice Chairman, Deutsche Bank; Mr. Justin Lin, Professor, China Center for Economic Research, Peking University; and Mr. Lawrence Summers, President, Harvard University.

ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda announced plans to convene the panel in his speech to the opening of ADB's 39th Annual Meeting, held in Hyderabad, India, in May, where he called for "new thinking" to solve Asia's most pressing problems.

"I am convening this panel of eminent persons to provide insights on the region’s future and how it will affect the future role of ADB," Mr. Kuroda said today, from ADB's Manila Headquarters.

"The goal is for ADB to benefit from the Panel’s views in realigning its operations to stay relevant and effective as a regional development bank in achieving its overarching objective of a region without poverty."

Adopted from ADB’s poverty reduction strategy approved in 1999, LTSF sets out approaches and principles to carry out core areas of intervention identified under the poverty reduction strategy: pro-poor sustainable economic growth, social development, and good governance.

The panel will begin its deliberations in July/August of this year. Its final report and recommendations will be presented at ADB’s 40th Annual Meeting to be held in Kyoto, Japan, in May 2007.

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