The People Must Play Role in Development, ADB President Tells Civil Society Representatives
KYOTO, JAPAN - Development cannot benefit the people unless they play a role in that development, ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda told a meeting today with representatives of civil society organizations. "As Asia has grown, civil society has taken on an increasingly important dimension as the voice and conscience of the people, including the marginalized and those living in poverty," Mr. Kuroda said. "Responding to this lesson, ADB has made important changes to engage civil society and communities themselves in the process of development." Mr. Kuroda pointed out that ADB's Country Partnership Strategies emphasize the importance of stakeholder consultation. ADB is also funding civil society organizations in fighting problems that affect the poor, such as HIV/AIDS and corruption. The ADB President pointed out that the organization would be seeking civil society participation in the development of ADB's Energy Strategy over the coming months, as well as the update of its Safeguards policies. "I assure you that we have no intention to dilute our safeguard policies," he said. "On the contrary, we consider them essential for improving the implementation of infrastructure and other development projects." He added that an important lesson learned from Asia's rapid development is that we must all be more diligent about the impact of development on the environment. "In this context, meeting Asia's energy needs is going to be a tough challenge," he said. During an open forum, some of the more than 100 civil society representatives present at the meeting raised various issues with the ADB President, including clean energy, the Mae Moh coal plant in Thailand, and resettlement. The meeting today was part of a special program for civil society groups at ADB's 40th Annual Meeting this week in Kyoto. This year’s Annual Meeting has attracted record participation from civil society organizations, with more than 240 participants registered. Included in the week's program are discussion panels addressing ADB's Energy Strategy, core labor standards, and environmental safeguards. See the full schedule of activities and nongovernment organizations, labor unions, and other civil society organizations in Kyoto. About ADB | 
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