ADB Working on Consultation Draft of Safeguards Update, Panel Hears

KYOTO, JAPAN - ADB is working on proposals to enhance environmental and social safeguards in undertaking projects in Asia and the Pacific, a panel heard here today.

ADB is updating all three of its safeguard policies – on Involuntary Resettlement (1995), Indigenous Peoples (1998), and Environment (2002) – to enhance their effectiveness and positive development impact, and ensure that they remain relevant to new lending products and the changing needs of its clients.

“The planned update will articulate more clearly ADB’s environment and social safeguard requirements and focus more on policy delivery during implementation,” says Nessim Ahmad, Director of ADB's Environment and Social Safeguard Division.

ADB’s safeguard policies were debated at a panel discussion today at ADB's 40th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors in Kyoto. Panelists included representatives of leading nongovernment organizations, including the Bank Information Center, Environmental Defense, and the International Accountability Project. They heard submissions from community leaders on experiences of ADB’s safeguards, particularly on indigenous people and resettlement, in Cambodia, northeast India, and Bangladesh, among others.

The first consultation draft for the safeguard policy update is expected to be posted on the web in mid-2007. Structured consultation workshops with stakeholders will follow across Asia and Pacific in the third quarter of the year.

“We look forward to continued strong engagement by civil society in the policy update process,” adds Mr. Ahmad, “and we also want to hear from other stakeholders such as those in government and the private sector.”

The final policy paper is expected to be ready for ADB Board consideration early next year.

The timeline for the update has been extended to accommodate special evaluation studies undertaken by the ADB Operations Evaluation Department, which reports independently to ADB's Board of Directors, and to finalize a consultation draft.

Further information is available on the safeguard policy update website http://www.adb.org/Safeguards/policy.asp

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