ADB Consults China on Update of Safeguard Policy

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Consultations on the update of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) environmental and social safeguard policies started in Beijing today with representatives from Government, civil society, academe, development agencies and the private sector participating.

The two-day meeting marks the eighth round of consultations in the Asia and Pacific region on the proposed safeguards, which are being updated to integrate three existing policies into one consolidated safeguard statement and to enhance the relevance of ADB safeguards and strengthen their effectiveness.

The update will make the safeguards more effective in protecting people, communities and the environment that are impacted by development projects financed by ADB.

At the Beijing meeting, officials from three Government agencies – the State Environmental Protection Administration, the Ministry of Land Resources Management and the State Ethnic Affairs Committee – will give presentations on their own safeguards system and experiences.

“As part of ADB’s safeguard policy update, we have recognized that some developing member countries have developed in varying degrees their own safeguards,” said Nessim Ahmad, Director, ADB Environment and Social Safeguards Division.

“Supporting those governments’ efforts to strengthen and use their own systems would enhance country ownership of safeguards, reduce project transaction costs and extend development impacts.”

However, in order for projects financed by ADB to use a country’s own safeguards, those policies must be equivalent to ADB’s own environmental and social protection measures and there must be sufficient capacity in place.

The consultative process gives stakeholders a chance to review and comment on the key features of the policy update.

The consultation draft, which has been translated into Chinese, was posted on ADB's Web site for comments until 1 April 2008. After the consultations, a draft policy will be prepared and made available for additional comments. For more information, visit http://www.adb.org/Safeguards/about.asp.

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