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Civil Society including NGOs
This discussion panel, prompted by the partnership between ADB and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), provided an opportunity to raise awareness of the growing operational and strategic challenges and opportunities for environmental management as a key factor for sustainable development.
Opening Address
Ms. Ursula Schaefer-Preuss, Vice President, Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development, ADB
Introduction
Mr. Timothy Geer, Director, Government and Aid Agency Relations, WWF International
Panelists
- Mr. Professor Jiang Yi, Vice Dean, Tsinghua University
- Ms. Erna Witoelar, Co-Chair, Partnership for Governance Program; Board Member, Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation
- Pierre Jacquet, Chief Economist, Agence Française de Développement
- Mr. Donald Kanan, Chairman, Prudential Corporation, Asia
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ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda met with civil society representatives. Read the opening remarks.
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Three years after the implementation of the Public Communications Policy, it is important that public interest be sustained in ADB's disclosure of information, particularly in light of the impending review of PCP policy by the ADB in terms of its substantive and practical effectiveness and responsiveness. The panel discussion covered issues that deal with the question of the right approaches to concerns related to information and community needs, the strength and areas that require improvement in current policy, as well as issues unresolved since the prior review.
Moderator
- Mr. Hemantha Withanage, Center for Environmental Justice, Sri Lanka
Panelists
- Ms. Maya Eralieva, Central Asia and Caucasus Coordinator, NGO Forum on ADB
- Mr. Kay Leak, Executive Director of Conservation and Development on Cambodia
- Mr. Nepomuceno Malaluan, Global Transparency Initiative
- Ms. Ann Quon, Senior Director, ADB Department of External Relations
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CSO Meeting with ADB's Auditor General
ADB's Auditor General, Mr. Philip Daltrop, briefed CSO participants on developments in the work of the Office of the Auditor General (OAG). The OAG conducts independent appraisals and audits of ADB's operations, information systems and financial, accounting and administrative processes to ensure effective internal control and improve efficiency. The integrity division is the focal point of ADB's drive against corruption and for dealing with alleged incidents of fraud and corruption in its projects or by its staff.
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ActionAid states that the number of hungry and food insecure people in Asia is on the rise due to three-pronged crises - economic, food and climate change. The financial crisis is fuelling falling income and rising unemployment, though it brought down prices of food items in recent months from an all time high. The response to the financial crisis must be grounded in new models of growth and national development, regulation of markets, corporate accountability and the ability of public institutions to fulfill their mission to provide public goods. Multilateral banks like ADB should overhaul their funding facilities to align with nationally defined model of development.
The report launch included case studies on Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Nepal and Viet Nam.
Moderator
- Rashid Al Mahmud Titumir, Regional Policy Coordinator Asia, ActionAid International
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The discussion focused on the plight of workers in the current global economic slowdown, and the need for recovery plans to emphasize job creation that reflects the needs of working families, and where working people are valued and their rights respected. The forum featured discussants from the global unions, ADB and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Moderator
- Mr. Ambet Yuson, Asia-Pacific Regional Secretary, BWI
Panelists
- Mr. Sharan Burrow*, President, ITUC (video message)
- Mr. Noboru Inokuchi, Public Services International
- Sen. Nick Sherry, Minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law, Government of Australia
- Ms. Halimah Yacob, Member, ILO Governing Body; Deputy Secretary General, Singapore NTUC
- Mr. Xianbin Yao, Director General, Regional and Sustainable Development Department, ADB
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ADB has gradually developed sustainable initiatives in its energy portfolio, most recently the Sustainable Transport Initiative. ADB's Energy Efficiency Initiative (EEI) has generated interesting results that have drawn praise, criticism and many questions. Is the EEI a reflection of the changing priorities of the ADB? Is the EEI and ADB's draft Energy Policy commensurate to the challenges actually facing developing Asia in the face of rapidly deteriorating climatic conditions? Are new instruments drawn up by the ADB to address the crisis truly relevant to generating developing member country ambitions with regard to lowcarbon pathways?
Moderator
- Mr. Hemantha Withanage, Center for Environmental Justice, Sri Lanka
Panelists
- Mr. Red Constantino, Executive Director, NGO Forum on ADB
- Ms. Stephanie Fried, Environmental Defense
- Mr. Woochong Um, Director, Sustainable Infrastructure Division, ADB
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