Purpose

The conference will bring together experts, policy makers and other key stakeholders on infrastructure investment issues facing developing Asia. ADB Vice-President for Knowledge Management Ursula Schaefer-Preuss will deliver the keynote speech, followed by plenary session and more focused discussions. The key areas directly related to infrastructure to be addressed in this conference workshop include:

• the role of infrastructure to inclusive growth and poverty reduction;
• role of public and private sectors in planning, financing and public-private partnership; and
• improving infrastructure policy and regulation and poverty reduction.

Objectives

The conference will:

• spell out the strategic policies of participating countries to develop their infrastructure development for supporting economic growth and poverty reduction;
• assess the contribution of infrastructure to economic growth, service delivery and poverty reduction to provide an overview of the economic and social conditions that underpinned infrastructure development in Asia; and
• discuss the development of policies and regulation for infrastructure investment to promote more inclusive and pro-poor growth.

Expected Outputs

Wider dissemination of relevant findings from economic research emanating from the Conference. Papers, discussant comments and key findings of the conference would subsequently be put together in a Special Volume on Infrastructure in a Globalized World: Improving support for inclusive growth and poverty reduction in Asia.

Target Participants

International experts, policy makers and key stakeholders from selected countries to discuss selected research findings or to comment on the research findings presented.

Speakers and Resource Persons

• Juzhong Zhuang, Deputy Chief Economist, ERD/ADB
• Douglas H. Brooks, ERD/ADB
• Gil-Hong Kim, RSID/RSDD
• Maria Socorro Bautista, ERD/ADB
• Christopher W. MacCormac OPR/ADB
• Amy S.P. Leung, EAD/ADB
• Guntur Sugiyarto, ERD/ADB
• Akiko Terada-Hagiwara, ERD/ADB
• Selim Raihan, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
• KyeongAe Choe, ADB
• Gilbert Llanto, PIDS
• Ghulam Samad, PIDE
• Zhigang Li, University of Hong Kong
• Yazid Dissou, University of Ottawa,Canada
• Dante Canlas, UPSE
• Bhattacharyay Biswanath, ADBI
• Manuel De Vera, Asian Institute of Management
• Ernesto Pernia, UPSE
• Sk. Md. Abdul Ahad, Prime Minister's Office, Bangladesh
• Mr. Enoh Suharto Pranoto, National Council for Special Economic Zone, Indonesia
• S.M. Younus Jafri, Planning Commission, Pakistan
• Hewa Wasalage Gunadasa, Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs, Sri Lanka
• Tran Thi Tuyet Mai, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Viet Nam
• Kriengsak Rabilwongse, National Economic and Social Development Board, Thailand
• Gong Zheng, Foreign Project Management Center under State Council, China, People's Republic
• Mr. Ramon B. Alikpala, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, Philippines