Manila 2018: Publications

The Development Effectiveness Review is ADB's primary tool for monitoring and strengthening its progress on the priorities of Strategy 2020 and its midterm review.

ADB's support to the Philippines focuses on three main pillars: accelerating infrastructure investments, promoting local economic development, and increasing social investments.

The 2017 Annual Report is a clear, comprehensive and detailed record of ADB's operations, activities and financial results over the year.

Developing Asia is forecast to expand by 6.0% in 2018, and by 5.9% in 2019. Excluding Asia' high-income newly industrialized economies, growth should reach 6.5% in 2018 and 6.4% in 2019.

A common understanding on cross-border business continuity planning and cybersecurity is important in establishing central securities depository and real-time gross settlement linkages in ASEAN+3 countries.

Achieving the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change will require significant contributions by the private sector.

The 51st ADB Annual Meeting in Manila attracted 3,800 people from all over the world to link people and economies for inclusive development.

Out of 102 projects in ADB sovereign operations in 2017, 96% featured participation of civil society organizations (CSOs) in various roles and capacities. Cooperation with CSOs helps improve the quality of ADB's development services.

In 2017, ADB's operations reached $32.22 billion. Its own commitment of $20.09 billion for loans, grants and investments, and $201 million for technical assistance (TA), leveraged $11.92 billion in cofinancing.

This document summarizes the proceedings of the 51st Annual Meeting of the ADB Board of Governors, held in Manila, Philippines from 3 to 6 May 2018.

This report explores the role of technology in providing solutions to some of the key labor market challenges that Asian countries with progressive aging must face in order to boost productivity and sustain growth and development.

This study was developed to propose a scenario where 100 percent of Sri Lanka's electricity is generated through renewable energy sources by 2050.

This first learning report provides a summary of key findings, lessons learned, and perceived gaps and issues in the implementation of the Accountability Mechanism.

This publication captures and reflects upon the partnership between ADB and its Pacific developing member countries over the past 50 years.

You have sent your complaint to the ADB Accountability Mechanism. What happens next? This brochure gives a brief information about the two paths that complainants can choose to follow.

This brochure provides an overview of the ADB Accountability Mechanism, and answers frequently asked questions regarding the subject.

This book is a history of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), a multilateral development bank established 50 years ago to serve Asia and the Pacific.

A compilation of books and reports published by the Asian Development Bank from June 2016 to June 2017.

The role of Aid for Trade (AfT) in promoting the growth and tradability of services is important, given that it is a major catalyst for inclusive economic and structural transformation.

This research report focuses on the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The ASEAN+3 Bond Market Guide is a series published by the ASEAN+3 Bond Market Forum in collaboration with ADB as its secretariat.

This paper describes achievements under the Asian Bond Markets Initiative and the direction of ASEAN+3 over the medium-term.

Risks to economic growth and stability of East Asia remain--faster-than-expected rate hikes in the United States and monetary policy normalization in other advanced economies; and growing threats of protectionism.

A brief description of the work of ADB's Private Sector Operations Department, its main goal, sector focus, portfolios, and case studies on projects approved in 2017.

Developing Asia is forecast to expand by 5.9% in 2017 and 5.8% in 2018, a slight upgrade from projections in Asian Development Outlook 2017.

Examining the SDGs goal by goal shows that governments will confront many common and fundamental challenges as they work to advance sustainable development.

vThe findings of this guidance note can feed into developing disaster risk finance strategies, which set out policy priorities aimed at meeting post-disaster financing needs.

This study highlights the role played by growing female workforce in the positive economic turnaround in Bangladesh. It is now essential to shift workers to more highly productive sectors through structural transformations.

This evaluation of the deployment of credit enhancement products (CEPs) by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), including its policy environment and the development of its business portfolio shows that ADB is primarily a lender of development loans, particularly to sovereign borrowers.

Effective management and use of geospatial data and technologies can support efforts in achieving universal health coverage in almost every country in Asia and the Pacific.

ADB's headquarters embodies sustainable development, designed to be a building where environmental impact is minimized.

This publication highlights ADB's support to its member countries in the Pacific in addressing climate change and disaster risks.

This joint report from ADB and the International Labour Organization examines constraints and opportunities for increasing productive employment in Cambodia.

This policy brief summarizes Cambodia's Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Policy 2017-2025 which will guide the formulation and implementation of strategies for skills development in the country.

Evidence for the impact of international capital flows on the financial sector's stability is mixed. This paper looks at the relationship between capital flows and financial stability in emerging economies.

CAREC 2030 provides the new long-term strategic framework for the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program leading to 2030.

This publication describes an innovative financing solution for enhancing both financially bankable as well as environmentally sustainable infrastructure projects.

The ability of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to establish themselves and scale their operations is integral to Sri Lanka achieving equitable economic growth. Access of SMEs to equity or risk capital has to be improved.

This framework provides direction for enhancing resilience and supporting climate adaptation and mitigation actions in ADB operations and business processes.

While fundamental reforms have modernized the environment for doing business in the Solomon Islands, more needs to be done to improve the quality of the country's investment climate.

This publication highlights the experiences of ADB's pilot projects to achieve access to electricity and energy efficiency in five developing countries in Asia.

This guidebook shares training materials and knowledge on mini-grid development for rural electrification. It documents experiences and lessons learned from developing 12 pilot mini-grid systems for off-grid energy access in Myanmar.

This practical guide provides technical advice on disaster risk assessment to facilitate the consideration of disaster risks in the design of development projects.

This guide provides technical advice on the integration of disaster risk management considerations in ADB country partnership strategy preparation.

This paper assesses the practical implementation for distributed ledger (or blockchain) technology in improving the process of financing, deploying, tracking, and evaluating development finance assistance in key sectors.

The Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative is designing women-friendly laws and implementing pilot projects to allow women in the Pacific to realize their full potential.

This book presents an overview of the main research findings and case studies concerning education and skills for inclusive growth, green jobs and the greening of economies.

Case studies in the People's Republic of China and in Indonesia show why holistic community-based approaches to managing flood risks should be a key feature of investment programs.

Guidance for ADB staff and development partners in planning, designing, and implementing projects to support an integrated approach to inclusive urban development.

With increased emphasis on reducing emissions from the power sector, grid-level energy storage can enable larger penetration of renewable energy into the grid.

In Asia and the Pacific extreme income poverty remains widespread. This analysis of trends and highlighted good practices provides useful input into regional and global dialogues.

Even though official unemployment in Fiji is low, the country has a large informal labor market in which workers toil without income security or social protection.

Foreign investors seem more sensitive to risk-return profile than domestic investors, especially in emerging markets, and are also attracted by greater market openness and sound sovereign credit ratings.

This report reflects how Clean Development Mechanism projects supported by the Future Carbon Fund not only reduce GHG emissions but deliver social, environmental, and economic co-benefits contributing to sustainable development in the region. This report also presents qualitative and quantitative analysis of these co-benefits.

This study looks at the implications of the transition to a new growth model in the People's Republic of China for women in terms of gender equality and the labor market.

This gender equality case study presents the contributions of the ADB-India project in providing 24-hour power supply to rural households in Madhya Pradesh and how it has opened opportunities for women entrepreneurs in the energy sector.

The male-female wage gap is a persistent global phenomenon. As the wage gap may discourage women from investing in human capital or participating in the labor market, understanding its root cause is important.

This tool kit aims to guide staff and consultants of ADB in conceptualizing and designing gender-responsive public policy and projects to support micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise development.

A case study in Bali, Indonesia features the use of a GIS-based decision support system as a potential tool to support rapid deployment of renewable energy technologies.

The Regional Investment Framework 2022 (RIF 2022) is the medium term pipeline of priority projects in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). It is a consolidation and expansion of the earlier Regional Investment Framework (2013-2022) and continues to operationalize the strategic priorities of the GMS Program under the GMS Strategic Framework (2012-2022) and the Hanoi Action Plan 2018-2022 (HAP).

The Ha Noi Acton Plan 2018-2022 provides directions and operational focus to the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Program for the remaining 5 years of the GMS Strategic Framework 2012-2022.

This country analysis of the energy sector in South Asia enables understanding of the state of the legal and regulatory framework for energy trade and areas of reform.

More than 5,000 people from all over the world participated in the 50th Annual Meeting of the ADB Board of Governors in Yokohama, Japan to discuss sustainable development while ensuring the benefits of economic growth are shared by all.

Inclusive businesses are bringing positive change to women's lives. However, companies need to understand and address systemic issues of gender inequality to maximize financial return and social impact.

This paper examines the effects of the People's Republic of China's rapid integration into the global supply chain on women's occupational status.

This study reviews the development of human capital in South Asia and analyzes contributing factors to human development including policies and strategies that countries in South Asia follow.

An integrated national identification (ID) system offers a means to fast-track the development process by providing the most efficient way to identify people in developing countries.

Underemployment, informal work, gender disparities, and a large share of young people not in education, employment, or training characterize labour markets in the Pacific island countries.

Case studies highlight experiences of six pilot projects on the development of small hybrid renewable energy systems in Asian rural areas and small isolated islands.

Integral to improving the lives of people in Asia and the Pacific is the establishment of a mechanism in ADB for addressing project-related complaints by affected people.

The book focuses on Indonesia's most pressing labor market challenges and associated policy options to achieve higher and more inclusive economic growth.

As demand for postsecondary education increases and more nontraditional service providers emerge, education service delivery also needs to evolve.

This paper examines the existing state and gaps of ICT in education in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka and suggests strategies to address these gaps.

This publication looks how private sector investments in education and training can help improve standards, with a special focus on Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

The Internet of Things has the potential to significantly transform the power sector, which already benefits from early consumer-oriented applications.

Asia and the Pacific accounted for 40.9% of global GDP in 2016, up from 29.4% in 2000. The People's Republic of China, India, and Japan accounted for about 70% of the region's total output in 2016.

The central premise of ADB's Law and Policy Reform Program is that a functioning legal system is essential to sustainable development.

From in-country to cross-country connections, whether by land, air, or water, transport is a key ingredient that enables nations to achieve economic and social development goals.

This study looks at ADB's early experience in developing and implementing national adaptation programs and projects under the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR).

This report examines developing Asia's infrastructure--defined as transport, power, telecommunications, water supply and sanitation. It looks at the region's investments in infrastructure, and what will be needed through 2030.

This Microsoft Excel-based tool kit and user guide intends to support planning hybrid renewable energy systems based on experiences of pilot projects in ADB's South Asian developing member countries.

This guide assists ADB project officers in understanding natural hazards, hazard mapping, disaster risk assessments, and in taking disaster risk into account in project design.

This report on Nepal's energy sector highlights key development constraints, government plans, and assesses support from development partners such as ADB.

This plan adjusts the implementation of ADB's Regional Cooperation and Integration (RCI) strategy to meet recommendations of the midterm review of Strategy 2020 and ADB's evolving strategic directions.

This brochure lays out the steps that were needed to investigate ADB's compliance with its own operational policies and procedures, following complaints received from project-affected persons.

Project managers often face problems with projects. By building problem solving and problem collaboration into projects, managers can ensure that problems are dealt with promptly.

The Problem-Solving Primer describes how the Office of the Special Project Facilitator works, how you can avail of their services, and the step-by-step method the department uses to guide people through the complaint-handling process. The Primer provides you and your representative, civil society organizations, ADB staff, government agencies, and the private sector with an understanding of what OSPF problem solving means in practical terms. Stories from cases illustrate the kinds of complaints received, and the ways they work with everyone involved to find a solution to the problem.

Access to affordable and reliable energy supply is a key determinant to ensure inclusive growth and socioeconomic development particularly in the Asia and the Pacific.

ADB is supporting access to energy, renewable energy generation, efficient use of resources, and strengthening public and private sector institutions in the Pacific.

This study assesses how the growth of the Philippines can be made climate friendly through a detailed modeling approach that draws on extensive national stakeholder input.

This study assesses how Viet Nam's green growth objectives can be achieved through a detailed modeling approach that draws on extensive national stakeholder input to ensure alignment with sector plans and strategies.

Given the rapid growth of the public-private partnership program (PPP), the Philippine government has initiated reforms to strengthen the framework for managing contingent liabilities arising from PPP projects.

This paper analyzes the possibility that Asia faces a middle-income trap due to demographic factors, and explores the link between fertility and the ratio of workers to consumers in the region's economic growth.

This publication documents the proceedings of the Fourth South Asia Judicial Roundtable on Environmental Justice, held on 28-29 November 2015 in Kathmandu, Nepal.

ASEAN+3 policy makers are exploring options to promote green local currency-denominated bonds to meet the region's infrastructure development needs.

This study looks at the rapidly changing rural landscape in the People's Republic of China and how the private and public sectors can improve and promote logistics development.

Pacific countries lack workers with construction skills and rely on large firms to import skilled workers for large infrastructure projects.

This publication provides information on the PPP business environment in nine ADB developing member countries to help public sector policy makers improve private sector participation in infrastructure projects.

Investing in the employment of young people helps realize the potential of human capital in terms of wealth and savings, leading to huge economic and also ultimately, social gains.

Recent regional climate change projections have consequences for human systems, particularly for developing countries in Asia and the Pacific.

This publication covers the progress of ADB in implementing its Operational Plan for Regional Cooperation and Integration, 2016-2020, focusing on 2016, by reviewing progress made and identifying areas for improvement.

This review recommends possible extension and/or realignment of economic corridors to enhance their effectiveness and efficiency in advancing economic integration in the Greater Mekong Subregion.

Rural communities in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) are vulnerable to climate-related disasters.

In 2000, 617 million people in Asia and the Pacific were suffering from hunger.

This publication summarizes Myanmar's progress in building an environmental impact assessment (EIA) system and how the Asian Development Bank has contributed to its development.

A new framework for road safety aims to halve the number of fatalities on CAREC road corridors by 2030 (compared to 2010).

The ASEAN judiciaries reviewed their agreements on how they see, and aimed to fulfill, their role in protecting the environment, advancing environmental justice, and upholding the rule of law at the Sixth Roundtable held in the Philippines.

Asia's growing labor force needs innovative solutions to reduce risks and ensure social protection of workers in vulnerable employment with informal arrangements.

Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, which have grown robustly in recent years, can tap each other's strength to realize their potential of propelling Asia's future growth.

This study examines Sri Lanka's employment situation, including issues of aging and skills generation, and draws recommendations from the analysis.

Pension provision is an emerging challenge for the Pacific.

Social protection programs can provide enhanced opportunities to strengthen climate and disaster resilience of the poor and the marginalized population in Asia and the Pacific region.

This special edition of Together We Deliver tells 50 stories that highlight the importance of good partnerships in Asia and the Pacific in meeting the complex development challenges of our dynamic region.

Countries in South Asia, including Bangladesh, often face high trade costs. This report reviews trade and transport procedures in Bangladesh, highlights the importance of monitoring trade and transport facilitation, and lays a foundation for future studies and establishment of long-term, sustainable Trade and Transport Facilitation Monitoring Mechanism (TTFMM).

A baseline study reviews trade and transport procedures in Bhutan to understand the current situation, identify bottlenecks, and implement trade and transport facilitation measures.

South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation countries can improve their trade facilitation performances as a way to promote innovation. Shorter trade times encourage the introduction of new projects and management systems at firm levels.

This report explores how resilience thinking can strengthen public policy to enable the transformation towards sustainable societies envisaged by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Asia-Pacific region.

This paper emphasizes the important role of information and communication technology in accelerating reforms in digital health systems to provide better quality, efficient, and accessible patient-centered care.

As part of the preparation of the proposed country partnership strategy 2017-2021 for the Lao PDR, ADB organized stakeholder consultations with civil society in May 2016.