Corporate and Thematic Evaluation

This evaluation of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) support for gender and development (GAD) examined the relevance and results of ADB’s gender priorities at the corporate, country, and project levels during 2005–2015.

This evaluation examines the value added by the environmental and involuntary resettlement safeguards policies of ADB, and identifies what remains to be done to ensure their effective application. The evaluation uses a case study approach to assess the application of ADB’s safeguards in 12 projects in three countries, Indonesia, Kyrgyz Republic and Sri Lanka. These countries were considered to be around the median in terms of the environmental and involuntary resettlement sensitivity of their roads, energy and water projects.

Middle-income countries in Asia and the Pacific face several evolving development challenges, including poverty, inequality, unplanned urbanization, environmental degradation and climate change, low productivity and lack of competitiveness, macroeconomic instability, and insufficient economic diversification. At the same time, these countries have displayed dynamism that has created new opportunities.

Partnerships are more essential than ever before for achieving development effectiveness. They leverage financing, expertise, and knowledge for investment and development. They help organizations to close gaps and avoid duplications in their programs, support scaled-up operations, and promote harmonized approaches for better development results.

ADB has expanded the attention it gives to partnerships in recent years. It has increased the number of partnerships it is involved in, and achieved a good measure of success.

The rapid growth in much of developing Asia has reduced income poverty and moved many countries to middle-income status. To continue advancing, however, the region must tackle the increasingly complex challenges of, among others, slowing economic growth, rising inequality, runaway climate change, and weak governance.

Most countries benefiting from the Asian Development Fund (ADF) have seen moderate rates of economic growth and reduction of income poverty in the recent decade. But continuing challenges in fragile and conflict affected situations, substantial income and non-income disparities, environmental degradation, in addition to persistent pockets of extreme poverty, call for renewed and more effective development efforts in these countries. For ADB, the overarching goals of inclusive and environmentally sustainable growth in addition to regional integration remain relevant, but the institution must make these directions more operational going forward.

This evaluation assesses the relevance of the Pacific Approach in the Pacific small island states, the extent to which it was implemented and whether it has made a difference to results.

Trade has long been recognized as an important tool for generating economic growth, for fostering competitiveness and integrating countries into the global market. Trade enhances a country’s access to goods, services, and technologies. Trade has been an engine of growth and poverty reduction in Asia and Pacific region. Trade finance provided by banks is a means and/or guarantee of payment, for international trade transactions. Trade finance has been described as the lifeblood of international trade because of the vital role it plays in assisting firms in managing trade risks.

Examines the effectiveness of ADB’s approach to strengthening and applying country safeguard systems by its developing member countries, as well as the implementation of safeguard requirements for financial intermediary projects.

This corporate evaluation study assesses the strategic relevance of technical assistance (TA) within ADB and how TA and the associated management processes within ADB can better contribute to development effectiveness.